Youngsters have to get a move on when on the course

STOP dawdling boys, you need to get a budge on!

That’s the message from the man now in charge of England Golf’s regional coaching system in the north west.

From September, under-16 and under-18 squads all over the country will be merged. In and around Manchester and Liverpool they will be coached by Peter Barber, the lead coach for Cheshire who spent 12 years on the European Tour.

Born and brought up in Denton Peter, who lives in Wincham, has been the PGA pro at Didsbury for 30 years.

A gifted after-dinner speaker and a United fan, he says: “I am 62 next month and I get round the course quicker than the teenagers I coach.

“They are as slow as the pros. A few weeks ago I got them all to walk 100 yards towards me and told them to see who could reach me first.

“That proved to them they could shift more quickly.

“England Golf are going to start putting amateurs on the clock more and the pro tours are heading the same way.

“I am all in favour of new initiatives such as GolfSixes. We have got to have shorter formats so people can come and play our wonderful sport without being on a golf course for five hours.”

The Prestbury club’s Remy Miller, a big hitting current England Under-16 international, is a King’s School, Macclesfield, pupil whose game has improved dramatically over the past year. He will be among the first players in the merged age groups. Peter said: “It helps with continuity and England Golf want to identify the best boys to represent their country irrespective of age on the basis that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.”

The coach charged with the same role for the north west’s girl golfers on the England regional programme is Styal’s John Watson.

In association with Mottram Hall and timmyteepr