VISITORS to this year's Open Golf Championship will be able to see a different kind of golfer thanks to the creativity and engineering of one Wirral sculptor.

Wally Russell is the man behind "Spannerman" - a life-size golfer made entirely from spanners.

The impressive feat of engineering is currently residing outside The Wro in West Kirby and is the culmination of three months of hard work.

He started life as a collection of spanners - donated to Wally by former colleagues who had no future use for them - and began to take shape in the garage of Wally's Bromborough home.

Spannerman had been living at Port Sunlight's Golf Driving Range but after its closure, Wally needed to find him a new home.

After a few months in his garage, Wally thought of the perfect location for his metal creation - the home of the Open Golf in Hoylake.

"I built it three years ago after the lads were talking about the golf. I thought, 'I've got loads of spanners' and decided to make it," explained Wally.

"I thought with the Open coming up in Hoylake, it would be good there but no one in Hoylake was interested so someone said to go to The Wro."

Wirral Globe:
Spannerman and his creator Wally Russell, from Bromborough.

Wally did just that and now the West Kirby bar is gearing up to help sell Spannerman, with part of the proceeds going to local charities.

Although Spannerman is unlikely to challenge the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlory, he is sure to turn a few heads when thousands descend on the borough for the prestigious golfing tournament.

This is Wally's fourth statue to date with his previous creations finding homes across Wirral and further afield.

Wirral Globe:
Spannerman outside his home at The Wro, West Kirby.

His Steel Robot statue can be viewed at the Spaceport, his heavy metal guitarist sculpture at the Swinging Arms in Birkenhead and his giant bird creation can be spotted at the Martin Mere Bird Sanctuary in Burscough.