BUDE golfing star, Georgia Price, has been selected for the England women’s squad after just one full season on the tour.

The 22-year-old who plays at Bude and North Cornwall Golf Club, enjoyed a stellar campaign, winning the Cornwall Ladies’ Amateur Championship title as well as finishing as runner-up in the English Women’s Open Strokeplay Championship and third in the British Women’s Open Strokeplay Championship as well as plenty of other high-placed finishes.

Those successes saw her finish a remarkable second in the Ladies Order of Merit, 1,294.617 points behind winner Sophie Lamb, but 8,978.383 points ahead of third-placed Gemma Clews.

It is quite an achievement for Georgia who spent over a decade living in Florida before she returned to live in the UK in May 2015 after she had finished her degree in communication and interdisciplinary studies.

Commenting on her achievements, Georgia had heard whispers that she was close to a call-up before she was invited for a three-day trial in October at England Golf’s headquarters at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire.

Georgia said: “I was hoping to hear from them as I’ve obviously enjoyed a really good season. At the start of the year it wasn’t something that really crossed my mind as I was just focusing on the events. But as the year progressed I’ve done quite well and then you hear people talking about the possibility of it happening.

“Initially I got an email from England Golf Women’s Performance Manager, Becca Hemsborough, asking some questions, and then I spoke to the England Ladies’ coach Steve Robinson who asked me to go up for the trial.

“When we were there we worked on a number of things, mainly the mental side of the game and our short game and it was quite a lot to take in.

“But at the end of the three days they came up to me and told me that I had made the squad and I was so happy as I was the oldest one there and had never even been involved in the set up before.

“They said to me that at the start of the season we didn’t even know who you were, so it was nice to be able to show what I can do over the course of the season. I think that helped me, as although I obviously had my own goals and pressure to do well from within myself, there wasn’t pressure from the outside.”

Not that it will be like that next year. Georgia knows that people are now aware of her talents, but is hoping to go out on the course in 2017 with the same mentality that served her so well throughout this year.

Georgia said: “Because this season was my first full season, I went in with the mindset of just wanting to compete and get some decent results and obviously it went better than I could have ever had imagined. I think the key for me is to try and play with the same attitude and focus again and if I do it that I should be up at the top end again and then hopefully I can convert those promising positions into some wins. That’s the next stage for me. But I know getting that balance is going to be hard as I now know I can compete and there’ll be that inner pressure from myself and more of an interest from the outside as to how well I do.”

Over the winter, Georgia will leave no stone unturned. She has set up a rigorous gym schedule with Brian Evans at Penstowe Manor near Kilkhampton while she will continue to train once a month with the England squad, twice a month with her own coach Anthony Nash as well as regular rounds on the Bude course.

Her England commitments also mean that her season could potentially start a lot earlier if she makes the final teams.

There are plenty of goals for her to aim for, none more so than the European and World Team Championships, although she knows that it will take plenty of top-class performances in training and in the early events of the season to push her way into the final team.

Georgia said: “In my situation, being new to the team, it might be that I don’t get selected quite yet for the big events but it’s up to me to impress and work my way in. There’s a selection process for each event so I need to make sure I’m playing well at that time to get in.”

Being part of the England set up, means you can benefit from and talk to a number of leading professionals in their respective fields.

With all of the players, being 22 or under, some of them are likely to contemplate the idea of turning professional in the coming years.

Georgia admits that she has already thought about it too, but knows that she must be completely sure she’s ready before even thinking about doing so.

Georgia added: “Ahead of next year I have already sort of drawn up a plan as to which events I’d like to play in. Being part of the set-up, means that you can obtain a lot of advice from senior figures who know exactly what turning pro means. It’s a huge transition from an amateur to a pro and you have to be 100% ready if that’s how you’re going to make your living. But at the moment I want to focus on next season, see what happens and then in 12 months time I can assess where I am.”

Whatever happens though, Georgia is eager to thank some of the local people who enable her to do what she does.

Georgia said: “I want to thank Brian at Penstowe for helping me develop my power and core strength. He’s fantastic and has dedicated a lot of time and effort to me and also to the golf club for allowing me to work there and allowing me to be flexible with my hours. It helps so much.”

It promises to be a thrilling 12 months ahead for Georgia. If she continues to improve as she did this year, then 2017 could be something special, and who knows, we may have another professional golfer from Cornwall.