Close House Are Looking To The Future

Jun 9 2008 by The Journal

Close House is on target to become one of the finest golf resorts in the North following last year's opening of a redesigned course, this year's formation of a junior golf academy and next year's planned start on a further 18 hole championship course.

John Glendinning, the Golf Manager at Close House, told Golf North East: "We have just purchased 170 acres of extra land which is to be used for the building of a second 18-hole golf course. Initial plans have been drawn up for it with a view to starting the development as soon as the plans are approved by the planning office.

"It is being designed by TMG Golf Design which is Greg Turner, the former 12-times European Tour winner, and Scott Macpherson, who was the on-course architect who headed the DGA team responsible for the 36-hole development at St Andrews Bay and has worked for 10 years designing courses in Atlanta. Greg Turner is coming here in July from New Zealand to have a look at the site and to have his input in the course design."

John is hopeful that work will start on the new course next April but that will be dependant on the planning applications and any issues that might arise as a result of them. If everything goes to plan, the new course should be seeded late next summer and open within two years.

He added: "The original course is going to stay as it is so we will have two contrasting courses: a shorter one with its own difficulties and a championship length course capable of hosting a European Tour Event. We have already had positive discussions with the European Tour and it is our ambitions to secure an event of that nature in the future, the new course is being designed with that in mind."

Work should start later this year on the new state-of-the-art clubhouse, which should be ready for the start of the 2009 season. Plans are also in place to construct a fully equipped covered driving range with custom fitting, which will enhance the teaching facilities already in place at Close House.

As for this year's development at Close House John said: "We have just started a new junior golf academy with Walbottle High School. We are now coaching 12 students who have been chosen for their skills and potential and they are going to form an elite golf academy for the school and also for us.

"We are starting with 12 this year and looking to build on that next year and we hope that is going to be the basis of junior golf here as well. We have yet to start junior teams so hopefully we will soon have some good players and will have enough players to put a team into the Northumberland League."

The memberships and costs of coaching for these 12 lucky students have been jointly funded by Close House and Walbottle Campus and Technology College with sponsorship provided by Pinpoint Recruitment.

Having started from scratch, John is now witnessing each little part of the jigsaw coming together and believes Close House Golf has a very exciting future.