by Gerry Warren
gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk

Forget Rory McIlroy’s rise and fall at the Masters because Canterbury has its own golfing hero.

Okay, mini golf is not quite so challenging and the Strokes Adventure Course on Margate seafront is hardly Augusta.

But it is where Marc Chapman has just clinched the 2011 British Minigolf Association’s masters tournament to collect a £100 prize and the winner’s jacket.

The 25-year-old, who is a professional fencing coach, started playing mini golf seriously when he visited Hastings and got hooked on the game. The seaside town hosts the annual World Crazy Golf championships offering a £1,000 prize.

Marc, of Adelaide Place, Canterbury, said: “After that I started playing in tournaments around the country and even abroad as team manager of the British Mini Golf team.

“I teach fencing at Junior Kings and the Kings School as well as the University of Kent and other clubs, so the mini golf is an interesting distraction from that.”

Marc is ranked number two in Britain and says the sport is growing in popularity but needs more members to be formally recognised by Sport England.

He added: “Some people might say it’s not real golf and just fun for the kids, but it is really competitive and the new courses are quite challenging.”

He uses his own special putter and balls. And he makes meticulous notes of the courses and the way the ball rolls to give him the edge over his opponents.

He said: “I’m in my third season and so far have won £800 in prize money although it does cost a fair bit to travel around the country to the venues. What the sport really needs is a sponsor who can give it some financial backing with more prize-money.”

Marc’s next challenges will be the World Crazy Golf Championship at Hastings in May and then the World Mini Golf tournament in Stockholm in August.

For more information of competitive mini golf visit www.minigolf.org.uk