Students to play match against Norway

 

While many UK golfers will be huddled around the fireplace, the Lee Westwood Golf School students will be competing against the WANG Academy of Norway. The event will be held on the 12 January during their winter training trip to the Iberostar Royal Andalus Golf Resort, in sunny Spain.

The Wang Academy operates in a similar fashion to the Lee Westwood Golf School, in that it is for talented young norwegian athletes aged from 16 to 19 years old, who complete education while training in their chosen sport. There are five schools in Norway (Oslo, Hamar, Stavanger, Tønsberg and Fredrikstad).

It will be a tough match against the WANG Academy, who work closely with the Norwegian Golf Federation, with the handicap range of players being +3.5 to 5, and includes up to 15 Norwegian international representatives. Programme Manager Gavin Hamlyn said 'it is a fantastic opportunity for out students to train and compete abroad. We are all looking forward to highly competitive matches, and the unique prospect of playing against a school from a foreign country".

During the trip there will also be the annual match played between the Lee Westwood Golf School - Cheshire and Essex teams. This match is normally played with much intensity due to the desire to bring back the inter-school bragging rights to the UK. The Essex School currently hold the title but it's all to play for again in just over a months time.

THE MASTERS - DREAM COME TRUE

Our students have been offered a fabulous opportunity to attend The Masters in April next year. A once in a lifetime experience, a trip to the holy grail of golf is on every golfer’s bucket list!

Open to students and parents, there are 2 different options to attend either the Tuesday practice round or the Sunday final round, plus 3 rounds of golf, bed & breakfast accommodation at the 4* Downtown Hyatt Hotel, premium car hire, and Virgin flights from London. 

A staff member will also attend - don't think it will be difficult to find a volunteer!

Ethan Snutch heads to the Junior European Open

Good luck to Ethan Snutch who joins a 156 strong field of finalists for the Junior European Open now in its 25th year. The Junior European Open, in association with Sky Sports, first staged in 1993, is the most accessible and keenly contested junior golf tournament in Europe. The Tournament has an enviable pedigree. In 1993 Luke Donald finished 3rd in the finals at Wentworth, closely followed by US Open Champion Justin Rose in 1994, also finishing 3rd.

42 regional events took place throughout the year across the UK and Europe with Ethan taking top spot at Lingfield Golf Club winning him the trip to the week-long Champions Finals in Andalucia, Spain.

Fingers crossed Ethan.

Open days at Essex and Cheshire

Come along to our Open Event at our Essex location on Saturday 25th November and our Cheshire location 9th December and discover what we have to offer.

It a great opportunity to see our facilities and learn more about all the options available to you to advance your golf.

Contact us now to book your appointment on Essex - 01206 265834, Cheshire - 01565 830 444 or e-mail info@leewestwoodgolfschool.com

James Mack in Essex squad

Congratulations, James Mack who has been chosen for the Essex training squad this winter. Members of this squad will be chosen to represent the county in upcoming matches. This is an ongoing process where his performances in Essex amateur events will help him to gain selection for higher honours.

It is no surprise that he is beginning to receive these opportunities with the continued hardwork he has been putting in. Working smarter on his game, and really targeting the problems has put the lowest scores on the board. Being involved with this squad will help his game elevate to the next level in conjunction with what we are working on here at the school.  This is a wonderful opportunity for James, well done.

A great start to the BSC qualifying series

It was a great start to our quest to qualify for the British Schools & Colleges National Final.

Our first event was held at Caldy Golf Club in Liverpool, and our scratch team was made up of Tom Matthews, George Mitchell, Ellis Muckley, and Zarak Curley. 

Our team were victorious with George and Tom both shooting -3 under gross (69), while Zarak and Ellis returned scores of 75 & 78 respectively. A great start to the qualifying series with a best of 3 team score of 3 under par!

Our next scheduled British Schools & Colleges match will not be until the new year. We will keep working hard in preparation as we look to go deep in the competition this year, and improve upon our 2nd place finish at the National Finals last year.

The final is scheduled to be played at the fantastic Trevose Golf Club in May next year.

Lee Westwood Golf Tour 2017 National Champions

This year the Lee Westwood Golf Tour National Final was held at Gainsborough Golf Club, home of PING’s European Custom Fitting Centre.  The event was held over 2 days (23^rd & 24^th October), with 60 competitors competing over 36 holes on the Karsten Lakes course to decide the 2017 national champions. 


