Colin Montgomerie takes a swing at closure plans for popular golf club

Top golfers Paul Casey and Colin Montgomerie have come to the aid of a popular London golf club which is under threat of closure.

The two stars have asked Wandsworth council to block proposals to shut the Central London Golf Club near Tooting, where about 1,000 junior players have lessons each year.

Set in the grounds of a Victorian hospital, the nine-hole facility and driving range is believed to be London's most centrally-located golf course.

Its owner, South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, wants to build 800 homes on the 33-hectare site. The listed hospital would be converted into flats with a new facility for patients.

Montgomerie and Casey were approached by their agent, Guy Kinnings, whose children play at the club.

In a letter to the council, Montgomerie, the captain of Europe's victorious Ryder Cup team, wrote: "It is courses such as this, particularly in urban areas, which provide the opportunity for junior golf to flourish."

A council spokesman said: "We will take all views on board."