The members at Blyth are very proud of their club and so they should be.
Having visited the club twice in recent months, I can report that head greenkeeper Jim Jackson and his staff have certainly been earning their wages. The course looks great, the greens smooth and true and to be honest, it's a real treat to play.
Formed in 1905, the members of Blyth Golf Club initially played on the links at South Beach and from 1920, on a site off Plessey Road.
With the decline of the coal industry in the 1970's, course architect Hamilton Stutt was commissioned to design a new lay-out, on the site of an old pit village, south of the town centre.
Work commenced on the course in 1974, which was completed and in play two years later.
Since then, to be fair, Blyth suffered from an unjust perception in some quarters, despite it being one of the better tests of golf in the region.
Most who played the course knew it had potential and in 1998, the members approved a programme of improvements recommended by a Hawtree Report. This sparked a revitalisation of both the club and course, with many changes being made and all for the better.
Jim Wright, Blyth's Club Manager said, "There has been a lot of work carried out on the course every year following the Hawtree Report. They are all pretty well through now."
And with a current playing membership of 685 gents, 80 ladies and 85 juniors, the future does look bright for the club.
The present quality of the course and facilities at Blyth are summed up comprehensively by PGA Professional Glenn Turner, on his visit to the club a couple of months ago, as part of his World Record Golf Tour.
"Blyth was absolutely fabulous and the people there were just wonderful," he said and added, "The fairways were in very good condition and the greens small tricky little suckers but they were very good quality. The club is well worth a visit, the clubhouse and hospitality are second to none.
Aug 12-15: USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP (Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, USA) & BMW Russian Open (Moscow Country Club, Moscow, Russia) Aug 19-22: WGC-NEC Invitational (Firestone, Akron, Ohio, USA) Aug 26-29: BMW International Open (Golfclub Munchen Nord-Eichenried, Munich, Germany)
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