FORMER England Ladies team golfer Lisa Ferrie is the new director of golf at Matfen Hall - giving the Northumberland club an all-woman team at the top.

Working alongside golf manager Nicola Hawes, who became the club’s first female manager in 2018, Lisa oversee all aspects of golf across the hotel, golf club and spa, including Matfen Hall’s 27-hole course, pro shop, driving range, par three course and Keeper’s Lodge.

Lisa said: “I’m delighted to be starting this new position at Matfen Hall Golf Club and am incredibly excited for the challenge. Nicola and I have been friends for many years and compete in doubles competitions together. We’re hoping our success on the course translates to the business side of things too!”

Lisa has been playing golf since she was 14 when she decided to swap her competitive swimming goggles for a set of clubs. She played for the England Ladies team from 2003 to 2005 and in 2006, she was the non-playing captain of the Under 18 England Girls team at the European Championships and Home Internationals.

Lisa is married to Northumberland-born professional golfer, three-time European Tour winner Kenneth Ferrie, who can regularly be seen playing at Matfen.

Lisa said: “I’ve known him since I was 14! We met playing in Junior County events and spent a year in Texas at college together before I moved to Florida to continue my studies and he came home and turned professional.”

MORE than 120,000 golfers had their sights set on Slaley Hall, in Northumberland, when they signed up for the ever-popular Daily Mail Foursomes in February - and, with just two rounds left to complete, a place in the last 16 is beckoning.

Slaley Hall, part of the QHotels group, will host the final four rounds of the event on October 6-8.

The Daily Mail Foursomes is the oldest national sponsored event in amateur golf and celebrates its 55th anniversary, this year.

Since its launch some 5.5 million golfers have taken part in the club qualifying competitions and more than 100,000 play annually in the national inter-club knock-out rounds.

Both of last year’s competition winners have already been defeated on the road to Slaley Hall: women’s champions Forest of Arden lost 4&3 to Bloxwich, in round three, while the 2018 men’s winners, Cosby, crashed out in the sixth round, defeated 3&2 by Ramsey (Cambs).

Jonny Mould, Slaley’s head of golf, added: “ Amateur club-golfer events do not come any bigger or more prestigious than this and we can promise two courses in tip-top condition, traditional northern hospitality and an award-winning resort.”