IF a Ryder Cup statesman is paying a visit to a golf club in County Durham then good things must be happening and Blackwell Grange’s ongoing developments have been hailed a great boost to the region’s golfers.

When Bernard Gallacher, an eight time player and three time captain for the European team, paid a visit to the Darlington course where he is an honorary member he could not believe the changes since his last appearance there.

During his earlier years in his playing pomp he would regularly visit Blackwell Grange for a practice while visiting family, so became a familiar face in the clubhouse and on the greens.

But he was back at the club for the first time since the merger with Stressholme and the subsequent relocation and was mightily impressed by the ambitions and changes which have already taken place.

Gallacher was at Blackwell to officially open the new professional shop, which is attached to a fully refurbished 15-bay, floodlit driving range. In addition there is brand new changing rooms for both ladies and men while the bar and lounge have been redesigned to give the clubhouse a modern look. There are further developments planned in the new year.

“The facilities are as good as anywhere in the North-East now really,” said Gallacher. “The driving range could not be better and the clubhouse is lovely. I used to know the old facility because I used to come regularly in the 1970s, my wife’s family come from this area.

“I would go in to the old clubhouse and hit a few balls. I got to know the members when I came to visit. I was going that often they made me an honorary member!

“The future is young people, so with these facilities hopefully it will encourage young people to take it up. It’s not an expensive game for kids; the clubs make it very easy for kids to join because fees are low to start with.

“Golf is very comparable to be honest with the likes of football, maybe too many people think that it’s an expensive sport but it certainly isn’t for kids.

“What we have to be careful of is that we don’t become a nation of watchers. We need to encourage people to participate in golf, participate in rugby, and not just enjoy watching it on TV. That’s the danger.”

Gallacher was a golfing talent on the world stage from an early age. He made his Ryder Cup debut aged 20 to become the youngest man to represent Great Britain in the Ryder Cup at that time.

Through his eight appearances in the Ryder Cup, he was invited to be captain of Europe in 1991, 1993 and 1995; winning the third of those. He is 66 now and feels European golf is in fantastic shape ahead of the next battle with the USA in Hazeltine next year, even if it can still get better.

“The American circuit is so strong because of the money, but we have won seven Ryder Cups out of the last eight so the future is strong,” he said. “We have to look outside the box. We have to look outside Europe because it is becoming a world tour.

“There’s Matthew Fitzpatrick who won the British Masters recently, Eddie Pepperrell is a wonderful player, Danny Willett, Tommy Fleetwood ... it will be a great Ryder Cup next year.

“It was great to captain the Ryder Cup but if you are young you want to play in it because it means you are the best in the world. It means a lot. We have just had the Presidents Cup but it is almost like a practice for the Ryder Cup.”

Will there be a North-East representative in the Ryder Cup, with Graeme Storm and Rob Dinwiddie yet to seriously push for a place among the elite. Gallacher offered his own advice for players from this region wanting to really hit the top.

The man from West Lothian, Scotland, said: “Golfers should not be scared to leave the North-East and get out and play Challenge Tours, Alp Tours ... the facilities here are good, but you need warm weather training too.

“Many of the other guys don’t have a winter these days because it has become a world tour, not a European Tour. It’s hard to keep it going up here in the winter, but your competitors are playing all year round. You have to go off and compete in warm weather, not be scared to travel.”

Blackwell Grange is offering a range of membership options to suit golfers, from as little as £250 a year.