OFFICIALS of Hawkhurst Golf Club say their shop will re-open this Sunday - a week after the departure of their former professional Tony Collins.

Collins, who ran the shop, left claiming that standards at the club were dropping and that his ideas for reviving the club were being ignored.

But chairman Malcolm Bradshaw refuted this. He said: “Having taken advice from Tony over the years I was disappointed that he should make the comments attributed to him about our managers when we had followed his advice, only for it not to succeed.”

The club are now hoping to draw a line under the affair and move forward under the guidance of their new professionals James Walpole and Phil Sykes.

Mr Bradshaw said: “All clubs have suffered a reduction in membership, but we now have a new professional team with over 30 years of experience between them and are looking forward to a bright and positive future.”

The new duo say their methods are “not rocket science” and involve doing simple things well.

A survey of club membership revealed that only a quarter of members were from Hawkhurst itself, with the remainder coming from as far afield as Maidstone and Hastings.

Sykes says they need to get the message across that the club is open to the Hawkhurst public and that one of the cheapest courses in the county is on their doorstep.