Nunn looking to practise what he preaches

Burstead’s Chris Nunn is looking to guide club captain and family friend John Blackmore through the Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro-Captain Championship qualifiers and into a grand final in Turkey.

The two men go back a long way as Blackmore is a friend of Nunn’s father and regularly takes coaching with the 41 year old, who currently works as the director of golf at the Essex club.

Nunn, a PGA Professional of almost 15 years, will bring a wealth of experience into the qualifier at the Addington on August 21 having coached for Essex County and played on the PGA Europro Tour.

And he will look to make it pay as they aim to reach the £25,000 grand final, which will take place over the PGA Sultan Course at Antalya Golf Club on November 25-26.

“I think as a PGA Professional in this sort of event, you’re really looking at the course management side of things and trying to help the amateur get round,” he explained.

“I’ve known John for a long time, he’s a respectable 18 handicapper and the great thing is that while he doesn’t hit it far, he hits it very straight.

“That means that I’ll be able to open my shoulders and really go for it if he can play as we both know he can.

“We’re going there believing we can make the final in Turkey, we wouldn’t be going otherwise.”

Retired Blackmore, whose other hobbies include lawn bowls, has known Nunn’s father for more than 20 years and they hope that the fact the men know each other so well may give them an advantage.

“We’ll be having a bit of banter and I’m sure we’ll go out there and have a great time,” Nunn enthused.

“We know each other extremely well, and with John’s commitments at the club as captain he’s been around the place even more this year.

“We know that in something like this anybody can win, but we’re both really looking forward to going there and giving it a shot.”

Other pairings playing in the Addington qualifier include: John Clarke and Bob James (a) (Berkhamsted), Samuel Cubitt and Andy Horne (a) (Dunston Hall), Steven Richardson and Nigel Sansome (a) (Garon Park), Philip Taylor and Ian Nelson (a) (Pachesham) and Simon Lowry and Brian Bradshaw (a) (Princes Risborough).