Following the success of the inaugural Northern Golf Masters last year, Rockliffe Hall will give amateur golfers from across the north the chance to be crowned the best in the region again.

The Northern Golf Masters tournament will be held on Sunday, July 28 for the best club golfers across County Durham, North Yorkshire, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland and Cumbria.

Category one golfers are invited to apply to enter from noon on Thursday, May 23 at rockliffehall.com/golf. Last year the competition was won by 19-year-old James Simpson, from Whickham, who set a new amateur record score at Rockliffe Hall.

Simpson, who has plans to turn professional, was one of only three golfers in a field of 129 to break par and was crowned the overall winner of the now annual event.

Places are limited and registration is £30 per person, which includes a breakfast roll and tea/coffee before tee-ing off and a masters gift pack.

The next generation of North-East golfers is being invited to take part in a specially-designed programme at one of the UK's premier golf clubs.

Rockliffe Hall's Junior Golf Programme gets underway on May 19 and runs weekly until June 23 and will feature tuition and master-classes from some of the region's top professional golfers.

The six-week course is aimed at beginners who want to enter the game or learn more about it and will start with a basic introduction to golf with various aspects such as rules and etiquette covered each week.

All of the juniors taking part will get a work-book to complete to help with their understanding of the game.

The six week course starts runs between 1-2pm for five to nine-year-olds and 2.30-3.30pm for 10 to 14-years-olds and costs £80 per child for the full course. For more details contact -01325 729980 or email golf@rockliffehall.com