A South Lakeland golf club will be unveiling new events for the upcoming season.

Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club will host new prestigious competitions, has two new professionals in place and will expand its membership.

Graham Bywater, marketing officer and long-standing club member, said: "The club is going from strength to strength and we are all looking forward to the new season, which starts in April."

A standout event will be the Faldo Futures qualifier on April 2, which is a national competition open to those aged seven to 12 years for the first time.

The Westmorland Gazette: Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club's two new PGA professionals Andy Duncan (left) and Steve Whiteside

Winners of the qualifiers will play in the regional final with the chance of playing in The Faldo Futures Final at The Belfry in August.

The Micklethwaite Masters will also debut on April 13, putting 160 golfers in the Lunesdale area to the test in pairs.

Andy Duncan, club PGA professional, said: "The competition is a battle for the bragging rights to be the best pair in the area."

On May 19, the club will host the Cumbria County 4s competition, a 36-hole scratch event which attracts players from clubs throughout the region.

Returning later in the season on August 19 and 20 are the Senior Masters Pro Tour, attracting ex-European tour players and top over 50s senior professionals from around the country.

Kirkby Lonsdale also has two new PGA professionals, Mr Duncan who heads the retail operation, and Steve Whiteside who heads the coaching side.

The Westmorland Gazette: The 5th hole at Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club

Mr Duncan said: "Both of us are close friends of John and we are happy to carry on the great work he did at Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club over the past four years.

"The main emphasis for myself and Steve is to make sure all members and visitors are served efficiently and are looked after when they come to the club.

“We are very excited to have joined such a forward-thinking and successful club and to carry on the good work it does.”

Despite last season being the wettest on record, the club still managed to maintain its 480-strong membership and hopes to increase this to 500 this year.

Mr Bywater said: "We are also just completing what has probably been the most successful winter league club competition we have ever had.”

The club is rated in Golf World’s Top 100 Golf Society Venues of Great Britain.

Its scenic 18-hole course is set amid more than 160 acres of outstanding countryside and its facilities are open to the public.