A local golfing legend is to be celebrated in an initiative aimed at reducing the cost of the sport.Newton Green Golf Club, near Sudbury, Suffolk, has introduced Davey Membership, which cuts joining costs by nearly two-thirds and gives players many of the benefits of full fees.

A local golfing legend is to be celebrated in an initiative aimed at reducing the cost of the sport.

Newton Green Golf Club, near Sudbury, Suffolk, has introduced Davey Membership, which cuts joining costs by nearly two-thirds and gives players many of the benefits of full fees.

For just �220, players will receive a quota of golf rounds per year, and have many benefits of full membership, including the chance to gain handicaps and play in some club qualifying competitions.

The scheme is named after Arthur Davey, who is believed to have been the world's longest serving club professional. When he retired from Newton after 60 years service in 1979, he was honoured by being made an honorary member of the Professional Golfers' Association.

Announcing the scheme, chairman Paddy Lockwood said: “The club is pleased to offer a different category of membership that recognises Arthur's ethos that golf should be available to be played by all people.”

“The Davey membership dispenses with the traditional costs associated with joining a club, and offers an affordable way of playing golf on a regular basis on an exceptionally well maintained and picturesque course.”

He said the scheme operated by members purchasing units in exchange for rounds of golf, and would be a boon to people with commitments which restricted the amount of times they could play. For instance, there were a lot of sports people whose summer or winter interests did not give them the opportunity to play golf full time.