Nine-year-old golfer Lorelai Close has been playing on the European Junior Golf Tour for a year and she says that she just loves playing with her family and friends.
Lorelai is a member of Woolley Park, Oulton Hall, and Garforth Golf Clubs, and is coached by PGA coaches Jon Baldwin and Steve Carlisle. The youngster has only been playing age sport for a year, first picking up a set of clubs with her father, Dan Close, who takes her backwards and forwards to competitions and lessons.
“My dad took me out for a round,” Lorelai said. “I played from about 50 yards away and I used his putter.
“What I enjoy most about playing golf is playing different courses and spending time with my family and friends.”
European Junior Golf Tour
Lorelai is a regular on the European Junior Golf Tour, in which she has the opportunity to play on some of the finest courses the continent has to offer. The Woolley Park golfer has had such a successful time on the tour that she has qualified for its Champion of Champions event taking place in July.
“My biggest achievement is qualifying for the Champion of Champions in July…It’s fun and there’s a little bit of pressure.
“You are playing with people from all over Europe. It’s a good experience.”
The youngster qualified for the European Junior Golf Tour’s showpiece event after finishing second at the EJT 2022 International Finals in Spain, during which time she played over three days across three courses. For a youngster who has only been playing the sport for a year, it is certainly a fantastic achievement and promises to be an incredible experience whatever the result may be.
It isn’t just on the tour that Lorelai has enjoyed notable success. Last year, the youngster partnered 83-year-old Steve Hayle, a good friend of her grandad and longest-serving member at Garforth, winning a junior-adult foursome’s competition at the golf course.
Lorelei’s Love of Golf
“I was eight when my dad first got me playing…my biggest inspiration is my dad,” Lorelai told Fen Regis Trophies. Dan is one of the most supportive father’s you could hope to meet – though he was far from an avid golf fan before taking his daughter to the course, he is proud to play the role of caddy for a nine-year-old.
Much of Lorelei’s week centres around golf in some way, as she says: “I have three lessons a week.
“I have one-to-one lessons with Jon, and then I have a group lesson with Tom at Oulton, and then I have another group lesson on a Saturday morning at Woolley Park.
“Afterwards, I normally play nine holes at Woolley with Zander, a friend in my class. On Sundays, we normally go to the driving range or play for fun.”
While she is a member of three courses, Woolley Park is where she feels most at home – citing the course’s “lovely” par three and where she has had her favourite moment thus far.
“My favourite place that I’ve played is Woolley as they have a lovely par three, that I love to play.
“My favourite moment was at Woolley, on the ninth hole, I was about 60 yards out – took my nine iron out – and chipped into the hole.”
Lorelai added: “I would like to thank Jon Boldwin, Steve Carlisle, my mum, grandad, Steve Hayle, and my dad, as without all of them I would not be where I am today.”
