FREE Golf Festival

PGA Professional Andrew Brown will be on hand to pass on his expertise to young people

Northumberland Sport would encourage all young people in the County to use this fantastic opportunity to discover if they have the drive to play golf during a special festival in Blyth beginning Tuesday 31 July.

Blyth Valley Arts and Leisure is clubbing together with Bedlington School’s Partnership to support Blyth Golf Club and encourage junior players to take up the game.

The two-day festival will run from 10am until 7pm, on 31 July and 1 August, at Blyth Golf club in New Delaval, Newsham. The event is free of charge to visitors and activities on the agenda include: PGA professional tuition, competitions, pitch and putt as well as advice about equipment and where to play.

The festival is part of the club’s junior development programme. This was set up seven years ago when members realised action needed to be taken to get more young people, especially girls, playing golf.

Speaking about the event Steven Ellis, Blyth Golf Club’s junior development officer, said: “We’re really looking forward to the golf festival, which will be the culmination of nine months of planning. We’ve organised golf days in the past but never anything on this scale before. We’re hoping to get as many young people as we can to come along and learn about the sport.”

Nathan Rogerson, leisure development manager for Blyth Valley Arts and Leisure, said: “The aim of the festival is to encourage young people to have fun and play sport.

“Golf is sometimes thought of as a sport for the older generation but the successes of famous young players such as Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Michelle Wie show that’s not the case. Hopefully, Blyth Golf Festival will spark the interest of the borough’s very own scratch players of the future. At the very least, it will demonstrate that golf is a great sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.”

Representatives from all of the region’s golf clubs have been invited to attend; a tented village will be set up to accommodate them as well as golf suppliers and other exhibitors during the event.

The club has also added a further event to the festival with the Blyth Young Persons’ Open, which will be staged on August 2. Keen young golfers with a club handicap are invited to play and those with less experience can watch them tackle the course.

For more information about the festival, or the Blyth Young Persons’ Open, contact Steve Ellis on 07837707896 or club manager Jim Wright on 01670 540110. Alternatively, visit the club website www.blythgolf.co.uk