First look at the revamped Spofforth Golf Course before it re-opens this weekHarrogate golf pro John Parry wins £365,000 in MauritiusThe rise and fall – and rise again – of Harrogate’s golfing sensation5 things to do in and around Harrogate this weekend from 22-24 MarchValley Gardens bike track — further details revealed

Further details of the proposed new bike track in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens have been revealed.

North Yorkshire Council is running a six-week consultation on whether to replace the nine-hole pitch and putt course with a pump track.

Pump tracks use bumps and bends in the land to allow cyclists and scooter riders to generate momentum.

The consultation says the “new facility would be approximately 2,000 square metres”.

However, the council has now said the track itself wouldn’t be this size, and much of the pitch and putt course would be returned to grassland.

A council spokesperson said the track, which would cost £2,000, is likely to be similar in size to the one in Wetherby, which is shown below and in the main image. It could be open by April.

A council spokesperson said:

“It is a small beginners track that would be made of compacted hardcore.

“It would be 1 to 1.5 metres wide and will be based in a circular shape.

“The pump track is aimed at beginners to complement the existing skate park that attracts older and more competent children.

“It is not going to cover the whole area of the pitch and putt, only a smaller area where holes one to nine are. The frisbee golf is staying.”

Asked what would happen to the remainder of the pitch and putt area, the spokesperson added:

“The whole pitch and putt course would be closed and the remainder would be returned to normal parkland.”

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, previously said:

“The track proposed would have gentle slopes, curves and bumps, be accessible all year, and replace the existing nine-hole pitch and putt golf course.”

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New bike track could be in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens by April

A bike track for young people in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens could be installed by April next year, according to North Yorkshire Council.

The council is running a six-week consultation on whether to replace the nine-hole pitch and putt golf course with a pump track, which cyclists and scooter riders navigate using the natural bumps and bends in the land to generate momentum.

The track, which would take up 2,000 square metres, would be free to use and provide an additional activity for children aged up to 10.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, said:

“We are running a six-week consultation to see what people think of the idea of a free of charge compressed hardcore beginner’s pump track as an addition to our popular Valley Gardens.

“The track proposed would have gentle slopes, curves and bumps, be accessible all year, and replace the existing nine-hole pitch and putt golf course.”

‘Significant drop’ in golfing

The track would signal the end of pitch and putt in Valley Gardens.

Mr Battersby said:

“The decision to look at closing the golf course has been made for numerous reasons including a significant drop in people using it over the last 10 years, despite attempts to increase popularity by reducing it from 18 holes to nine, introducing season tickets and working with schools.

“Equally, unpredictable weather and natural springs creates sloping wet land making it unsuitable for golf for a large portion of the year.

“We do not want to close an activity in the gardens without replacing it and a pump track would lend itself to the existing slopes and bumps in this area. We are always looking to enhance our parks and the proposed track would also work alongside promoting nature and wildlife as we would also plant more trees and longer grass areas.

“If there is support we hope the track, which would be installed the council’s parks team, could be in place by April next year.”

Cllr Sam Gibbs, a Conservative who represents Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate on the council, welcomed the proposal.

He said:

“I’m supportive of schemes that bring more visitors into the Valley Gardens and supportive of activities for young people.

“I’m also keen the views of other local people, community groups, such as the Friends of Valley Gardens and others who use the park on a regular basis are taken into account and have encouraged many to take part in the consultation.

“From speaking with people in the gardens, most seemed supportive. Nobody I spoke to used the golf facilities although some did raise concerns around safety of participants and whether the area would be fenced off.”

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Spofforth Golf Course sold to unknown buyer

A family-owned golf course which has been on the market since the summer has found a buyer.   

Spofforth Golf Course was put up for sale with an asking price of £2 million and is now listed by agent Lister Haigh as sold subject to contract. 

In addition to what its website refers to as “the north’s premier 18-hole pay-and-play”, the 130-acre property includes a six-bay driving range, clubhouse, greenkeeping complex and car-park, a four-bed detached bungalow, a one-bed stables annexe and a double garage. 

The 72-par Spofforth Golf Course, which lies just west of the village of Spofforth between Harrogate and Wetherby, opened in 1994 as a diversification of Manor Farm, which previously produced cereals and beef.

The house is still subject to an agricultural occupancy restriction stipulating that it must be occupied by someone “mainly employed or last employed in the locality in agriculture”. 

It is not yet known who has bought the property or if they intend to maintain the golf course as a going concern open to the public. 

