ONE of Carus Green Golf Club’s junior members has scored a ‘hat-trick’ after winning the junior end of year championship for the third year running.

Eight year old Chloé Spencer, from Grasmere, who picked up her first set of plastic golf clubs aged two, scooped the win in Carus’s Saturday ‘junior roll-up’.

The initiative was started six years ago by one of Carus’s PGA professionals, Andrew Pickering, in an attempt to introduce youngsters to the game.

Just three children turned up for the first junior competition back in 2009.

Today, up to 25 youngsters are often competing each Saturday, with more than 40 children now making up the club’s junior section.

Eighteen players turned up for the end of year championship with Chloé once again taking the girl’s trophy and seven-year-old Luke Rainford, from Kendal, winning the boys championship.

Competitors were put to the test on their long and short games in addition to their putting skills by PGA professionals, Dave Turner, Andrew Pickering and Lee Edwards.

“The weekly junior competitions have become more and more popular since their launch and have now run for 312 consecutive Saturdays,” explained Dave Turner. “We have never missed a session even when the weather has been against us."

Pickering added: “We are delighted for Chloé and Luke and indeed all the children who have worked very hard throughout the year progressing their game,” added Andrew Pickering.

“The junior development programme is very important to us all at Carus Green and we look forward to expanding this section further in the following months.”