The overall gross winner with a total score of 141, (72, 69) was Lee Westwood Golf School student James Mack, followed by Robert Holden who returned a total score of 148.  It was a tight race for the overall nett competition, but Julia Kerrigan took the title on countback from Ella Hammond-Baveystock and James Bennett, with a total score of 136 (8 under par).


2015 overall winner Tom Riley claimed the U21 nett title with consistent 1 over nett rounds on both days.


Robert Holden won the U17 gross competition, with a score of 148, with Nathan Newton as runner up with 149.


In the girl’s gross competition, Ella Hammond-Baveystock won with a score of 150, followed closely by Julia Kerrigan with 152.


Robert Holden, Charley Allsopp, Immy Leeder & Megan Evans took the nearest the pin competitions, and Ben Bolton sunk 6 8ft putts in a row to become putting champion!


A big thank you to PING’s European Custom Fitting Centre for allowing our finalists exclusive use of the fitting bays to test some of the clubs and PING equipment.  In the yardage challenge, both Tom Cotterell & Harry Shaw managed to land their balls within 10cm of the target.


It was great to see so many of our past and present students participating in the event, and congratulations must also go to Louis Martin and Eden Inglis for finishing in the top 10 gross and nett.  


Another fantastic event; with one parent commenting ‘Julia has woken up and still can’t believe what happened!  Once again I would like to thank you and all the staff for running an excellent event; she’s already looking forward to next year’


We can’t wait to see the tour grow in 2018 under our new branding – watch this space for more details!

New girls course record

NEW GIRLS COURSE RECORD AT LWGS-ESSEX

Eve Clarke, our Golf Performance Programme student from New Zealand, topped the nett leaderboard in this week's Strokeplay competition with a nett 67.

Her fantastic gross 72, level par, made up of halves of 38/34, was 5 under her handicap and included 4 birdies, beating a previous school course record of 73 set by Sophie Mills back in 2014.

This is an impressive 9 shots off her first week at the LWGS just 7 weeks ago....

Well done Eve, keep up the good work.

STILL TIME TO JOIN

Started your new course, not sure if you have made the right decision?  Thinking of changing?

Do you know you can enrol on our full time golf and education programme right up until the end of September and our golf performance programme any time throughout the year?

Contact us and you are one step closer to joining the fabulous team at Lee Westwood Golf.

info@leewestwoodgolfschool.com 01565 830 444

Liam makes TV debut on Sky Sport Golf Channel

Watch Liam McNeela’s debut on Sky Sports Golf Channel!

Earlier in the year Essex graduate Liam entered a social media competition to win a chance to appear in an advert for Callaway. He was among a few who won the competition and was invited to attend the Oxfordshire Golf Club. Liam’s swing was filmed with the new Epic driver and the data as seen in the video clip is from Trackman. Nice swing Liam!

Looking good in PING

We are delighted that PING, having kindly supported the Lee Westwood Golf School for many years by supplying the unique 4-series golf bags, have now, for the 2nd year, supplied the students with their uniform player pack. 

Due to the intensity & frequency of golf playing & practice that our students are involved in on a weekly basis, it is essential that we have quality uniform that can withstand the rigours of a full time golf programme, week in week out for the full year. It has to be practical, comfortable & hard wearing, as well as look good.

Engineered exclusively for golfers PING apparel combines the latest technology, state of the art fabrics and production methods, alongside luxury materials and craftsmanship to provide unrivalled quality and performance.  The Sensor technology platform protects against the elements to delivery enhanced comfort in all playing conditions, something our students are very grateful for!

Our students on the Golf and Education programme and those attending our Golf Performance Programme are looking forward to starting the new academic year this week, we love the new clothing and we know the students will too!

There is still time to join the Lee Westwood Golf School, contact:
info@leewestwoodgolfschool.com or 01206 265 834 (Essex)/01565 830 444 (Cheshire)

ETHAN SNUTCH CLEANS UP AT SITTINGBOURNE

A massive well done to our Essex 2nd year student Ethan Snutch who has won the Kent Golf Union, Oscar Ash Cups Championship at Sittingbourne & Milton Regis Golf Club this week.  In a field of over 50 young golfers Ethan shot fantastic scores of 76/72 gross and 72/68 nett, securing the top prize in both categories. 

