REGARDING plans to merge Blackwell Golf Club, in Darlington, with the council-run course, Stressholme (Echo, Sept 12).

Some of us believe the move should be considered very carefully by Blackwell members.

It is a gamble and here are a few things your chairman is not telling you.

If 400 playing members from Blackwell and 300 playing members from Stressholme agree to form a new club, this will make it viable. But if only 300 members from Blackwell and 200 members from Stressholme sign up, this will be a disaster and the new club will be in trouble.

The committee must provide members with a working business plan before any agreement is signed.

Darlington Borough Council has been subsiding Stressholme – are Blackwell members willing to do the same? I don’t think so.

Members should encourage Stressholme members to join Blackwell. This would make a well-run club viable.

The Stressholme facilities have fallen below the standards required by the modern-day golfer and require redevelopment, including the provision of a new clubhouse and the driving range.

The course will need thousands spending on it to meet the needs of Blackwell members.

Stressholme is built on a former rubbish dump and sewerage site.

Can the council give members a guarantee that the land is not contaminated?

A sensible deal would be for Blackwell to buy Stressholme.

This would be a good deal for the council – leaving it free to sell its land to a developer, while still providing a golf course accessible to the local people of Darlington and saving thousands in subsidies.

The deal on offer is not in the best interest of Blackwell members and they should instruct the chairman to renegotiate the deal or invite him to resign.

Concerned senior member of Blackwell Golf Club.