Another club bites the dust

[Pants]

A second set of tees can make 9 holes play completely different, we have several 9 holers around here that are all over 100 years old with very strong memberships. The two main ones being holetye and the other limpsfield chart. Both play completely different off the different tees and definitely give an 18 hole feel.

One is almost 1500 a year!

Just as an aside Oddsocks, I agree that Holtye is a great course, Limpsfield ain't too bad at all as well, but both knocked into a cocked hat by Reigate Heath (not Reigate Hill ). If you have never played it, take the opportunity if it arises.

 

[jim8flog]

Where will the members go? Not everyone can afford Ferndown, Parkstone etc. and they might not let new members in anyway.

I think that very much depends on how far people are willing to travel verses how much they are willing to pay and what sort of course they are looking for Knighton Heath, Wareham and Ferndown Forest come to mind.

 

[srixon 1]

I think that very much depends on how far people are willing to travel verses how much they are willing to pay and what sort of course they are looking for Knighton Heath, Wareham and Ferndown Forest come to mind.

Lots of courses around there to choose from and like you say depends on location as well as cost. The only course “near” to Dudsbury I would consider other than the big four would be Knighton Heath.

 

[JayB]

Also saw an article in the local rag that Woodlands Golf course in North Bristol is going to be built on.
It's a very decent 36 hole pay & play.
So another one bits the dust.

Woodlands Garden Village - Bradley Stoke Journal

NEW (September 2023): Following several years of apparent inactivity, the promoters of this scheme have launched a public consultation on an “emerging masterplan” for this site, which is now referred to as ‘Woodlands Garden Community‘ rather than the previous ‘Woodlands Garden Village’. The...

www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk

I was about to post about this course, gutted really as it's only down the road from me and it's one of the courses I learned to play golf, the other was Shortwood, owned by the same people I believe which they sold off in 2020. Without either of these courses I would never have taken up the game.

I've played Woodlands a few times this year and it's always busy, also they only completed the 2nd course a few years ago.

While only a public consultation at this stage, it does seem inevitable that they will be closing at some point in the future.

 

[Oddsocks]

Just as an aside Oddsocks, I agree that Holtye is a great course, Limpsfield ain't too bad at all as well, but both knocked into a cocked hat by Reigate Heath (not Reigate Hill ). If you have never played it, take the opportunity if it arises.

Just googled, looks nice!

 

[Golfmmad]

I feel your pain.

Not quite as bad, but we got notification last week that we would be reducing from an 18 hole to a 9 hole course. Will involve a lot of work as we are not a "two loops of nine" sort of course...will be a lot of merging of two holes into one...e.g. the current first hole will play to the second green, the 6th hole will play to the 9th green, the current 13th will play to the 17th green. Will need a huge amount of landscaping to give the new holes definition and I cant help but feel that for many months we will be playing a form of "cross-country" golf. How it will work for comps and stuff with the new layout not being defined or rated properly I dont know....can see a long period of general play only ahead. I've been at my place over 20 years now so it will be a huge wrench....club is already asking for advanced payments (at a reduced rate to encourage early take up) to renew now for the membership year commencing April 2024...club will be limited to 300 memberships max due to restricted tee times available as a nine holer...currently close to 500 members.

At least we will still have a course (of increased length as well if you played 9 holes twice compared to the current layout)....though there may seem to be more tunnel than light at this moment in time.

Sorry to hear this but be careful. The exact same thing happened to me at my old course.
All the same talk and plans for the new nine hole layout, even a choice of four different designs for a new clubhouse.
All to no avail as the club closed completely and now has houses built on it. Some of the back nine has been left to rewild.

It was all quite exciting for a while but we felt really let down in the end.

 

[nickjdavis]

Sorry to hear this but be careful. The exact same thing happened to me at my old course.
All the same talk and plans for the new nine hole layout, even a choice of four different designs for a new clubhouse.
All to no avail as the club closed completely and now has houses built on it. Some of the back nine has been left to rewild.

It was all quite exciting for a while but we felt really let down in the end.

You know what....If this happened, tragic as though it would be, it would be a fantastic kick in the teeth for all the locals nimby's who have done everything in their power to oppose any developments of the course over the past few years.

 

[Canfordhacker]

Lots of courses around there to choose from and like you say depends on location as well as cost. The only course “near” to Dudsbury I would consider other than the big four would be Knighton Heath.

Our spreadsheet had 17 courses to considering reasonable in driving distance to some of us, but fewer in range of all of us. These ranged from Came Down to Ashley Wood to Crane Valley to Bramshaw. The big 4 all have waiting lists (Parkstone list is closed and at least 3 years when it restarts). Crane Valley and Bulbury have a good membership model where you can play at both courses, but we have made the leap and 15 of us have joined Knighton Heath - who themselves will be closed to new members soon (possibly already) according to the general manager given the influx. Glad we acted quickly.