This success shortly follows Ethan's achievement of qualifying for the Junior European Open final which, in association with Sky Sports, is widely believed to be the toughest test in junior golf in Europe.  The Champions week finals will take place in Andalucia, Spain in November and is staged over five rounds.  We wish Ethan all the best.

 

LOUIS MARTIN IS SUFFOLK MATCHPLAY CHAMPION

A huge congratulations to Louis Martin who won the Suffolk Matchplay Championship (Presidents Mashie) at Diss Golf Club on Sunday.

16 qualifiers from the Amateur Championship took part with the field reduced to 4 at the end of day one. In the top half of the draw Louis, had impressive wins, 1 up against two County players. The final saw Louis establish a 3 up lead with 3 holes to play, his opponent staged a recovery by winning the next two holes but was unable to win the final hole leaving Louis the winner 1 up. 
 

Louis is an extremely hard working student, putting in a lot of time and effort with his golf practice.  This has resulted in his scoring average already being reduced from 82.3 to 79.1. 

Fantastic result, well done Louis.

 

Record breaker

This week saw James Mack break our student record on the Gainsborough course at Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa. 

James shot an impressive -7 (64) to beat the existing student record by 1 stroke, previously held by Jacob Hassan, gained in September 2016. 

James has had a fantastic year; making his Euro Pro Tour debut in March, playing in the Qualifying Schools at Stoke by Nayland, finishing 2nd in the individual gross at the British Schools and Colleges finals and recently winning the Lee Westwood Golf Tour event at Stoke by Nayland. 

James Mack started the school in September 2015 off 5 and has now reduced his handicap to 0.3 with a scoring average of 70.4. 

James is continuing at the school for another year prior to hopefully embarking on a career on tour.

Another great result, this time from Shay McQueen who shot (66) -6 on the Constable course, that's only 1 less than the course record currently 65 held by Joe Fryer in 2013.

George crowned nett champion

Essex 2nd year student George Lancaster has been crowned nett champion in the Golf Club Championship at Chart Hills Golf Club during the weekend.

In a field of 50 George produced fantastic scores of 75/73, to finish 1st nett and 2nd gross.

Since being at the Lee Westwood Golf School George has reduced his handicap from 11 to 4.4 and has seen his scoring average reduce by 11 shots.

George is working hard with the Lee Westwood Golf coaches in preparation of his next journey at Tournament Golf College.

We wish him all the very best.

WELCOME BACK

 

This week we hosted our first ever former students reunion at High Legh Park Golf Club in Cheshire, when last year’s students were invited back to play against the current cohort.

It was great to welcome back Adam Ranson, Brook Coward, Will Armitage, Tom Vyce, Andrew Ni & Matt Osborn, who all left the school in June 2016.

Banter levels were high as they tee’d off in bright, sunny conditions and we are pleased to report a clean sweep for the school team, who won every single one of their matches!

We hope everyone who attended enjoyed the day; Tom Vyce said “I had a really enjoyable day, it was great to catch up with all the lads & create some more fun memories with them”.

Overall the whole day was a great success, and we look forward to developing the current vs ex students format for next year, and seeing a lot more familiar faces for the event.

To be part of the Lee Westwood Golf School contact us on info@leewestwoodgolfschool.com or 01565 830 444

Students enjoy Ireland

Last week a selection of our students enjoyed a trip to our sister school, Darren Clarke Golf School, in Northern Ireland.

For 5 days the students had full access to the fantastic facilities and technology that the Antrim based school has to offer.

Alongside the golf training facilities, the students had the opportunity to play the local courses, including Hilton Templepatrick and Portrush, home of the 2019 British Open.  On the Hilton Templepatrick course golf performance programme student Charley Allsopp returned the best score of the day with a nett 68 (shooting +1 gross on the back nine with 3 birdies).

A kick-around on the onsite football pitch and a competitive race around the local go kart track finished the trip off on a high. #irelandtrip

You too can be part of the Lee Westwood Golf School.  Visit our website www.leewestwoodgolfschool.com or e-mail us info@leewestwoodgolfschool.com for more information

 

 

Joining the school has never been more affordable

As a talented young golfer, you are probably looking at your career choices.

