FOR over 150 years the international reputation of Wynyard has grown. "I have never left London with such a sense of relief and such anticipation of happiness," wrote author Benjamin Disraeli after one of his many visits in 1847 and it is that quote, even today, that typifies the high regard the estate is held in.
It is quite fitting that during the days of the third Marquess of Londonderry, Wynyard became the talk of Europe as its fantastic setting and tranquil surroundings began to gain the recognition and spotlight it deserved on the continent.
In those days there was no golf course; just trees, acres of land and lakes. Now, after the immense vision of Sir John Hall and Lady Hall in the early 90s, there are a growing number of people visiting the Tees Valley estate and this time next year there will be a whole lot more tasting the experience.
Some of the finest European golfers will descend on the North-East to compete for the right to lift the Seve Trophy. Many may question the size of the tournament, while many may simply ask what is it?
The Seve Trophy is not the Ryder Cup and let's not pretend it is. Yet it is a respected competition that will welcome 20 of the world's most talented golfers to Wynyard when Great Britain & Ireland take on Europe in a four-day team event that will attract thousands of spectators.
A massive cash boost for Wynyard? "No way. The money is not something we wanted when we made a bid for the Seve Trophy," says golf operations manager Chris Mounter.
"You simply can't buy the sort of publicity we will be getting from hosting the event. In a way it's priceless.
"We are certainly not going into this looking to make money, in fact we don't expect to. It's putting the club on the map. Wynyard will not make much money from it, if any. It will be just the publicity aspect of hosting it."
When the Seve Trophy 2003 was held at Valencia's El Saler course last November, the BBC were out there to beam back live coverage of a competition that has a pedigree which is becoming more and more reputable every time it comes around.
With a total prize fund of over £1.7m, the top names are sure to be quick to accept places in the respective teams.
The legendary Ballesteros will captain the Europeans, while Colin Montgomerie, the man to hole the match-winning four-foot putt for the Ryder Cup last week, could lead Team GB &I for the second consecutive term.
Wynyard are expecting to announce a date for the showpiece later this year, but all the plans they have in place suggest it will take place next September - a year on from Monty et al's heroics at Oakland Hills, Detroit, last weekend and perhaps a first chance to see many of that successful team reunited.
Lee Westwood, David Howell, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Miguel Angel Jimenez and, of course, Montgomerie all turned out in Valencia, when Great Britain & Ireland won 15-13, and the early indications are good for a similarly impressive turnout at Wynyard.
There will be the usual selection methods, with teams comprising of the leading four players from the Official World Golf Ranking, plus the leading four players from the Volvo order of Merit.
The two captains can then name two wild cards entries to complete their ten-man teams that will take to the challenging Wellington course, designed by Steve McFarlane from FW Hawtree course architects.
"To think that such names will be coming to the North-East to play is incredible, it really is," says Mounter. "I'm sure it will pull in big crowds because it is not every day that you can see big names on your doorstep."
Ballesteros' nephew, Ivan, led a three-man fact-finding team that toured the Wynyard course a fortnight ago. And to bring it up to scratch for the biggest golfing showpiece this region has seen, he is demanding a few tweaks to the course.
But, on the whole, they are more than happy with the test Wynyard will provide to the competitors.
Over £100,000 will be spent on alterations between now and the first day's play. A number of new bunkers and a new ninth green are already lined up to make life a little more difficult, while the course will be extended from 6,851 yards to just under 7,200.
Work has already started on an extension to the existing clubhouse, with a bistro, changing facilities and a function room on its way to provide better amenities for those taking part.
Managing director Gary Munro said: "It's immense. It's credit to all the staff, not just the directors, that we have got this event. We are now a European Tour-regarded course and that's what we have been striving for all these years."
Munro was course manager in 1996 when Sir John Hall and his Cameron Hall organisation succeeded in building a luxurious golf club on the Wynyard Hall estate.
There were initial talks of constructing three courses but the other two never materialised. "We still have plans to extend the course but the whole golfing market is saturated at the moment," said Munro, now firmly focused on making sure the Wynyard club continues to blossom even after the Seve Trophy comes to town.
"The course was losing a substantial six-figure sum before we took over from Cameron Hall in 2001."
One of his major aims is to build a prestige hotel in the grounds of the club. Planning permission is still in its early stages but £15m has been put aside to develop Wynyard and put it on a par, if not better, than the whole De Vere Slaley Hall complex in Northumberland.
And by doing that, Munro hopes to eventually bring a major European Tour event back to the North-East - after Slaley Hall had the European Open and the Great North Open taken away in recent years.
"The hotel will be a massive investment but we want to become the No 1 and that's needed if we want to do that," said Munro, who is also aiming to provide a full-size football pitch, five-a-side pitches, tennis courts, squash courts and a 25m pool inside a health club.
"The masterplan is to put a high-quality countryside hotel in the Tees Valley area.
"When the best golfers come to play at Wynyard for the Seve Trophy they will be staying at Hardwick Hall in Sedgfield and that's not in the Tees Valley area. There's a real shortage of quality hotels in this area and we want to rectify that."
Where there is a shortage of hotels there is no shortage of golfing facilities at Wynyard.
It boasts a reputable David Leadbetter Academy and many a famous name - former Irish Boys champions Michael Hoey and star footballing names such as Jonathan Woodgate, Franck Queudrue and Mick McCarthy to name just four - can be seen honing their skills at the club.
"They are widely regarded as being the best practising facilities in the north, bar none," said Mounter. "Graeme Storm (former British Amateur champion) regularly comes here and it's easy to see why. We also have USGA standard greens and a drainage system of the highest quality. We are well geared for big things here."
Nearly every hole has a view of a millionaire's mansion.
The 17th is overlooked by Kevin Keegan's for-sale custom-built home complete with stables, while a £3m home is being constructed just behind the first green.
Despite the huge number of residents affected by the Seve Trophy coming to Wynyard, plans are in place to make sure village life is not turned upside down too much.
A park-and-ride system will be in operation from the nearby former Samsung site, where there will be 70,000 car parking spaces, and over 200 marshalls will keep the spectators in line.
"We have been looking to hold something of this stature since day one," says Mounter.
"I know it's still early but we are already looking to after this tournament. We want to bring the European Tour back to the region. There have been Euro Pro Tour qualifiers here but we want the big one.
"To get this is a major coup for this club."
Providing Wynyard, situated between the busy A19 and A1 highways, pull this off it will surely not be long before the North-East is again given the chance to secure an annual European Tour event.
Published: 25/09/2004
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