Short circuit

Established now as one of the north Yorkshire's top breeding-grounds - Simon Dyson, a star on the European Tour, plus leading British women's amateur player Emma Duggleby, are just two of its aces - the club this week started work on what promises to be a true talent-sharpener.

Two to three new greens are to be built on the old practice ground at the Welham Park-based club which will offer players the opportunity to hone their short game.

Club professional Steve Robinson hailed the new development as a 'major asset', adding: "The new greens will enable to practice every conceivable shot involved in the short game.

"They will be very large greens affording the chance to practice floating shots on to them, pitch and run shots, bunker shots, whatever, as long as they all cover virtually every way of getting on to the green and nearest the flag."

Enthused Robinson: "It's an exciting development, not just for players, but also for coaches like myself in that I can get out there and demonstrate practically what a particular shot entails.

"Malton's always been a progressive club and this is just another sign of that."

While work got underway on the new project this week, it is uncertain as to when the greens will be in operation because a lot depends on growing and weather conditions. But Robinson was hopeful they will be in full swing before the season fully gets into the groove.

And the new facility will supplement the 12-bay driving range that has attracted a great deal of interest since it was opened earlier this year.

The Malton and Norton professional, meanwhile, is now on the tournament circuit after a busy winter in which he has coached the Yorkshire boys' and girls' squads, as well as his new role alongside Graham Walker in coaching the full Yorkshire team.

Robinson, 40, was in the prize money this week in a pro-am tournament at Forest Pines to follow up his creditable 15th place in his first tilt at the Professional Golfers' Association's '40-plus' Tour event at Hillside GC near Southport.

"Several of the European Tour professionals competed as there was a gap in their tour programme, so I was up against players like Ross Drummond, D J Russell and Robert Lee," said Robinson, whose first round one-under 71 was followed by a 78 on a gale-lashed second day.

He will also partner Malton member David Midgeley in the regional final of the Lombard Trophy at Saunton on May 7 after 21-handicapper Midgeley won the club qualifying competition with a nett score of 57.

Fulford GC's James Mason was sampling his first county outing of the season when he represented Yorkshire against Lincolnshire at Brough GC today.

Mason, who is coming to the end of his mathematics and computer science degree course at York University, will be hoping to build on the success of last season when he was runner-up in the North England Inter-Youths championship at Middlesbrough as well as reaching the fourth round of the English Amateur Championship at Walton Heath.

Joining scratch player Mason in the white rose ranks was Ganton's Frazer Kelley.

Meanwhile, one of Fulford's upcoming prospects, Matthew Lord, has earned a double county boost.

The teenager has been named in the 12-strong Yorkshire Under-16 squad to play Wales at Rotherham GC on Monday and then the North-east at Knotty Hill on April 24.

The day before that last date Lord will be on Yorkshire Boys' county duty - alongside Harrogate GC's John Parry and Pannal GC member Daniel Dunn - when they open their county campaign against Derbyshire at Buxton GC on April 23.

Lord had the distinction last year of being the youngest player in the York Union of Golf Clubs' Yorkshire Inter-District Union team. He also posted the best gross score in last year's York Amateur Championship at the age of just 15.

Parry won the Under-16s trophy in the Yorkshire Boys' Championship at Easingwold last summer.

Updated: 10:50 Saturday, April 12, 2003