Course upgrade and improvement to member facilities. All credit to Tynemouth Golf Club. They're a go-ahead club run by the sort of people who listen to the members.
The club is heading out of the Covid-19 pandemic with a new-look 19 of their own. The clubhouse and terrace has had a makeover. Head out onto the fairways and at some point you’re likely to find yourself in a bunker. Well, if that happens, players are in for a surprise because the sand traps have had work done on them. In other words, while golfers have been forced to polish their irons and dream of finally hitting a ball, Tynemouth Golf Club has been making the most of the enforced lockdown. The main driving force behind all of this is the progressive General Committee supported by the Club Management lead by Paul Whittaker.
The Coronavirus pandemic has made life difficult for everyone but in one respect it has worked in favour of the Tynemouth club because last summer their membership rose as people looked to continue playing some sort of sport while the likes of football, rugby and cricket were shut down. Many people see golf as being a safe sport under the current conditions. The important bit now is to ensure that those newfound members stay. Recruitment and retention are the most important aspects of the management of any golf club. Early signs are looking extremely favourable.
“We regularly ask our members what they want. It’s all part of improving communications between the club and the members. We also find out why anyone would want to leave. I’m delighted to say that of those who would be leaving us, none were doing it for golfing reasons. Consequently, our big influx of members last summer…we signed-up 150 new members…are expected to stay and, because of that, we are currently full. We have a healthy waiting list too, though we are keen to increase our female member numbers.”
The bunker project is one of those things that players will really appreciate. Work has been completed on 38 of the course’s 64 bunkers… all but two are green-side bunkers. The walls of the bunkers now have grass strata to the top ensuring they look better and play better. Ian Kerr, the Head Greenkeeper, his hard working staff, “Ecobunker” and six temporary staff are to thank for bringing the project in on time and within budget. This project has been managed by Chair of Greens, David Steven. With regard to the “Terrace Project,” David Bainbridge (Chair), David Steven and Phil McGuire (Chair of Finance Committee), worked daily with the contractors to ensure everything was completed so quickly and to such a high standard. The new terrace area in front of the clubhouse will be Covid friendly and have sufficient space for 72 people. Our caterers Paul and Michelle Scott are looking forward to looking after our members and visitors. The standard of food and service is terrific. We can safely say that we now have the best beer garden in Tynemouth. Members will love it and we’ll also be open to the general public.”
The staff and the General Committee still have a lot of exciting developments in the pipeline. Naturally, the most important feature is the course itself so there’s a long-term maintenance and improvement programme in place. As part of this, the club has invested heavily in new machinery to ensure the greens, fairways, rough and tee boxes are the best they can be. The social scene is already really vibrant at Tynemouth Golf Club. Many of the members live within easy walking distance. “A lot of the new members who joined us last summer were surprised by the number of people they knew who were already members. We’re a really friendly club with great competitions and loads of social events and, following the work done on the clubhouse and the course, we’re really excited by what’s in store for 2021.