FOREST Park Golf Club are celebrating a major coup after being approached to host the regional finals of the country's biggest competition for women club golfers.

The Stockton-on-the-Forest-based course will stage one of 16 area finals of the Peugeot Ladies Golf Union Coronation Foursomes on August 18 next year. A competition established in 1953, around 28,000 entries for the tournament were received from 1,300 clubs last year.

That means around 100 pairs will descend on the Old Foss course in an event which will give the 5,727-yard track - off the ladies' tees - even more exposure. Forest Park last week held a record attendance for the York City Official Golf Day and, next month, will welcome some of Yorkshire's leading professionals for the Forest Park Trophy.

Professional Mark Winterburn revealed that the course had been asked by the LGU to stage a regional event - a fillip for its growing reputation as chiefs prepare to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its opening next year.

"It is going to be very popular and this is massive for us," he said. "It is an honour to have been chosen. This is an event we were approached to stage, as opposed to the men's professional event where we asked the PGA to host a tournament.

"The size of the competition and for us to be chosen above anyone else in the area is massive for us. We are really looking forward to it. Our members are very supportive when we host this kind of event and come down to watch.

"It proves that we must be doing something right. Obviously word gets about when people play the course and someone has gone to the powers that be and mentioned that it is a good course, in great condition, and that it can host an event as big as this.

"We are delighted."