THE Worcestershire Golf Club is poised for another momentous day in its rich and varied history with the official unveiling of its new £1.2m clubhouse tomorrow.

Former Walker Cup captain Peter McEvoy will be among the guests at the opening ceremony which also includes a marching band.

It marks another milestone for the course that can trace its origins back to 1879 and its first reincarnation on local common land.

Surrounded by stunning scenery the picturesque course now has a clubhouse to do justice to its setting under the gaze of the Malvern Hills.

Secretary/manager Jacqueline Howe said the new clubhouse had been a terrific boost to the members who have helped fund the project.

As you would expect of a 123-year-old institution it is steeped in history and members such as past captain Dr Neil Phillips and greens' committee chairman Tony Rogers have a wealth of stories to tell about the club.

One of the first is how the club got its name which was basically to do with the fact it was the only course in the Midlands - in fact in those days the nearest golf course to the Worcestershire was Westward Ho! in Devon.

During its long history the club has endured plenty of ups and downs including during the Second World War when part of the course was confiscated by the Ministry of Defence to be replaced by an American Field Hospital and vegetables.

After the war the Ministry of Defence added insult to injury by refusing to return the land.

A common thread running through the club's past has been the willingness of members to pitch in for the club and when has been required they have traditionally rolled up their sleeves and routinely got their hands dirty.

During the 1970s and 1980s when a new dining room extension to the clubhouse was needed or a new snooker room, it was the members that actually did the work.

"It was fantastic the way they set about it," said Dr Phillips.

"The clubhouse, which was an old farmhouse, was very small and they wanted to build a dining room extension so the members said the best way for us to proceed is for us to do it ourselves and that's what they did.

"They came down every night until the work was completed.

"The club was like that in those days and that is how it survived."

That sense of spirit still remains and with the new clubhouse installed and some of the finest greens in the Midlands, the Worcestershire seems well-placed to survive for many years to come - interference from the Ministry of Defence notwithstanding, of course.