Thinking about which part of the golf or associated industry would suit you best – PGA TEACHING PRO, TOUR PLAYER, MAJOR MANUFACTURER, MANAGER, CADDY and so on?

We remain one of the top choices for those wishing to further their golfing career.

Our motto – “Success in School, Success in Life” has proved so true - - take a look at our latest news – www.leewestwoodgolf.com for the continued student & school successes, Tour and Camps news.

Whether you choose the Education & Golf Programme, or a purely golf focused, flexible Golf Performance Programme – there is something to suit everyone, aged 16 +, starting from £199 per month*

Come along to one of our FREE coaching clinics, Cheshire - 1st July and Essex - 8th July and find out how to join this winning team.
To register contact us on:
Cheshire 01565 830 444
Essex 01206 265 834
Info@leewestwoodgolfschool.com
*terms and conditions apply

Handicaps keep on falling

Essex student Sam Tawse is enjoying a fantastic first year.


Having started the school in September 2016 Sam has already reduced his handicap from 19.1 to 6.7, that's an impressive 65% reduction in under a year. Combined with a gross scoring average of 87.9 to a 72 level par round recently, the stats speak for themselves. Sam's hard work, early morning practice and dedication is clearly paying off and we are really pleased for him.


Handicap reduction is just one of many benefits you can receive at Lee Westwood Golf School. Since September our full time Cheshire students have seen an average handicap reduction of 43%!

CLEAN SWEEP AT ICT TEAMS FINAL

It has been a tremendous few weeks of success for the LWGS student teams and individual players within the British Schools & Colleges and Intercollegiate Tour competitions.

Following our success at the BSC’s final, where Lee Westwood Golf School filled 5 of the top 10 places in the individual competition and were 2nd and 3rd in the team gross competition, it was time to move our focus to the ICT national final.

The annual ICT National Finals took place last week at the former Ryder Cup venue of Moortown Golf Club in Leeds. The 12 qualifying teams participated in a 54 hole competition over 2 days. 

Lee Westwood Golf School – Essex team of Dominic Burgess (Salisbury & South Wilts Golf Club), Liam McNeela (Northants Country Golf Club), Ryan Craig (Dunstable Downs Golf Club), Shay McQueen (The Warren), James Mack (Stoke by Nayland Golf Club) and Fraser McDonald (Castle Royal Golf Club) successfully wiped the board clean in the team competition of the national final by being crowned gross and nett champions.

In a field of over 80 players, the Lee Westwood Golf School were also represented on the individual competition prize table with Dominic Burgess joint runner up in the gross competition and Liam McNeela finishing joint first in the nett competition.

A fantastic effort all round!

 

PLAY BETTER GOLF: UNIQUE AND FLEXIBLE GOLF PROGRAMME

Looking for a golf programme to increase your performance and playing ability?

Perhaps you have just finished your College course, GCSEs, A levels or just fancy getting out of the house?

Whether based in the UK, Ireland or further overseas - the Lee Westwood Golf School is the right choice for you!

Alongside our successful full time BTEC programme for 16+ year olds, we offer the Golf Performance Programme for 18+  - You can join us from as little as £199 per month and start immediately if required - programmes are totally flexible - you chose how many days a month and how many months you want to train with us!

You will have use of the amazing golf facilities, benefit from a talented and results focused coaching team and so much more.

Contact us now to find out how you can join - info@leewestwoodgolfschool.com or call +44 (0)1565 830 444

 

LWGS FILL 5 OF THE TOP 10 PLACES AT NATIONAL FINAL

This week saw the Lee Westwood Golf School compete in the British Schools and Colleges National Finals held at the Marriott Forest of Arden golf resort.  

The Lee Westwood Golf School was represented by 5 teams, 3 from Essex and 2 from Cheshire. The event was played in tough windy conditions but the LWGS managed to walk away with trophies in hand.  

The Cheshire A team were runners-up and the Essex A team finished in 3rd position in the gross competition. In the nett team competition, the Essex B and C teams finished 3rd and 5th respectively, while the Cheshire B team finished in 6th position. It was a great effort from our teams over the two days, considering there were close to 50 teams who entered the competition at the start of the year.  

