Tynemouth Golf Club’s review of 2018
In a year dominated by political turmoil, unexpected success in the football World Cup and a Moliwood inspired victory in the Ryder Cup, 2018’s extreme weather provided a popular topic of clubhouse conversation.
First they had to overcome the impact of the Beast from the East and later in the year deal with the effects of the hottest summer on record.
Nevertheless, after just a few months the improvements in the greens – backed by TGC’s investment, particularly at the 13th and 14th holes – were recognised in the overwhelming approval of members which they expressed through August’s survey.
The course remains the club’ priority. TGC will continue to support the good work of Ian and his team through providing training and development as well as opportunities to work with consultants from STRI, who further endorsed the quality of our greens by saying they are of tour standard. Tynemouth Golf Club and its staff will continue to work hard to provide you with 18 holes of which we can all be proud.
The benefits of playing on such a high quality course, as well as the support and coaching from John McKenna and fellow members is paying dividends.
For Alan Moses and Nathan Thompson – more on him later – that means a trip to Dubai in April after reaching the finals of the League to Dubai. They qualified after a nail-biting victory at the Hollins Hall course in Shipley.
Conor Turnbull came 12th in the American Golf Long Drive Championship. Although he just missed out on a top ten place to compete in the national final, his 365 yard drive – at the age of 21 – means there seems certain to be even more big hitting to come from Conor in 2019. The number of winter members has reached a record number and our Academy goes from strength to strength.
The Junior Squad is punching well above its weight, competing against much older players and Dan Harrison and Freddie McKenna were selected to play for the County.
Many of you will already be aware of Freddie’s success.
He looks set to have a very bright golfing future. In April, when he was still 12-years-old, Freddie won the Northumberland under 16 Championships in really tough conditions at Prudhoe Golf Club. In May he won the Graeme Storm Under-14 Open in Hartlepool, finishing five strokes ahead of the rest of the field.
In August he became the Junior Club Champion at Bamburgh Golf Course, shooting a junior course record. His dad will keep his feet on the ground and help Freddie and our other juniors to keep improving and enjoying their golf.
Whilst members and staff rightly celebrated the success of our golfers in 2018, we also shared some bad times – most notably the tragic and untimely death in February of our colleague Lynn Finch. Our thoughts are with Lynn’s family this Christmas.
Everybody at Tynemouth Golf Club has also been affected by the plight of Elliot Thompson, Nathan and Nicola’s son. Many of you will remember the picture of Elliot in hospital.
He was born eight weeks premature in March, weighing just 4lbs 3oz, and affected by a rare condition called TAR Syndrome. Nathan says the care he received in the Special Care Baby Unit at the RVI in Newcastle saved his life.
The unit is supported by a charity called Tiny Lives and – as a thank you to the staff and volunteers who cared for Elliot and supported Nathan and Nicola – Nathan decided to raise money through a four round challenge at Tynemouth
Golf Club, starting at dawn on the longest day of the year.
The fund-raising target for the 16 golfers who took part on 21 June was £500. The four round challenge and other events have actually generated a staggering £15,000 for Tiny Lives and the good news is that Elliot is doing really well.
“We still have appointments booked in for the New Year but we have had plenty of positive news regarding his TAR syndrome. He is starting to use his hands a lot more now and get his hands to his mouth which is great news,” said Nathan. “The golf club have been great in supporting us this year and can’t thank them enough.
Tynemouth Golf Club members have been busy raising money for other good causes including the Captain’s charities The Sepsis Trust – in memory of Lynn – and Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, as well as the RNLI and The Children’s Foundation.
The club also played host to 11-year-old Archie Qualtrough from Derbyshire who hit a golf ball the equivalent of the 83 miles distance between West and East coasts. The challenge took him five days on 15 courses, finishing at Tynemouth. Archie was raising money for a number of charities, including the Golf Foundation and Cardiac Risk in the Young.
The future of our game is bright with the likes of Archie and Freddie, who – if October’s demonstration is anything to go by – may one day soon be Golf Boarding, rather than walking, round courses.
The immediate future of Tynemouth Golf Club is also bright, with our business plan on target and in some areas ahead of target.
The strength of any club rests on its membership and, as a thank you for your continuing support, you will be receiving a couple of gifts this Christmas.
One is a free four ball to share with friends or family and you will also be sent a voucher by the Pro Shop providing major discounts on Flightscope and Simulator sessions.
From everybody at Tynemouth Golf Club, have a Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year.