GOLFERS from across the North-East and up and down the country could have been given an insight in to the future.

The county of Northamptonshire have become the first in the country to vote to merge their ladies and men’s county organisations.

At two separate, simultaneous meetings, the men of the Northamptonshire Golf Union and the women of the Northamptonshire Ladies’ County Golf Association both unanimously agreed to take the historic step – and was welcomed by England Golf.

The two governing bodies are merging into a new company – Northamptonshire Golf Ltd – to be run by a board of directors of either gender elected on the basis of “the best person for the job”.

David Foley, president of Northamptonshire Golf Union, said: “This is a fantastic outcome following months of work by the men and women of the respective county committees.

“We have demonstrated we can work together in a harmonious and effective manner. We are all looking forward to the challenges ahead and are excited by the new opportunities this merger offers us. The future of golf in Northamptonshire is very bright.”

It will be interesting to see what impact this development has on the rest of the country, with the unions in Durham, Yorkshire and Northumberland all likely to have taken note.

AMATEUR golfer Chris Wall missed out in his attempt to win a national singles title for the third time when he finished equal third in the grand final of the 2014 Morocco Matchplay, powered by HowDidiDo.

Electrician Wall, 57, an eight-handicapper who plays his golf at Middlesbrough, was hoping to claim the title for an unprecedented third occasion when he travelled on an expenses-paid trip to Morocco. But he managed just one win in his five rounds of matchplay golf to finish adrift of eventual winner Ian Cook from Hull.