Talk of the Town, Saltburn & Markse
Lovely piece here in the Talk of the Town magazine, May edition:
Ken Soanes and Susan Birdsall go behind the scenes at Saltburn Golf Club.
History and background
Saltburn Golf Club is a Saltburn institution which opened in 1894 with the first course being on the Windy Hill Farm, on the cliffs. In the early 1900s, the club was established in its current location and the course extended to eighteen holes. The most famous Saltburn player was Brian Waites, professional at Saltburn during the early 60s who went on to the dizzy heights of the Ryder Cup.
The Club is traditionally run, owned by the members and all profits invested back into the business.
The Club Today
Over the years many improvements have been made, there is a fabulous club house with a modern lounge that can be hired out for functions. New lockers, new toilets and new showers are in place, with solar panels installed to generate savings on energy bills.
The Club recently bought 15 acres of land from the local authority and built this into a state of the art driving range with a fully automated ball dispensing machine which is open for anyone to use.
“I have been here since 1971 and I would say Saltburn at that time was an uncut diamond. Over those years, working with various committees, we have all been slowly polishing that diamond, improving the golf course, the club house, and the driving range facilities. The diamond is sparkling now, we have a lovely course with a beautiful view.” Dave Tongue, Club President
The golf club is run as a business. However, a decision was made to keep fees low and generate as much income as possible. While most Golf Clubs are facing a difficult time with numbers on the decline, Saltburn are bucking that trend with an increase of 50 (including juniors) over the last two months.
Key Players
The foundation stone of Saltburn Golf Club is its volunteers. There are seven committees working on maintenance, competitions, marketing and lots more. All the members are volunteers including the president, captains and vice-captains and treasurer.
There are a small handful of paid positions including the Club Secretary, Sam Matthews, the Head Greenkeeper Alan Reed, who has been with the Club for 35 years, the Club professional, the Bar, Catering and Events Manager, Joanne Adams and then other greens, office and bar/kitchen staff.
Dave Tongue, President and Alan Taylor, Men’s Captain have clearly invested a huge amount of their own time and energy into getting the club to where it is today. Their passion and commitment were inspiring as is their desire to create a legacy that future generations can build upon.
“We are part of the community and want to encourage families, sons, daughters, and grandchildren to play” Alan Taylor, Men’s Captain.
I asked what their best round had been - 65 for Dave, 70 for Alan and I heard my dad whisper 80.
The Social Side
The Golf Club bar and restaurant is a great spot especially when Saltburn cafes are packed during the summer. Anybody is welcome to walk in or take out social membership for £30 a year which will give you a discount as well as up to date information on events.
Food is from 11am with the plan to bring forward to 9am in the summer months. Sunday lunch is also available, my sister, Janey, went recently and described it as “tip top, best value in town.”
How to get involved
If you run your own business, Dave would love to talk to you about a sponsorship deal. Get your firms name on the juniors’ shirts, you never know there might be a future Open winner there.
If you want to learn to play or restart after a layoff, the best person to talk to is the pro Mike Howes, he will explain the tuition and lessons offer, help you to navigate the handicap process and set you up with clubs if needed.
There are a range of membership options available for different ages and circumstances.
If you can’t or don’t want to play, you can still get involved in the social side or by volunteering – there is plenty to do!
The Future
The vision is to keep the tradition and heritage alive, look after current members while attracting new and encourage the wider community to enjoy the club house.
Like every other golf club Saltburn is facing an age time bomb so have put effort into encouraging juniors. This has paid off with junior numbers increasing from 4 to 55 and there is still plenty of room for more.
The Junior Liaison Officer, Bev Flockton, gets a lot of the credit for this and runs campaigns such as ‘Women Get into Golf’, organising social events and competition. Currently the average age of the ladies section is 68 so recruiting some younger women is the aim.
The club recently allowed personal buggies which has led to 13 older people continuing to play who would otherwise have stopped.
I left wanting to be part of this, we have taken out social membership and my husband Paul is planning on taking lessons.