WHEN an extensive list of celebrities turned up in the North-East for a golf day to raise money for charity, the presence of Lee Westwood deliberately coincided with the official opening of Close House’s PGA Golf Academy.

The former world number one, due to tee off alongside Miguel Angel Jimenez and Graeme McDowell at the Irish Open this morning, dons the branding of the brilliant Northumberland venue and thinks its latest move is a further sign of its ambitions.

The Academy’s facilities include a floodlit driving range, designated long and short game practice areas, a SAM PuttLab analysis system and a high performance custom-fitting centre with the use of Flightscope ball-tracking radar.

It means Close House is now part of the family of PGA branded golf academies and courses around the world, including The PGA’s headquarters at The Belfry and the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles.

And with the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship set to get going on Close House’s Par 71 Colt Course a fortnight today, Westwood predicts a fantastic future on the outskirts of Newcastle under the ownership of Graham Wylie.

“It’s exciting times,” said Westwood. “They have made a lot of changes recently and have upgraded the clubhouse. They have done a lot of work on the golf course and it is a big thing for them to get the Seniors’ event here. The future looks bright for Close House.

“Most of the infrastructure and course detail are here already. A little bit of tinkering here and there maybe. They could maybe put a few extra tees in to lengthen it, but the foundations are there certainly.

“The Seniors’ obviously don’t need it quite so long as the regular Tour but anything is possible around here I would say.”

It is hoped the Seniors Championship – which has already attracted 14,000 ticket registrations - will be merely the first of many Tour events to be held at Close House, with Wylie known to be focusing on making it one of the best golfing venues in Britain.

Westwood feels there is every chance Wylie will get his wish and, as Close House’s Tour pro, he could play a crucial role in bringing the main European Tour back to the North-East.

He will take a turn – along with Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Justin Rose – to host the British Masters after its return to the schedule.

And while Westwood has offered no guarantees, he said: “I think there’s a pretty good chance of the British Masters coming up here, certainly as good as any if not better at the moment.

“We will have to see. There are a lot of different things that go in to holding a tournament but the Seniors’ event is certainly a big tester for them. Graham is very ambitious for Close House and I like that. Anything is possible where Graham is concerned.”

But just what does Westwood – who helped raise around £500,000 for the Children’s Heart Unit at Freeman Hospital during the Have a Heart golf day last week – think the Seniors pros will face when they hit the fairways between June 11-14?

“There are a lot of tough holes out there,” Westwood told the Northern Echo. “One of the main challenges is the variations in elevation. It’s quite tricky to judge a club in to the green sometimes because there are some quite some severe hills out there.

“You get different lies as well so that makes it tough and there’s a bit of water which is an added challenge. There are some tricky holes too. It’s an amazing spot for a course and it is a good challenge, I always look forward to coming back I must admit.”