An Anglesey golf club is on course to help drive the careers of talented young golfers from North West Wales.

Llangefni Golf Club has been awarded the status of Golf Union of Wales Regional Centre of Excellence for North West Wales, after a National Lottery cash injection from the Sports Council for Wales.

Funding to the tune of just over £225,000 has heralded a major makeover of facilities including a 16 bay 250 yard floodlit driving range, three artificial target practice greens, short course training holes and bunkers, and three replacement holes for training talented young golfers from the area. The development is part of the Golf Union of Wales’ national and regional facility plan Making a Move.

The North Wales club now joins Wrexham’s Clays Golf Centre; The Vale Hotel, Golf and Spa Resort in the Vale of Glamorgan and the National Centre of Excellence at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport in a network of centres of excellence. The final piece of the jigsaw is the centre at Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club in Carmarthenshire which is due to open at the end of the month. It will take the total investment from the Sports Council up over £920,000.

The Llangefni facility will be used as an all-year-round venue for North West Wales squad sessions and as a facility to help increase the number of young people participating in the game of golf. The driving range, target practice greens and training holes will allow for specialist training sessions for elite squads and to provide lessons for local people, especially in the neighbouring Communities First ward of Tudur.

Golf Development Officer Dilwyn Griffiths, from Golf Development Wales said,

"Welsh golf has made great strides in recent years and we are continuing with our work to further improve the standard in Wales. This is not only about nurturing and supporting our elite and emerging players, but opening up the game to everyone by offering low-cost opportunities for everyone to enjoy the game.

"The Llangefni Golf Club development is a great example of how we can achieve this. By providing facilities which serve to improve standards at both ends of the game we will ensure that Welsh golf remains a formidable force."

Anglesey-based Sports Council for Wales Member, Hywel Meredydd Davies, said:

"The future of golf in Wales looks bright as encouraging new initiatives such as this herald exciting times ahead. Wales already punches well above its weight in the professional ranks and it is through high quality facilities such as the Llangefni Centre of Excellence that we hope to provide the very best framework to support the next generation of amateur and elite golfers.

"The first ever staging of the Ryder Cup in Wales at The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport in 2010 will potentially inspire many new golfers to take up the sport in Wales. And with more than 200 courses at 185 locations across the principality, Wales is in a strong position to cater for the demand, ensuring that as many people as possible have the opportunity to enjoy the game."

Ryder Cup Wales Chairman, John Jermine, said:

"As the host venue for The 2010 Ryder Cup, we are seeking to build a lasting legacy for future generations of Welsh golfers and Ryder Cup Wales, together with partners, including the Sports Council for Wales, is committed to making the game more accessible to everyone wanting to play the game. The five Centres of Excellence and the 41 pay and play projects, funded by the Ryder Cup Wales Legacy Fund, will provide the very best practice and coaching facilities for golfers of all ages and abilities throughout the whole of Wales."