ENGLAND STAR UNVEILED AS NEW AMBASSADOR FOR BASINGSTOKE GOLF CLUB
Charlie Forster, one of the rising stars of English golf, has added a new title to his growing list of honours after being named as an ambassador for Basingstoke Golf Club.
Forster, who is ranked 55th in the world amateur rankings, is a long-standing member of Basingstoke having first joined as a junior and, as part of his new role, he will carry the Hampshire club’s name and logo on his bag.
Basingstoke Golf Club relocated to a new site in the village of Dummer in 2021, building a first-class championship golf course that fully opened last year. The layout was joined by a state-of-the-art clubhouse, while an extensive range of practice facilities – including a golf academy, Trackman driving range and short-game area – are under construction and are set to open this autumn as part of the £20million redevelopment project.
“it’s a great honour to be named as a club ambassador,” said Forster, 22, who represented England at this month’s European Amateur Team Championship and is a contender to be named in Great Britain & Ireland’s Walker Cup team that faces the United States in America in September.
“I love representing the club in any way I can, and having Basingstoke Golf Club next to my name in national tournaments is a great privilege.
“It’s also great having a fan base back home — having something more than just myself to play for. Trying to impress them and give them something to follow is really cool. I’m thankful to have such great members and such strong support. It makes all of this possible, and it feels really good to give something back.”
Having first caught the England selectors’ eye three years ago when he reached the semi-finals of the English Amateur Championship, Forster has made great progress in the last two years while playing US college golf for Long Beach State University in California.
Studying in the United States and international appearances have restricted the number of times that he has been able to play Basingstoke’s new-look course since it opened, but general manager David Green is delighted to support the club’s brightest new talent and is looking forward to seeing how Forster’s career progresses in the next few years.
Green said: “Charlie’s been a part of the club for a long time as a junior member and his dad was involved even before that. The club has seen him come through the ranks and it’s been great to watch him grow from a youngster into the player and person he is now.
“I had the chance to play with him when we opened the first ten holes of the new course last year. It was just a social round but you could tell that he had something special. The club has always wanted to support Charlie and that round gave me the confidence to push for him to take on an ambassador role. We wanted to support him in these early stages of trying to become a top tour player.
“It’s an exciting time not just for Charlie but for the club too. We’ve evolved a lot in recent years and to have someone like Charlie representing us in big events such as at the recent St. Andrews Trophy in Spain — and hopefully the Walker Cup later this year — it felt like a no brainer to back him.”
Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup captain Dean Robertson will name his team for the match against the United States at Cypress Point on August 18, and Forster is hoping his knowledge of playing golf on the west coast of America will count in his favour when the final line-up is revealed.
Forster added: “I love that team environment and it would be a great privilege if I were to be selected. Cypress Point is an incredible venue and, if I’m picked, it would be like playing in front of a home crowd as I’m sure a lot of my friends from Long Beach would come up and watch.”