THE Open Golf Championship was given a tee-mendous thumbs up by Fylde folk as the tournament came to a close at the weekend.

Police and councillors praised Fylde residents following the success of the championship at the Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club.

With crowds topping 50,000 on some days, there was a huge influx of cars to the area but police said that traffic disruption was kept to a minimum through careful planning by Lancashire Constabulary and Fylde Borough Council.

Fylde Mayor Coun Patricia Fieldhouse said she was delighted with the way the arrangements had worked. "We have been praised by the organisers and by a great many spectators who were pleased by the ease in which they had been able to travel to the course.

"We worked long and hard on our plans, but we could not have put them into operation without the help of our local residents. They have had to put up with a lot of disruption during the past week but they have all been very patient and we're extremely grateful for that.

"I am sure they will be just as pleased by the success of this major event," she said.

Assistant Chief Constable Julia Hodson, who was in overall charge of the police operation during the Open, was also pleased by the smooth running of the event.

"Our officers have been praised by the organisers for the way they ensured the safety of the people watching the golf.

"Obviously a great deal of planning had to take place and we were helped considerably by our council partners, the Royal and Ancient and by local people who co-operated and helped get the many thousands of cars in and out of the area every day," she said.

And for hotels and restaurants in Lytham the golf tournament brought extra business and a lot of fun and hard work.

At Portofino on Henry Street, owner's wife Michelle Peracca said that the Open had been a great boost for the town. "We were very, very busy over the weekend. I would say the Open was 100 per cent positive for Lytham. We were full and had most of the golfers in, apart from Tiger, and they were very nice, very polite -- not prima donnas at all.

"The only problem was being very busy and having to turn people away. But I thought the whole thing was very well organised and there wasn't any trouble with too much traffic. We just need a rest now. We couldn't do it every week," she said.

The County Hotel on Church Road was also extremely busy over the weekend. Manageress Lisa Davies said that the hotel was fully booked throughout the tournament and the pub was packed with a happy mix of regulars and golf fans.

"It was a great atmosphere -- they all seemed to get on very well. It certainly was an experience. I've never experienced anything like the golf before. The staff enjoyed it too. The thought of Tom Cruise and Sean Connery coming in was great.

"We think we caught a glimpse of Tom Cruise in a car and we were told he had been in here but I didn't see him. We did have a few limousines pull up outside and we had some of the golfers in here.

"There was absolutely no trouble and it was a really good thing for Lytham," she said.