For the individual competition, the Lee Westwood Golf School managed to fill 5 of the top 10 places in both the gross and nett competition. James Mack (Essex) finished 2nd, whilst Conor White (Cheshire) finished 3rd. George Mitchell (Cheshire), Shay McQueen (Essex), and Liam McNeela (Essex) all finished inside the top 10. For the nett competition the 5 students in the top 10 were Morgan Edwards (Cheshire), Ellis Muckley (Cheshire), James Mack (Essex), Shay McQueen (Essex), and Liam McNeela (Essex).  

Overall it was a great week and a great result for Lee Westwood Golf.

SAM SET TO SHINE IN SILVER CITY

Former Lee Westwood Golf School student Sam Ruston of Cannock, Staffordshire, is heading to the USA after accepting a place at Western New Mexico University last week.

Sam, who graduated from our Cheshire school in 2016 with a top grade of D*D*D* has secured a scholarship and will be heading over to Silver City in August to study for a degree while playing for the Men’s Golf team.

 

Using the professional services of Lorne Kelly at Prodream, Sam & his family considered a number of different options, including colleges & universities in Florida & Georgia, but felt that WNMU offered the most playing time & the best place to practice. Plus, as Sam pointed out, the bonus of 300 sunny days a year! As NCAA rules stipulate prospective students are not allowed to spend more than 48 hours on campus to view the facilities on offer so Sam made a brief 2 day visit to New Mexico last month before making his final decision. 

Sarah Ruston, Sam’s mother expressed how relaxed she was about Sam being so far away from home; “LWGS gave him (Sam) the experience of playing away from home, so I have every faith he will be fine.” She also expressed her gratitude to the Lee Westwood Golf School and the part they played in Sam’s life saying, ‘Thank you all. The journey started with you guys. xx’

As a US Universities student Sam will spend his first 2 years on a general study programme before choosing his major subject, which currently he intends to be a business management related programme.

 

Good luck Sam, we wish you all the best.

 

LWGS SNATCH VICTORY FROM THE POLICE

Last week saw the golf performance students of Lee Westwood Golf School take on the Cheshire Police in a matchplay golf competition at High Legh Park Golf Club. 

The police team, consisting of current and retired police officers, had to watch student James Arandia set the standard very high with an eagle on the first.  

Playing 18 holes in the 4 ball better ball format, the Lee Westwood Golf School students came out victorious winning 3 – 1. 

LWGS students thoroughly enjoyed the day, commenting “It was a great experience playing against Cheshire Police; we really enjoyed playing against a team from outside the school” and “we had great fun, the guys were really funny & pretty decent golfers too! They ran us close”. 

The Cheshire Police had approached Lee Westwood Golf School to arrange this event and after the successful day they hope it will be repeated on an annual basis.  

John Clarkson from Cheshire Police said "My lads enjoyed it.'  'Certainly, from a personal point of view, it was a pleasure to play against Jack and Matt – apart from the fact that they holed more putts than us!"

Remembering fellow student Will Turner

 

The 2017 Will Turner Memorial Golf Day took place at Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa this week.

Lee Westwood Golf School student, Will Turner, tragically lost his life after a car accident in March 2015.  In his memory an annual golf day was created to remember Will and his love of golf. 

The day, organised by the Lee Westwood Golf School year 2 students, included 44 past and present pupils. With the sun shining and everyone in high spirits, the event was played on the Gainsborough course, using the Greensomes format.

Will’s parents, Julie and Martin Turner were there to support the players and, alongside students Dominic Burgess and Nick Homewood, presented the prizes. 

Julie Turner said ‘Will would have enjoyed the day so much and we are so pleased to see many of his friends here keeping his memory alive, it means such a lot to us’.

‘Although it was emotional at times it was wonderful to see so many students come together to remember Will.’ Debbie Hynard, Lee Westwood Golf School. 

The winning pair with a team gross of 70, nett 68 were Callum Pipe and Abbie Symmonds; Ronan Homer & Bill Noblett took second prize with Samee Allie & Ben Bushnell in third.

 

 

PLANNING YOUR 2017 SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Dates for the Lee Westwood Golf Camps have now been published and spaces are filling up fast.  

