Here comes Young Frankens-tyne

AMPUTEE pensioner Colin Poole has become the bionic man of golf.

The 65-year-old retired publican, who can’t walk more than 20 yards without stopping, stunned fellow members at his local club by beating 105 able-bodied players to win a tournament, many of them half his age.

And his false leg provided an amazing final twist – literally – to the eventful story behind his victory in an England Golf gold medal event when he twisted his limb around to win.

Colin, from Stanley in County Durham, lost his right leg six years ago when high cholesterol led to a blocked artery.

By then he had become one of the 17% of amateur golfers in England who have a single-figure handicap, winning five club tournaments.

Since then, he has found it difficult to walk because the extra effort of using the prosthetic limb gives him pain in his left knee and hip.

Although Colin can drive himself round the course in a buggy in between playing shots, he can’t practice his swing on the driving range.

Balancing is tricky and, to avoid falling, he can only play in dry weather for five months of the year.

Colin said: “Some rain had made it a bit slippery underfoot, and I cannot play when it is too wet.

“I was on the brink of going in because I did not want to risk falling over and breaking my neck, but thankfully it was OK after that.

“I had a bit of luck on the right of the eighth fairway. My tee shot hit a horse’s head in the farmer’s field next door and bounced back on to the fairway.

“The horse seemed OK, although I reckon I turned a horse into a unicorn.”

But the key moment in Colin’s win arrived after his tee shot at the 18th hole deflected off a tree into a ditch.

“At first it looked as if I would have to concede a penalty stroke and take a drop shot,” he said. “But then I had an idea. Twisting my prosthetic leg behind me at the knee joint made it possible for me to hit the ball sitting down with my legs in the ditch.

“I gripped down a little on the club and got the ball out of the ditch and on to the fairway.

“Not losing that shot at the last hole turned out to make all the difference, although I did not know who had scored what until we all got back into the clubhouse.”

Colin added: “I have had to learn how to stand differently. It’s been a long process and I still tend to ‘lock in’ a bit when I am swinging.

“The only practice I can do is a bit of chipping, so it is down to improving when I play on the course, which is two or three times a week

“I am still learning but I am making progress. My putting stance is the thing that I have had to change most, but that is coming good. And, as time goes by, I am starting to follow through a bit better on my swing.”

To provide value for money, his golf club – South Moor in Stanley, near Chester-le-Street – give Colin a discount on his annual subscription.

After the victory, club director Guy Carr said: “It is an incredible triumph over adversity. Nobody at the club has ever heard of anything like it before.”

Colin, nicknamed “Shep”, now has a handicap of 22. He won by one shot, finishing with a total score of 89. Taking away the handicap, that gave him a 67. Mr Carr, an IT consultant, added: “Inevitably, there has been discussion within the club as to whether Colin contravened Rule of Golf 13-2 on the 18th. This governs fairly improving a stance.

“There is nothing in that rule which covers prosthetic legs and it is hard to see how playing a golf shot sitting down is easier than if he’d been standing up.” GEORDIE comedian Ross Noble and Birds Of A Feather star Lesley Joseph are to appear in a new stage production of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.

The musical will be based on the hit 1974 movie of the same name and will feature West End star Hadley Fraser in the title role of Dr Frederick Frankenstein, the grandson of Dr Victor Frankenstein.

The part was made famous by Gene Wilder in the Oscarnominated film, which is a comedic reimagining of Mary Shelley’s classic novel. It sees Frederick inherit a castle and laboratory in Transylvania from his deranged genius grandfather Victor.

Brooks directed the original film and co-wrote it with Wilder.

Noble will play Frederick’s hunchbacked bug-eyed servant Igor, while Joseph, who recently competed in Strictly Come Dancing, will take on the role of housekeeper Frau Blucher.

The show play at the Theatre Royal Newcastle from August 26 to September 9.