PAR wars will break out on the other side of the Atlantic as the revival of the York v America golf challenge gathers Stateside momentum.
The once-annual match was re-launched last autumn by then Fulford Golf Club captain and former England amateur international Jonathan Plaxton with an American team travelling to York to play at the Heslington-based club.
Now Plaxton has revealed to the Evening Press that a return event has been agreed for this August when a York team will play a USA side at the Donald Ross-designed Riverton Country Club in Cinnaminson in New Jersey.
The club, the brainchild of a group of Quaker businessmen in 1900, underwent a major re-furbishment just a few years ago costing in the range of $5million.
Plaxton was thrilled by the return encounter, adding: "One of the players from the United States Golf Association, who came here last September for our match, has kindly arranged the venue and the fixture has since been approved by the committee at Fulford.
"We are delighted and we are now just waiting on the exact numbers after giving first refusal to those players who were involved last year."
Last year's commemorative contest - recalling the clashes in the 1970s between York and New York teams of golfers - coincided with the Walker Cup showdown between Great Britain and Ireland and their USA counterparts at North Yorkshire's Ganton Golf Club. Fulford hosted a banquet for their American visitors and the respective Walker Cup teams, who were also able to play at Fulford.
Plaxton said that the re-match in America will also dovetail in with a visit to the annual Walker Cup confrontation, which is to next take place at Chicago GC.
Closer to home, Fulford players are now able to hone their skills thanks to a new indoor facility provided by the co-sponsorship of Nestl Rowntree food giants and the York Sony Centre.
A former storeroom at the professional shop has been altered and expanded to provide a driving net much to the delight of club professional Martin Brown.
Now members can be given lessons as they fire full-blooded tee-shots into a net at the back of the new training area.
And by the end of the year Brown added that it is hoped a top of the range video camera and lap-top computer will also be installed to enable he and his staff to analyse the swings of Fulford players.
Declared Brown: "It's a great asset and we are delighted at the cash provided for it by Nestl and Sony.
"It means we now have a proper teaching room which, in winter especially, is going to be a big boon to us.
"In the long-term we want to create a high-tech teaching facility for the members.
"This used to be a tatty store-room now it's another benefit for the members and I can see it helping them improve their game."
Updated: 11:01 Saturday, May 29, 2004
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