After 11 years service at Arcot Hall, Frank Elliott has returned to his home club Whitley Bay and has been appointed as their Secretary/Manager. He has been a member at the club since 1974 and prior to working at Arcot; he was the chairman on committee and is a past captain.

Frank said: "I have always been heavily involved with Whitley Bay Golf Club and when the previous secretary left, Peter Simpson, Harry Hanover stepped in and looked after the post until the need for a permanent replacement.

"In fairness a lot of members of the club approached me and suggested it would be a good idea for me to return to Whitley Bay. I have always been loathed to be the secretary of my own golf club but in fairness and having very fond feelings for the club, it's an opportunity to get involved and to carry on the development."

He added: "At a club like Whitley, there is such a lot of work involved now. When I was chairman prior to going to Arcot, we had a part time secretary and the workload in those days was becoming too much for one person. In my role as Chairman I was working up to 15 hours per week on behalf of the Club as were the Chairman of Green and the Chairman of House.

"There is so much pressure on everybody and with a lot of people having their own businesses and coming on to committee; they just haven't got the time to commit anymore. Life has changed these days and in fairness, it is very difficult to get people to commit time to the club. There are so many issues now, for example health and safety and employee legislation, which are as relevant in the golf club as anywhere else. It is important for people who have been trained in that area to be in the position to handle it properly."

And with Whitley Bay thriving at present, Frank is looking forward to his future at the club.