The Stray Ferret approached the vendors for comment, but was told it was a “private family matter”. 

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Ripon’s Yorkshire cricketer John Waring dies aged 81

A Ripon cricketer who opened the bowling for Yorkshire with Fred Trueman has died on his 81st birthday.

John Waring was taken ill on Saturday morning while playing golf at Ripon City Golf Club. He died at Harrogate District Hospital the following morning  — his 81st birthday.

Fast-medium pace bowler John played 29 first-class matches for Yorkshire from 1963 to 1966. He took 55 wickets at an average of 22.74.

The highlight of his career came in the championship-winning season of 1966 when he returned incredible match figures of 10 wickets for 63 runs in a Roses fixture against Lancashire, out-performing even the great Trueman.

John made one appearance for Warwickshire and later played minor counties cricket for Cumberland and was the club professional at Darlington. He also played for Leeds, Harrogate, Scarborough and Bingley.

A talented golfer, he was the youngest ever captain at Ripon City Golf Club and later became club president. He was also president of the Harrogate and District Union of Golf Clubs.

John married Jean in 1964 and they lived in Scarborough before moving to Dishforth in 1972.

He is survived by Jean and their son Jonathan, who lives in Thirsk with wife Zoe.

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The golfer championing Knaresborough on the world stage

With the PGA tour in full swing and the Ryder Cup around the corner, the likes of Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Scottie Sheffler are prime time viewing.

But Knaresborough has its own claim to fame when it comes to golfers on the world stage.

John Parry picked up his first club when he was six years old.

The 36-year-old spent most of his early career training at Harrogate Golf Club, where he cut his teeth as a teenager, before going onto to compete around the globe.

These days, John competes on the professional tours and finished joint fourth at the World Invitational 2023 in Northern Ireland last weekend.

We sat down with him at Knaresborough Golf Club on a morning fit for a tee-off on the first hole to find out how his uncle helped him pick up a set of clubs as a boy and how he went on to line up alongside Tiger Woods some three decades later.

Picking up the clubs

It was in Birmingham where John first set eyes on a golf ball and clubs.

Just six years old, his uncle introduced him to the sport as something to do with his brothers.

“He just got us a lesson and we played a little bit. Then we moved back up to Harrogate from Birmingham.

“We just sort of took it from there and played on par three courses. Then we eventually joined Harrogate Golf Club.”

John grew up in Knaresborough and attended King James’s School.

John teeing off at Knaresborough Golf Course.

However, he had little interest in anything other than golf. In fact, aged just 10, he was picked to go on a regional coaching course.

The Yorkshire coaching made him realise that he had something that other boys his age didn’t.

“I think when I went there, I remember I was doing certain things better than most kids that were doing it.

“You realise that ‘I must be reasonably good’.”

John worked his way up through the ranks through to England under 16s.

At this stage, he says he started to figure out what standard he was at as he started to compete in tougher competitions, such as county championships.

But, despite testing himself against higher standard players, he still felt he needed to improve.

“For me, when I was that old, it was about hitting the ball further and growing a little more because I was so small.

“It only really happened once I got to 17 and 18, then I started playing in national events.”

Making the green was one of John’s aims as he was working his way through the different age groups.

For him, being able to hit the ball long complemented his ability to make the put. This then helped him to win national tournaments once he was in the under 18s age group.

Working on his shots helped him make up ground on older players, he says.

“You see the opposite of this. Lads can be unbelievable when they’re in the under 14s or under 16s and they’re six foot tall.

“But then when everyone starts catching them up physically, it flips round because they maybe have not developed other skills that you need.”

Starting from the bottom

John turned professional in 2007.

Prior to turning pro, he was picked for the Walker Cup – the equivalent of the Ryder Cup for amateur golfers.

But turning professional meant rising up through the rankings again. He uses the analogy of a football team being promoted up the divisions to the Premier League.

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In his first year, he played the Euro Tour which offers a first prize of £10,000.

For John, turning professional took some getting used to. In particular, the difference in standard of courses.

“That took a bit of adapting, because the courses are different from amateur golf.

“In amateur golf, you tend to play links golf courses that are keep it in play, shoot level par because the conditions are hard.

“Whereas, in pro golf, the courses are longer and you needed to make a lot more birdies to shoot lower scores. That took a little bit of adapting to.”

Despite the difference in courses, John says there was not a huge difference in the standard of golfers.

However, there is more pressure – which is key to those that do well.

“You could almost say that the amateur league is better than the bottom of the pro-league.

