THE only professional currently at the York Golf Club is packing his golf bags and heading down the fairway to North Yorkshire club Malton and Norton.

York-born Simon Appleton leaves his post at his home club on Monday to join up with head pro at the Malton club Steve Robinson eight days later.

The move will also allow him time to take up a professional teaching role at Stockton on the Forest Golf Club, Forest Park, starting in the same week.

Appleton, 23, had been the assistant to the York club's former pro, Tony Mason, for five years and he took over the reins after Mason joined Whitby GC at the end of April.

"For the last two months I've been doing the full professional's job, but they're bringing a new guy in here and I've decided to move on," said the Wigginton-based former Jos-eph Rowntree School student.

"We could not agree terms as regards a package at York, but I spoke to Steve Robinson and found it was right for me to move on."

Robinson himself said: "He's only ever worked at York Golf Club where he's been for a considerable amount of time and this is a change of direction for him to see how things are done elsewhere."

The Malton club has had 11 national champions in recent years, and is home to Curtis Cup player Emma Duggleby and former Walker Cup player Simon Dyson, who has had recent success on the Asian Tour.

Robinson said: "That does not mean to say we do things better than anywhere else; we just do things differently and it would be good for him (Appleby) to see how other clubs work."

Robinson - whose previous assistant, Chris Tyson, left in March to become the first-ever professional at Kirkbymoor-side GC, added: "We needed another member of staff here who is a qualified pro. He (Appleton) is a tidy player and hopefully we can make him a bit better."

The new head pro at York, meanwhile, will be Andrew Hoyles, who starts on July 12. As reported in the Evening Press last Saturday, the 35-year-old, who turned pro when aged 17, joins from Lincoln-shire club Kenwick Park.