TALENTED teenager Laura Johnstone is proving a big hit on the golf course after halving her handicap from 40 to 20 in just eight months.

And the 16-year-old Cowley High School pupil is certainly following in her father's footsteps.

Dad, David, a seven-handicapper, told the Star: "Laura has done really well over the last year and I'm very proud. She actually joined Grange Park Golf Club when she was 11, but when she went to senior school she discovered new sports which interested her more. It's only in the last 18 months that she's really taken an interest in golf and she's really worked hard on her game."

This year alone 16-year-old Laura, who is coached by the England amateur girls team coach, Jane Forest, has won the Scottish girls under 16s Open Championship (strokeplay) at Drumoig Golf Course; won Best Nett in the bronze division in the Lancashire Girls Junior Championship played at Woolton; and qualified at Grange Park to represent the club in the Francis Smith Trophy.

Despite her achievements, though, she's still got both feet firmly on the ground.

Laura, who is currently studying for A-levels in psychology, music technology and theatre studies, told the Star: "I've got no plans to go professional in the future. I just play for the enjoyment the game gives me.

"I intend to carry on playing but at the moment I've got my sights set on a career in the film or TV industry on the production side."

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