“But then there is a lot more pressure, because now it’s your livelihood.”

Making a living for golfers is about performance and the tour that they are competing in.

The higher up the ladder, the more money there is to win.

By 2009, John had seen a few promotions up the rankings and found himself on the European Tour.

At this stage, aged 23, he is playing in front of crowds and television cameras as there is more attention on the competition and those competing in it.

“When you’re that young, you don’t really think about it.

“You’re just like: ‘this is good’. I was living at home still and it was something that I always wanted to do. You just get on with it.

“Plus, within reason, I had done it from such a young age and I had done a little bit of travelling. It just becomes normality.”

Starting again after covid

But John’s career has not always been an upward trajectory.

In the year before the covid pandemic, he was relegated down the rankings twice.

He had to start from the bottom league, where it’s difficult for golfers to make ends meet.

“First of all you have got to find your form. That’s the hard bit, because you know how hard it is to get all the way back up.

“But the hardest bit was the year I was going to play on the bottom tour again covid hit and they cancelled the tour.”

During the pandemic, John was forced to play in one-day events to make a living. 

The competitions were pay to enter and sometimes saw 30 players competing for prize money – which in some cases was as little as £1,000.

“It was a real grind.”

The pandemic showed how a lot of golfers have to perform in order to make a living.

John makes the comparison with professional footballers, where most are under contract – although they can see their wages drop if they are relegated.

“The difference with golf is you have to perform, because no one is paying you. You have to do well. You’re not under a contract, unless you get a sponsorship, so you are always having to play well to earn a living.”

Competing in the Open

Perhaps John’s biggest achievements are making it into two US Opens and a British Open.

The latter, which took place last year, saw him go up against the likes of Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau.

The major was John’s first British Open where he competed to make the cut to play at St Andrews in Scotland.

Golfer John Parry

John going through his final Open preparation at St Andrews. Pic: Harrogate Gold Club

For John, the tournament was a chance to test his metal against the big names.

The major was an eye opener, particularly witnessing the likes of Woods playing on the same course.

He described watching top golfers apply their trade as like “playing a tournament like a practice round” as they “didn’t care about the outcome of each shot”.

“For me, it’s the mentality of them. I think you could say that for most sports.

“You could look at how professional they are and if they do anything to look a lot better, but for me it’s got to be the mentality.”

The experience playing alongside big name golfers was a milestone for John.

The journey from being six years old and chipping it around a local golf course to competing to make the cut against multiple major winners is one to tell the grandkids about.

Some golfers may see playing alongside Tiger Woods as a chance to compete against their idols.

But Woods doesn’t even factor into John’s role models.

Instead, he points to Spanish two-time major winner Jose Maria Olazabal and his golf coach Mark Moore as among those who helped him.

John remembers watching Olazabal win the 1994 Masters, which has stuck with him to this day.

But perhaps his biggest inspiration was his brother, who is now a professional golf coach in Australia.

“I think the best thing for me growing up was having an older brother who is four years older than me.

“When you first start out, you think: ‘he’s better than me’. That was one of the big things for me. There’s nothing worse than losing to your brother.”

If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate care home opens nine-hole putting green

A Harrogate care home has opened a nine-hole putting green within its grounds on the recommendation of a 93-year-old resident.

Alistair Scott moved into 115-bedroom Harcourt Gardens, which provides residential, dementia, respite and palliative care, in 2021 following at heart attack.

Mr Scott, a keen gardener, started helping the onsite gardener and spotted a gap in the grounds for a putting green.

Graeme Lee, chief executive of Springfield Healthcare, which owns Harcourt Gardens, said:

“I was so impressed with Alistair’s knowledge and enthusiasm for gardening that I instantly appointed him ‘head gardener’ of Harcourt Gardens.

“Alistair then made a very smart suggestion to develop a nine-hole putting green as there are many residents at the home who were keen golfers throughout their lives.

“It made sense to create a safe space where residents and their friends and family could enjoy a round of golf together.”

The opening of the putting green.

Debbie Daniels, care home manager at the site, said:

“I’ve worked in care for many years, and this is the first time I’ve seen, or even heard of a putting green being developed at a care home – it’s quite unique.

“From the minute Alistair was appointed head gardener he has taken the role very seriously directing the gardeners as to what should go where.

Graeme Lee and Alistair Scott

Mr Scott, who got a hole in one on the day of the official opening of the putting green, said:

“I didn’t play golf until later in life during my retirement – in my day it was classed as a rich man’s sport, but I’m really enjoying it now.”

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