ALMOST 54,000 people chose to play golf during the summer months of April to September, inspired by England’s network of County Golf Partnerships (CGPs).

That’s an increase of 47 per cent on the same period in 2012. The challenge now is to convert the growing interest in golf into regular, once-a-week participation.

The six-month results from 31 Partnerships, which work to increase participation at grass roots level, are detailed in the latest CGP Impact Report from England Golf.

During the period, CGP activities involved a total of 53,940 people, aged 14-years and over. Of these, 15,250 (28 per cent) were involved in structured coaching sessions with PGA professionals, and 7518 (14 per cent) in regular, once a week activity.

Encouragingly, 35 per cent of all participants were female. This compares very favourably with national figures which show that just 15 per cent of all golfers are female.

Another highlight of the report was news of almost 2000 new golf club memberships, worth up to £1.4m in subscriptions to clubs across England.

PROMISING North-East golfer Cameron Wallace has ended the year on a high.

The Seaton Carew teenager has won the Junior Calcutta Cup final with his playing partner Luke Verral for the second year in a row.

Wallace, a scholar on Dyke House Sports & Technology College’s Elite Development Squad programme, has also won a pair of FootJoy golf shoes for delivering in another competition called HowDidiDo.

But it was the 14-year-old’s triumph in the Calcutta Cup that was most noted at Seaton Carew.

The knock-out competition saw Wallace and Verral take alternate shots and after 18 holes it went to a sudden death play-off.

On the first extra hole, Wallace teed off, his playing partner found the green with the second shot before he rolled in a 20ft putt to win it.

“I’m also up at Maften Hall in Northumberland once a month for a full weekend’s coaching with the North of England squad.

“I’ve got lessons with Wynyard’s Andrew Nicholson and there will also be the occasional winter competitions at Seaton Carew. I will even be teeing off at 9am Christmas Day, like I normally do with my dad.”

PROS and amateurs across Europe are being urged to move fast to sign up to the newest event on the PGAs of Europe’s 2014 calendar – the La Manga Club International Pro-Am.

The new co-sanctioned event, announced only a few weeks ago after the PGAs of Europe renewed its association with La Manga Club, has already received entries for 65 per cent of the available places.

Golfers from all over the continent including Germany, Holland, Spain and the UK have flocked to secure enter the tournament, which will be held at Spain’s La Manga Club from March 7-11, 2014.

For more information on the first La Manga Club International Pro-Am contact Maria-José Blanco atsales@lamangaclub.com, phone +34 968 33 1234 or visitwww.lamangaclub.com/proam