Dane Bairstow paid tribute to the late Karl Curran after being crowned the Bradford Union’s top golfer in 2011.

Bairstow won the Karl Curran Golfer of the Year Trophy following a season in which he claimed the Bradford Amateur Strokeplay and Jim Wade titles.

He also finished top scorer for Bradford in Yorkshire Inter-District League matches and revealed it was in this competition that Curran had helped him as a rookie.

Bairstow said: “When I was breaking into the Bradford side a few years ago, Karl was a real mentor for me and made a massive difference.

“I remember me and Nigel Colbeck were the young ones and we were paired a few times with Karl. He was a real help and that’s what makes winning this award all that much better.”

The 22-year-old could not hide his delight at claiming the golfer of the year crown – renamed in honour of 2008 winner Curran following his tragic death from skin cancer – in which points are accumulated across all the major union competitions.

He said: “It feels awesome. Winning the Amateur was great but this just tops it off. This means more than anything.”

The Bingley St Ives member, who pipped clubmate Terry Brushwood to the crown by 12 points, pinpointed two contributing factors towards his success.

The first was the new early-season practice sessions held by Bradford at Crow Nest Park under the tutelage of former Union star Gareth Evans and Paul Everitt.

“It was a great chance to get together early doors and put the hours in,” said Bairstow. “Just trying different things really helped.”

The second came on the course, playing for St Ives in the Yorkshire Division Three Team Championship at Scar-borough North Cliff.

The plus-one handicapper shot 69 and 67, his eight-under par aggregate leaving him with the second-best individual score.

Five days later, he won the Bradford Amateur on his old course at West Bradford and went on to finish fourth in the Bradford Open, earning himself the Jim Wade crown for the best combined score in both events.

Bairstow said: “After Scarborough, I knew I could do it. Playing felt like a breathe of fresh air, it just came and I never doubted myself.”

Having grown up on the Scholemoor estate near Lidget Green, Bairstow has had to work hard off the course to enable him to pursue his dreams on it.

He said: “No disrespect to them, but a lot of lads I played with growing up came from wealthier backgrounds, whereas I’ve had to do a lot of jobs.

“I’ve come from a rough estate and I guess that’s why everyone in my family is so proud of me.”