JUNIORS who play for the York Union of Golf Clubs are about to receive expert help from one of the city's top professionals.

Mark Winterburn, the long-time pro at Forest Park Golf Club, has teamed up with the organisation to help coach some of York's emerging talents on the fairways and greens.

Twice a York Open champion, and a player who has represented the Union himself as both a junior and a senior, Winterburn will join Guy Wills, Alastair Grindlay, Ian Tailby and Michael Brooks in developing the next generation.

The Union has seen huge growth in its junior ranks over the last couple of years under the tutelage of organiser Sian Statters and through the presidency over the last ten months of Martin Greaves.

As a result, numbers have swelled to such an extent that the Union has head-hunted Winterburn, who was happy to lend a hand.

"The professionals who are currently doing it - Guy, Alastair, Ian and Michael - have been very successful and are creating their own monster," he said. "It is getting too big and when Martin asked if I was interested in helping out I was delighted to help.

"I am at a club which is a big follower of the Union and it would only be natural for me to offer my services. We have got quite an active membership and all the Union events are well represented by members at Forest Park."

Winterburn added: "I have had a connection with the Union for many years and I will be helping out with the younger age groups. I will do anything I can to help and I am looking forward to getting involved.

"We don't have many juniors at Forest Park but this may help the club to connect with more younger members. If I am part of the set up then every little helps."

Winterburn won the York Open, which sees professionals go up against the Union's best amateurs, in 1992 at Pike Hills as a teenage assistant professional at Heworth and also two decades later in 2013 at Easingwold.

His playing career has brought a large number of successes and Winterburn also spent time teaching in Austria before bagging the post at Stockton-on-the-Forest based Forest Park, where he has resided for 13 years.

Asked about Winterburn's qualities, Greaves said: "Mark has been such a supporter of the Union over the years. As the professional at Forest Park, he has played in York Opens on many, many occasions.

"He is a popular professional within the local clubs and with players. We really are victims of our own success. The (junior) numbers are growing and we needed to get strong professionals to come on board and Mark fits the bill perfectly.

"He is well known, well respected and highly thought of by Union members and will be great for the juniors."