Eric West has been appointed head pro at the newly refurbished Port Royal Golf Course, ending months of speculation over who would get the nod for the top job.

The 25-year old pro, who has played on the Tour de las Americas as well as Challenge and Canadian Tours, was named by the Board of Trustees and management after agreeing to terms of a "rolling" three-year contract.

West, who won titles competing on the Moonlightgolf.com Tour and finished 12th at the Taurus Abierto de Peru in South America last year, officially began working at his new job yesterday and said he was looking forward to passing on his experiences of playing abroad to future generations of golfers.

"I view this as a great opportunity to start working with the youth that practise at Port Royal to mentor them and give them the mentorship and guidance they need, on or off of the golf course," said West, who is a V1 certified golf instructor and the son of recently elected president of Bermuda Golf Association, Terry West.

In the past, the 2005 Bermuda Amateur Strokeplay champion has worked under world renowned instructors such as David Leadbetter, Stan Utley, Pat O'Brien and Mike Bender, coach of 2007 Masters champion Zack Johnson.

After spending four years playing abroad as a pro, the University of California, Berkeley graduate has decided to put his playing career on hold and instead place more emphasis on teaching and the business side of the sport.

"After analysing my playing career at the end of last season, I decided to focus my energy into teaching, retail and business with tournament play taking a secondary role," he added.

"The general public consensus is that a life of a playing professional is that of glamour, fame and money. The reality is that a touring professional is on the road for 30-40 weeks out of the year and does not make money unless he makes the cut, and even then the money isn't great.

"As head pro at Port Royal I will be able to get into the retail side and management side of golf, which I have always been interested in, and I will be able to spend a lot more time with my wife and immediate family."

It isn't known how many professionals applied for the Port Royal post, although at least two other Bermudians had expressed an interest, and as many as five wanted either that job or the lucrative position of Golf Director which last year was handed to Englishman Andrew Brooks.

Former pro Anthony Mocklow, who once served as golf director at the 36-hole Warwickshire complex in the English Midlands, told this newspaper last month he had submitted his application, having been turned down for the post of Port Royal director.

But he claimed he had never been granted an interview despite submitting his resume last summer.

The Government-owned Robert Trent-Jones jr-designed Southampton lay-out, venue for October's PGA Grand Slam of Golf, has undergone a $14 million dollar facelift which includes installation of a new reverse osmosis plant and the resurfacing of greens and fairways.

The course's overall yardage has been increased from 6,500 to 6,842 yards.

Nine of the course's 18 holes were opened to the public last month with tee times limited to between 9 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Earlier this year US PGA officials gave the ongoing restoration of Port Royal the thumbs up after conducting their own inspection.

But the same officials are scheduled to make another inspection of the course later this month.

"The US PGA were absolutely thrilled by what they saw," commented Roddy Carr, the man instrumental in bringing the Grand Slam to Bermuda's shores."They could not believe what had happened in terms of the extreme makeover as I call it.

"At the end of the visit they had nothing but praise about the state of the course and reckoned it will be one of the greatest challenges for the Grand Slam since it started about 12 years ago."

Added West: "I believe Port Royal will be the finest golf facility on the island and I am very proud to be working with such a motivated and ambitious staff at Port Royal."