Whether your child is a beginner to the game, or an experienced golfer, the camps are geared for boys and girls aged 7-16, of all skill levels, wishing to have a fantastic experience playing golf during the school holidays.  

Camp dates range from February to October and are available over 3 days, 5 days or a 2-week option. In an environment that is fun, competitive and nurturing the camps offer a wide range of activities including putting, chipping, pitching, sand shots, full swing, course management and much more.  The use of Trackman, ZEPP, GASP and V1 swing analysis will allow the students to learn new skills, structure their practice sessions and advance their future progress.

The Camps are held at the Lee Westwood Golf School Essex and Lee Westwood Golf School Cheshire.  

Residential options are available whilst attending the Golf School in Essex or Cheshire.  

The Essex school is based at the Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa which is set within 300 acres of rolling countryside in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).  It has 80 contemporary hotel rooms, two 18-hole championship golf courses, an on site restaurant, a stunning indoor pool, state of the art gym and a spa. The School boasts a purpose built indoor and outdoor training area, including classrooms, indoor putting and covered driving bays. 

The Cheshire location based at High Legh Golf Club, which is located just outside Knutsford and set amongst a wonderful parkland, surrounded by a woodland of pine, oak and birch. Enjoy the on site restaurant, American Golf Academy on site retail and cafe, covered driving bays, indoor studios and superb chipping and putting facilities. The School boasts a purpose built indoor and outdoor training area, including classrooms, indoor putting and covered driving bays. 

For further information and to book, please visit our website www.leewestwoodgolfcamps.com

BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR A CAREER IN GOLF

The many articles regarding the changes within the golf industry focus a great deal on the game itself.

The new generation of golfers and those working within the industry, will face a series of new and exciting challenges in line with the changes in sport overall.

Preparing young golfers for their career, whether as a player, a coach, a caddy, or entering the industry through another route, it is important to allow them to experience a wide and varied number of roles.

Having worked with so many students over the years to ensure they fulfill their ambitions and goals, it is always so great to receive such positive feedback.

“The Lee Westwood Golf School graduates have been a perfect fit as staff members at The Grove. They join the team with an in depth knowledge of the golfing industry and what is required within a 5* golf operation. More importantly the students who have joined our team show a genuine passion for golf and their enthusiasm results in excellent service for our guests. We hope to continue to take on future graduates and watch them develop in the industry.”


Golf Operations Manager, The Grove Hotel Golf & Spa

This June sees the next group of graduates leaving the School having completed their education and golf training over the last 1-2 years.

It would be great to reach out to UK or overseas golf clubs, resorts or golf businesses who do have any vacancies for young golf minded people?

Contact details – info@leewestwoodgolfschool.com for the attention of Lucie Axford

MACK MAKING EURO PRO DEBUT

MACK MAKING EURO PRO DEBUT

Second year Lee Westwood Golf School student James Mack will be making his first appearance in a professional event next week in the EuroPro Qualifying School event. First stage qualifying takes place over 36 holes with golfers opting to play at one of six courses. James will be putting his skills to the test against some of the best professionals in the area at his home club Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa before hopefully advancing onto the final stage of qualifying at Frilford Heath.

James has made great improvement in his time at the school making positive changes to his fitness and the technical aspect of his golf game allowing him to reduce his handicap from 9 to 1.5, whilst having a scoring average of 70.4 this year. This will be James’ first taste of a large professional event and he’s hoping that this can be the beginning of his career as a tour professional. 

CREATING LONG LASTING FRIENDSHIPS

At the Lee Westwood Golf School, whilst the golf, the facilities, the coaching teams, the events, the structured programme, the trips, even the education are amongst the top items of interest - the one thing that always is No 1 with regard to positive feedback, is the friendships that are made....and importantly kept for many years.

Golf is a great sport to create lifelong friendships and the time spent at the School is no different.

We ensure and promote that a healthy sense of teamwork is within all of our students and staff and this is seen across so many activities and events that we carry out. 

One team - One Vision.

Working hard and sharing experiences together over the 1-2 year programmes, has created many great friendships. 

These important life skills form the basics for a long and healthy interest in a game that whilst challenging, can be so rewarding.

Find out more for yourself - www.leewestwoodgolf.com

Contact us - info@leewestwoodgolfschool.com