Full Steam Ahead For Blyth

May 12 2008 by The Journal

It was a joyous and historic day for Blyth Golf Club when the local council finally said 'yes' to its plea to buy the 18-hole course. For years the 100-year-old club had asked Blyth Valley council to give it the go-ahead to buy the 120-acre course, which rose phoenix-like out the rubble and shale of a derelict pit heap on the outskirts of the town in the early 1970s.

But the council landlords had always politely refused - until the middle of last year when the government announced that Blyth, like its neighbouring local authorities, would disappear and be absorbed into one unitary authority and become part of a new Northumberland County Council.

The deal was quickly done. An emergency EGM held by club members in January this year gave an overwhelming vote in favour of buying the clubhouse and course for a bargain £400,000.

But the euphoria of the ground-breaking deal was suddenly shattered when almost out of the blue only four days after the EGM the club's solicitor Eric Nicholson unearthed a bombshell - a £30 million pound road scheme was being drawn up which would slice through the course.

The news was devastating to the 800-club members and the management committee who had worked so hard to bring about the deal.

But after a showdown open forum held in the club which was attended by both local council and county council officials it clearly emerged that the road proposals and the course sale were being handled by two separate departments in two different authorities and it was a pure co-incidence and surprise to both when they realised the collision of events.

However, every cloud has a silver lining and club secretary John Ritson explained: "It clearly emerged from our talks that the conception of the road scheme was in the very earliest of days and that it would be many years - if ever - before it came about.

"And even if it did happen, the preferred route through the course would only affect two holes and compensation in the form of additional land would be available to make good the loss.

"We were strongly advised to complete the purchase, which we did, and now we can confidently look forward to the future certain in the knowledge that there will always be a first class golf course for all the community in the Blyth area."

So confident is the club that it has recently engaged the services of a professional golf architect to draw up a comprehensive blueprint for the future development of the testing parkland lay-out.

John Ritson added: "Each year this course simply gets better and better and we're determined not to stand still and aim to provide an outstanding facility for both members and visitors alike for many years to come."