You have to look at how you can add value to the facility and the facility have to want you to do well.
- Matt Stables - Ingrebourne Links (Head PGA Professional)
How involved are you going to be in encouraging junior golf at the club??
We are relaunching the Junior Academy. We are working with the Golf Foundation on a development plan with the aim of having a 100 kids a week involved in coaching. We are reaching out to some local schools as well. We have a superb 9-hole Mini Links Par 3 course which is ideal for kids to develop their game. We will also put a team in the Golf Sixes league which is great for the kids. I will be aided in all this by (assistant PGA professional) Jon Moreline.
Covid has seen a great influx into golf but with busy memberships and tee sheets it has seen juniors pushed down the pecking order. This is something we all need to reprioritise.
What PGA events are at Ingrebourne Links this year?
We will be hosting two prestigious PGA events again this year. We will be holding the Essex Open and Pro-Am in May. Then we will be holding the East Region Order of Merit event, the East Anglian Open, in August. We are proud to host the events and look forward to welcoming all the PGA pros.
It’s quite a momentous time for you isn’t it as you’re also Essex PGA’s current captain…does your history with the county’s PGA, indeed Essex golf, go back a long way?
Yes, I have been playing the regional and Essex PGA since 2004. My history with Essex Golf goes back even further as I learnt my game at Upminster Golf Club and played for Essex amateur teams from under-14's all the way up.
It was a great honour to be asked to be Essex PGA Captain this year. It has worked out great as we are in the middle of a three-year run to have the Essex PGA at Ingrebourne Links and to be the head pro and Essex captain in the same year is a great honour.
You’ve been an active playing member within the region for many years. How’s your game and what’s your schedule looking like for 2023?
Yes, I still love to play and compete even after all these years. I try to organise my time so that I can. Another reason I am excited about joining Ingrebourne is it has all the facilities to help my game. I am playing in all the Essex PGA events and I will play a good amount of the East region schedule. Plus, I’m working on playing the top-100 courses in England. I am on 82 at the moment so hope to knock a few more off this year.
