The Vale to host first-ever PGA event

Captain Charles Huntington hopes a successful PGA Pro-Captain Challenge regional qualifier can mark the start of a new era for the The Vale Golf & Country Club.

The Worcestershire venue will stage the event, the first PGA tournament in its history, on Wednesday 7 August, and Huntington is confident that the facilities will impress.

He is also keen for the club to make their mark on the golf course, and hopes to make home advantage count when he takes to the fairways alongside PGA Professional Paul Barker.

Victory in the regional qualifier will bring the duo a much-coveted place in the £25,000 challenge final over the PGA Sultan course at Antalya Golf Club in Turkey from November 21-22.

Huntington explained: “The PGA approached us to stage this event and we were more than happy to say yes.

“I think a lot of the professionals who’ve played here have given us favourable reports and there have been a lot of good things said by word of mouth.

“Now we have the Pro-Captain Challenge regional qualifying event and we’d like to think we can become a fixture on the calendar if it goes well.”

Huntington is confident the event will be a success, and he believes the venue will provide a stern test for competitors.

He added: “It’s maturing now. It was opened 24 years ago and there was a time when you could hit straight through the trees, but it takes a generation for a course to take shape and that’s what we have now.”

Barker admitted that it will be an important event in the history of the club.

He explained: “We’re very excited about it. The course is one of the longest in the UK at around 7,700 yards and we hope to stage more events like this over the years.”

Other teams taking part at The Vale Golf & Country Club include: Dan Lowe and Steve Shaw (Sandwell Park); Paul Middleton and Will Jones (South Herefordshire); Sarah Walton and George Smith (Kington); James Latham and Richard Mobley (Cotswold Hills); and Phil Cundy and John Whitehead (Droitwich).