Social distancing on golf courses in the USA has seen one Gloucestershire firm card some extraordinary sales figures.

Premium trolley manufacturer Stewart Golf, based at Waterwells in Quedgeley, saw sales through its US website rise by an astonishing 886 per cent during April and May.

Sales through those two months doubled those for the whole of 2019,

And the tale has continued into June with sales tracking a remarkable 1,898 per cent up year on year, despite a 6-8 lead time on trolleys.

Chief executive Mark Stewart said: "Obviously, we're overjoyed with the level of sales in America.

"Establishing our own business in the USA has been key to our growth - our X9 Follow model has been particularly popular with American golfers as more and more either upgrade from carrying or pushing, or switch from riding in a buggy."

It is a remarkable turnaround from March when the closure of golf courses across Europe saw Stewart Golf close its factory.

But with many courses across the Atlantic remaining open and trolleys replacing buggies due to social distancing, the company was fully operational again within three weeks and has doubled its production staff to keep up with demand.

And it has plans to increase production space by more than 33 per cent in the next 12 months to help satisfy the company's rapid growth.

Stewart Golf established its American subsidiary in 2016 after a successful debut at the Orlando PGA Show where its X9 Follow was featured on The Golf Channel.

US sales have doubled every year since launch, but this leap in sales means a record 2020 is already assured despite not being halfway through the year.