RAMSIDE HALL Hotel and Golf Club has entered a new chapter by opening a championship course and it is believed the right spot has been hit after expanding their golf operations team too.

Trainee PGA professionals James Harper and Kieran Ayre have been drafted in to assist head pro Kevin Jackson and the appointments at the County Durham four-star resort all form part of an ambitious £15m development.

In September the 18-hole Cathedral Course – the newest championship golf course to open in the UK – was officially opened and construction is underway on a health club, spa, swimming pool and 47 hotel bedrooms, scheduled to open in spring 2015.

Helen Roseberry, director of golf at Ramside, said: “These are exciting times at Ramside. The Cathedral Course has been brilliantly received by our membership and the North-East golfing public. There is a real buzz surrounding the courses and club that we intend to build upon.

“James and Kieran are two excellent appointments for Ramside Golf Club and represent our commitment to providing the finest golf coaching, club repair and custom fitting services to our members and visitors.”

Harper, from Hartlepool, has been playing on the EuroPro Tour but will use his expertise in engineering as a graduate of Teesside University to specialise in custom club fitting, club repair and coaching at Ramside.

There is an indoor coaching studio featuring a science and motion laboratory for putting, stroke and posture analysis as well as the custom fitting. He also uses Mizuno Swing DNA technology to match a golfer’s swing with the ideal shaft options in irons and woods. He offers frequency matching, shaft smoothing, loft and lie checks, re-gripping and re-shafting.

Harper said: “I’m delighted to be joining Ramside at such an exciting moment in the club’s history. The intelligent investment in a new championship course, renovated driving range and coaching staff has built on an already outstanding reputation for quality and puts Ramside among the best places to learn, play and enjoy golf in northern England.”

Ayre, from Sunderland, has been a member at Ramside since he was 11 and has returned to the club to work through his PGA professional qualifications after spending just short of a year working in Abu Dhabi at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, operated by Troon Golf, the world’s largest golf management company.

The 19-year-old, who has been working at DeVere Slaley Hall in Northumberland, represented Durham County Golf Union at boys and youth level. The pair will assist Jackson on the teaching staff, providing swing, short game and playing lessons as well as junior coaching at Ramside Rookies – a fun and gentle introduction to golf for young children.

Ayre said: “It’s a great time to be involved at Ramside and the intention, with the new course opening, is to just share some of the workload around because of the increase in coaching commitments and sessions.

“I was out in Abu Dhabi for a year but I wanted to come back to start my PGA work, so this is a great opportunity and we all want to make it a real success after the opening of the new course.”