Silsden Golf Club is celebrating the award of £467,000 of Lottery Sports Fund money.

The funding will help the 14-hole club develop a full 18-hole course at its Brunthwaite home. It will also enable a new stone-built clubhouse and car parking facilities to be built.

Club spokesman Gary Davey says: "This is tremendous news, not just for the club but for the people of Silsden and district. We will extend the facilities to local schools, the disabled and other groups who hitherto may not have had the opportunity to try the sport.

"While the allocation of money is conditional upon our completing further preliminary work, we are confident that an extension of the course and new clubhouse and changing facilities will become a reality in the not too distant future."

Club president Malcolm Mawson adds: "The funding has come as a result of years of hard work by a small sub-committee on behalf of the membership. I will be president of the Bradford Golf Union in the year 2000, and hope during my year of office we may be able to host one of the first 18-hole competitions on our course."

The ambitious expansion plans are seen as essential to secure the club's future. Exis-ting facilities are inadequate, with parking for only 25 cars and a wooden clubhouse nearing the end of its useful life.

The new development, with parking for 100 cars, will relieve congestion in Brunthwaite Lane. Planning permission was granted by Bradford council in 1996.

Silsden Golf Club can trace its roots back to 1909 when golf and tennis enthusiasts got tog-ether to form Silsden Golf and Tennis Club at Brunthwaite.

Originally the course's nine holes were rented from adjoining farmers, and it was not until 1960 that seven holes were actually bought. In 1965 a subscription by the members enabled the purchase of the other two holes. The club then set about improving its facilities, and in 1972, following a complete survey and re-design work, a 'new' course was opened. Five more holes were added to the course in the mid 1980s, bringing it up to its current unique format of 14 holes.

Early accommodation was primitive, and in 1934 the first 'real' clubhouse was built. That lasted until 1971, when the present wooden, prefabricated building was erected by members.

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