Todmorden GC are gunning for glory after the decision of one of the area’s top players, Frank Greaves, to join the Rive Rocks club.
One-handicapper Greaves is switching from Halifax West End, where he has been a member since 1997 and was captain in 2002.
He teams up with three other low-handicap players at Tod - Dave Stafford (one), Michael Murray (two) and Chris Thornsby (three).
That gives Tod a strong hand for scratch team competitions and Stafford, who has encouraged Greaves to head down the Calder Valley, is hoping there may be another high-profile capture on the way.
Stafford showed another player around the course on Tuesday afternoon, having partnered Greaves in a Halifax-Huddersfield Alliance event at Crosland Heath earlier in the day.
The pair,who were in the first fourball out at 7.30am, scored 39 stableford points with Greaves in particularly good form.
Stafford and Greaves have been foursomes partners in the Halifax-Huddersfield Union representative side in recent years and Stafford played at West End for a while before returning to his local club.
“Frank’s arrival means a lot for Todmorden,” said Stafford, who is targeting title success in Division Three of the local union’s scratch league.
Matches usually take place on Thursday evenings during the summer between teams of four players.
Stafford said Todmorden would be looking to make a bold bid for Scratch Team Championship glory.
They finished seventh last year behind winners and hosts Bradley Hall. Greaves helped West End to third place and both he and Stafford were among the day’s lowest scorers.
Tod are also expected to re-enter the Yorkshire Team Championship, which is played on a divisional basis, and contest the Yorkshire Foursomes.
Greaves, meanwhile, is looking to put the disappointment of failing to land the job of Union team boss behind him.
A former manager of the Union’s junior side, he was considered favourite for the post after Chris Mear surprisingly stepped down at the end of last season.
However, the job has jointly gone to another member of the select team, Bradley Hall’s Andy Shaw, and Woodsome Hall’s Steve Selbie, who is a member of the Union’s executive.
Greaves, who had successfully stepped into the breach when Mear missed a match or two in recent years, admitted he was hugely disappointed to be overlooked for the post.
That has left him keen to concentrate on his own game.
“I was looking for a new challenge and that is why I have gone to Todmorden,” he explained.
“They were keen for me to come and hopefully we can galvanise things and bring a desire to win trophies.”