AYCLIFFE TODAY MONTHLY | 7
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NEWS BRIEFS
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WORK
STARTS AT
Ernie Wilson - returning to
Woodham Golf Club again
WOODHAM GOLF CLUB
Work has started at Woodham Golf
Club to get the course and clubhouse
in tip-top condition for an official
opening.
New owners Hall Construction had
wanted to open the course earlier
after buying it from administrators for
an undisclosed figure.
But the club’s professional golfer
Ernie Wilson, who’s in charge of the
course, has told Aycliffe Today they
now want to get it in tip-top condition
before re-opening, hopefully some
time in July.
“We’ve
done
several
course
inspections and it needs a bit of work
doing to it,” said Ernie.
“It has been closed for seven months
from the end of last October, and the
owners want the attention-to-detail to
be as near perfect as possible.
“We can’t actually say when the
course will re-open, as we want it
absolutely right from day one.
“We have to cut all the rough back
and making the greens as good as we
can possibly get them.
“And we also have to look at drainage
issues, getting the ponds and streams
cleaned out so everything is absolutely
tip-top for when it re-opens.”
Meanwhile, Ernie says Woodham
can get back to being one of the best
golf courses in the region.
Originally designed by the highlyrespected J Hamilton Stutt, a founding
member of The British Association of
Golf Course Architects, Woodham
enjoyed a reputation as one of the
North-East’s premier courses when it
first opened in 1981.
The course was plunged into
administration by its Irish owners,
Washington
Developments,
last
November.
Its new owners are now busy
spending thousands of pounds
redeveloping the clubhouse and
surrounding area as well as the course
itself.
In our exclusive Video Interview,
which can be viewed by scanning
the above picture using the Aurasma
App, Ernie added: “As any local golfer
knows, Woodham has a tremendous
layout.
“There are various courses around,
with top-notch five star establishments
in County Durham and further afield,
but with some investment this course
could be as good, if not better than any
of them.
“The drainage is an issue. We’ve had
a wet spring this year and there still
scars in the evidence out there, but
we’re going to spend a lot of time and
energy in trying to solve that problem.”
Originally from Fife in Scotland, Ernie
played at all levels of Scottish amateur
school golf as well as youth and full
international levels.
He represented Great Britain and
Ireland at youth level and won the
Lord Derby trophy and has mixed it
with world-renowned faces of golf,
including Bernhard Langer, Vijay
Singh, Colin Montgomerie and Sandy
Lyle.
“This is the third time I’ve come here
as the golf pro, the first time being in
1993,” Ernie told us.
“There hasn’t really been a great deal
of investment into the course. Now
there’s a different atmosphere totally.
“You can see the guys on site
working hard, and now I’ve got a plan
of how it’s going to go from here, it’s
exciting times for the club.”
Newton Aycliffe police officers
will soon be fitted with body-worn
cameras as part of a groundbreaking
move by Durham Constabulary.
All frontline officers in the force’s
area, including Special Constables and
Police Community Support Officers,
will be equipped with Body-Worn
Video (BWV) cameras while carrying
out their duties.
Durham introduced BWV devices in
August 2012, initially on a trial basis
to officers in Bishop Auckland, and will
now be rolled out across the region.
WINDOW SMASHED
IN EARLY HOURS
Police are appealing for information
after a house window was smashed in
the early hours.
Police say a young man struck at a
property on Bowes Road in the town,
at around 12.30am on Saturday 14th
June, before making off onto Pease
Way.
The suspect is described as being
male, 16/17-years-old and was
wearing a purple long sleeve top.
If anybody has any information that
can help us with our enquiries please
call Newton Aycliffe Neighbourhood
Policing Team on telephone number
101.
POLICE APPEAL
AFTER BIKE STOLEN
Police are asking for help after a boy
had his bike stolen in Newton Aycliffe.
Between 5pm and 5.30pm on Sunday
8th June, the victim was approached
by a group of males on Greenfield Way
in the town, before one of them took his
bike, a black Apollo mountain bike.
The offender is described as white,
aged around 12-13 years, 4’ 8 tall,
medium build with short (shaven) light
brown hair.
Anyone with info is asked to call
police on 101.