Army PGA professional Graham Cowley.
Image courtesy of www.gettyimages.com
[24 August 2011] The Army Golf Club will be treading new ground as they bid to earn a trip to Turkey in a Lombard Challenge qualifier on September 1. This will be the first time the Aldershot-based club has taken part in the PGA Pro-Captain Tournament even though it is a 128-year-old organisation. Club captain Ron Rowley will team up with PGA professional Graham Cowley for the event to be held at Effingham Golf Club in Surrey.
PGA professionals and their club captains from the South of England will be hoping to reach the £25,000 Lombard Challenge final which will be held at the PGA Sultan Course at Antalya Golf Club from November 25-26.
Other teams taking part include Paul Creamer, of Milford Golf Club and captain Ned O'Keeffe; Nick Duc, of Nevill Golf Club, with his captain Mike Tunnell; and Rob Edwards, of Lee-on-the-Solent Golf Club and captain David James. But Rowley explained The Army Golf Club is now moving its focus away from being a military organisation. They are now reinventing themselves as a more conventional club. And while they still maintain their military roots, they are encouraging more members from the local community.
Rowley explained: "We're 128 years old, but at the same time, we've only been a members club for four years after buying land from the Ministry of Defence. We still have the traditions we've always had, and we're proud of our military connections. But we're now making those standards available to the community where we are based."
"I'm ex-military myself and we still have military members - there are two Gurkha regiments based here. But many of the military players are called away on tours of duty. We're still squirreled away to a certain extent in that the club isn't that easy to find but we hope to change that. And we looked at ways at which we, as a private members club, could be part of golf in Hampshire."
"We looked at the Lombard Challenge and decided this was an event we should be taking part in. So for the first time, The Army will be represented. And Rowley believes he and Cowley will be able to give a good account of themselves.
He added: "Myself and Graham have a good record playing together in Pro-Captain events, so I hope we can take that form into the event at Effingham. And by co-incidence, we've been drawn to play with Camberley Heath Golf Club on the day. Their captain Ian Walton is also a member at The Army Club and I know him very well so that's a real co-incidence."
This will be the 14th staging of the tournament. Last year it was won by Newport-based Parc Golf Academy pro Richard Dinsdale and captain Steve Hook.
ENDS
Full results from the event at Effingham can be found at: http://pgagbi.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgagbi11/event/pgagbi1123/index.htm
Visit http://www.pga.info/ProCaptainChallenge.aspx for more information on The Lombard Challenge For further information or alternative images please contact Nathaniel Sylvester at PGA Headquarters on 01675 470 333 or e-mail media@pga.org.uk. Visit www.PGA.info for up to date reports and scores throughout the season from The Lombard Challenge and all PGA tournaments
Notes to Editors
Lombard is part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. As one of the largest asset financiers in the UK and voted Best Leasing & Asset Finance Provider by Business Moneyfacts in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Lombard provides various forms of asset finance to businesses of varying sizes – from SMEs to large corporates. Products include Hire Purchase, Finance Lease, Operating Lease, Sale and Leaseback, Contract Hire, to Contract Purchase, as well as multi-specialist asset finance products such as marine, aviation and specific wholesale and stocking funding for distributors and dealerships.
Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2011, Lombard is headquartered in Redhill, Surrey, with an extensive network of business centres situated throughout the UK, and is an appointed representative of The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
