Andy Stokes, who has passed away at the age of 55 following a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer, learned the game at a Warwickshire golf club that has been a fertile source of talented golf pros.
The Hunt brothers and future Ryder Cup players, Bernard and Geoffrey, were assistants to their father, Jack, at Atherstone Golf Club, while Paul Broadhurst and Steve Webster, winners of six and two DP World Tour events respectively, were junior members. Likewise, Rob Challis, a lifelong friend of Andy and fellow PGA Professional.
“We were at school together and grew up playing at Atherstone,” recalled Challis, manager of the John Reay Golf Centre, Coventry. “Then we started our working lives together at nearby Purley Chase Golf Club in the late eighties.
Andy then spent two years as a teaching pro in Austria before returning to Loughborough in Leicestershire for spells lasting a combined total of 15 months, firstly at Charnwood Golf Centre and then Charnwood Forest Golf Club.
By contrast, his stay at Lee Marston Golf Centre was somewhat longer. He was a teaching pro at the facility in north Warwickshire for 30 years before the illness that claimed his life forced him to retire in the autumn of 2024.
Prior to that, Andy had earned a reputation as a talented player, not least in winning a PGA Midlands Order of Merit event, and an indefatigable and inspirational coach.
“He had a very natural golf swing and was one of the hardest working teaching pros you’ll ever come across,” added Challis. “He’d play in tournaments in the daytime and then follow up by taking lessons in the evening. His enthusiasm for the game was infectious and he had a great sense of humour and a love for life.”
Andy is survived by Samantha, his wife, daughter Eve, and son Finlay, a year one PGA Trainee. The PGA extends heartfelt condolences to them and Andy’s other family members and many friends on their loss.
*Andy’s funeral will be held at 13.00 on Friday January 24, 2025, at St Mary’s Church Atherstone, CV9 1HJ, and followed by cremation at Nuneaton Crematorium.
