Young, lady golfer from Donnington Grove in the US

When junior golf in this county is poorly represented, with few clubs offering a junior section, there is good news coming from Donnington Grove Golf Club. The club employed a talented junior player, Grace Canning, who worked in the pro shop. On a recent visit to the States, head pro Tom Fleming noticed a promotion for a new girls junior team, out of Palm Beach College, Florida, and suggested to Grace that she should apply. Grace, now aged 18, applied and won the place, with a 3 year course in business studies, and she has just been promoted to the girls university team to play her first match.

There are only 8 girls on the programme, mostly from the US but also Norway, Germany and, now, the UK. The girls are entered into qualifying matches and, if successful, will be selected for tournaments. Next week Grace will play in Georgia, and, who knows,  this could be the beginning of a professional career in golf.

It is a fantastic opportunity for Grace, and not a little glory is shared by Donnington Grove Golf Club. And perhaps a reminder that we should be able to hold onto British talent, especially girls.