Tyneside doesn’t get much attention, even in north-east England, perhaps because it extends to just 6009 yards for a par of 70 and perhaps, dare I say it, because it’s in north-east England. But if the yardage doesn’t bother you it’s a lot of fun.
Paul Turner posted some old pictures earlier this year which I printed off, put in my bag and intended to try and replicate as far as possible with my snaps to get a sense of what had changed in the intervening years.
Here’s the old pic of the downhill 333 yard 8th:
…followed by the 2004 version.
As an experiment I converted my colo(u)r pics to mono and added some ‘noise’ – the idea being to help the eye home in on the architecture rather than technical or aesthetic differences between new and old images:
It’s a shame to have lost Colt’s necklace of bunkers. They must have been an easy target for maintenance cutbacks, perhaps during the Depression or WW2. They could easily be restored and would come into play a lot.
As it is downhill the hole can be driveable for the club golfer and I suspect would always have been, with the 318yard yellow or 292yard red perhaps having been the original back tee.
You have to aim up left to have a chance of rolling onto the green off the slope but the grass up there was a bit thick on my visit.
That 8th is the start of a fine run of holes that continues with the super 148 yard 9th, viewed here from the tee:
Death or Glory stuff. Though I speared one to the middle of the green (honest) I walked down the hill to snap the fate of the less fortunate’s second…
The 486yard 10th is one of two par 5s (four 3s). Stream across fairway (not clear but close to RH fairway bunker) dictates lay-up for most with any wind against, so it’s not that short:
This pic from behind the 10th green looking down the 11th fairway also shows another course in the valley floor beyond, a fairly recent creation known as Ryton after the village. If you go make sure you get the right one! Tyneside GC isn’t signposted from the main road but if you follow the signs to Old Ryton there are then fingerposts:
Here’s Paul’s pic of 11 and 12 greens:
XX years of tree growth (not sure when the old pix were taken) mean it was impossible to take the same shot from the same angle in 2004. But here’s the tee-shot of the profoundly-downhill 170 yard 12th, taken from further up the hill:
The 11th green is invisible but directly in line short of the 12th. As the second to the 355 yard 11th is short and the hike up the hill to the 12th tee not inconsiderable, the following group could well be on the 11th green when you hit from the 12th tee. I saw no signs alerting either party to the danger but maybe there’s so much foliage in the way it’s virtually impossible to hit anyone.
The 408yard 13th struck me as a tough driving hole, with a narrow neck at 200 uphill yards or so between an inhospitable hillside on the right and a deadly ravine on the left. If you got past that this small but perfectly-formed shelf was the target.
…and from behind:
Approach to 302 yard 14th after blind drive:
Here’s Paul’s old pic of 15:
…and the hole in 2004:
Not much difference there. At 271 yards it’s a lot of fun to have a lash at and if you fail the next shot still asks plenty of questions, even with a lob wedge.
Visitors are not supposed to go all the way back on the 117yard 16th (Tyneside’s back tees, like at most GB&I courses not receiving many US visitors, are reserved for competitions) but it’s no bargain from 97 yards. Honest:
The old pic is from the side:
You wouldn't see much from there now but leaves and branches. This is from the tee:
Tyneside must be popular for matchplay – 15, 16 and 18 all finish by the clubhouse.
18th is just begging for a running draw from the right – the way Colt no doubt imagined it being played back then - but at 384 yards can also be attacked in 2004 with an out-of-position drive down the left and pitch over the bunker (ask me how I know):