 

[srixon 1]

Our spreadsheet had 17 courses to considering reasonable in driving distance to some of us, but fewer in range of all of us. These ranged from Came Down to Ashley Wood to Crane Valley to Bramshaw. The big 4 all have waiting lists (Parkstone list is closed and at least 3 years when it restarts). Crane Valley and Bulbury have a good membership model where you can play at both courses, but we have made the leap and 15 of us have joined Knighton Heath - who themselves will be closed to new members soon (possibly already) according to the general manager given the influx. Glad we acted quickly.

Hope you all enjoy your new course. At least there’s no water to lose your balls in.

 

[Canfordhacker]

Hope you all enjoy your new course. At least there’s no water to lose your balls in.

Still plenty of other places, but yes, an awful lot less water.

 

[FuzzyDuck]

On the positive side, Winter Hill (owned by John Lewis) looked like it was going to be sold to Maidenhead GC, who planned to close it and redevelop it as the new Maidenhead GC. The existing members would have had to go elsewhere. However JL decided to sell it to someone else (allegedly for less money) and it is now managed by Get Golfing with minimal disruption for existing members. I did also here, however, JL took everything that wasn't nailed down (i.e. all the course maintenance equipment, kitchen equipment etc, patio furniture etc).

 

[nickjdavis]

I feel your pain.

Not quite as bad, but we got notification last week that we would be reducing from an 18 hole to a 9 hole course. Will involve a lot of work as we are not a "two loops of nine" sort of course...will be a lot of merging of two holes into one...e.g. the current first hole will play to the second green, the 6th hole will play to the 9th green, the current 13th will play to the 17th green. Will need a huge amount of landscaping to give the new holes definition and I cant help but feel that for many months we will be playing a form of "cross-country" golf. How it will work for comps and stuff with the new layout not being defined or rated properly I dont know....can see a long period of general play only ahead. I've been at my place over 20 years now so it will be a huge wrench....club is already asking for advanced payments (at a reduced rate to encourage early take up) to renew now for the membership year commencing April 2024...club will be limited to 300 memberships max due to restricted tee times available as a nine holer...currently close to 500 members.

At least we will still have a course (of increased length as well if you played 9 holes twice compared to the current layout)....though there may seem to be more tunnel than light at this moment in time.

and today we have a 180 degree reversal.

Course is staying as an 18 hole layout....will be introducing an electronic tee booking facility, revamping the website, getting a specialist in to sort out our bunkers, bringing a new par 3 hole that was originally built four or five years ago into play, hope to build a new practice putting green and chipping facilities close to the first tee.

Annual 7 day membership fees going up by £330 (35%). Joining fee being introduced for new members, reduced rates for under 25's and under 17's.

Obviously not everything will be done at once but this is a welcome, wholesale change in thinking and approach by the club management (the owner has passed control to his son) to move the club forward. I like the ideas of reduced rates for youngsters....they will be the future of the club. I also don't mind the increase in fees (will now be similar to other clubs in the immediate catchment area), the club has held its fees at an exceptionally low level in recent years and that must have had an effect on the investment that has (not) gone in to the course which has become quite shabby in places.

Sure not everyone will be happy at the increase and some will vote with their feet...but there aren't any cheaper alternatives so not sure what folks think they will achieve if they throw their figurative toys out of the pram....but there are plenty who are up themselves to such an extent that they think the club needs them to survive and will no doubt loudly voice their objections as they leave the car park.....like they did when a cup of tea went up from £1 to £1.50 a few years ago....you would have thought the club was robbing their pension pots the way some of them went on.

Happy days!!!

 

[OntheteeGavin]

That's a surprise. I did notice on rightmove land for sale (holes 14-16?). Was a few months ago.

Heard that a few have already joined Newton and more was expected in Jan. Another to Haverhill. Heard that prior to this announcement though.

Why didn't the ownership change months ago?

 

[nickjdavis]

That's a surprise. I did notice on rightmove land for sale (holes 14-16?). Was a few months ago.

Heard that a few have already joined Newton and more was expected in Jan. Another to Haverhill. Heard that prior to this announcement though.

Why didn't the ownership change months ago?

Three parcels of land were for sale..."the field" (holes 14-16) and then the land covering 7, 8 and 9 was split into two lots, roughly from the back of the 9th tee down to the hedge on the left of 7....so a large plot covering most of 7, all of 8 and the bushes in between, and a smaller plot covering a rectangle that had the back of the 9th tee and the back of the 7th tee as its two opposite corners.

As to your question....who knows....sometimes its difficult to relinquish total control....I'm not sure whether "legal ownership" has changed or whether it is simply that CW has let go of the reigns totally and given MW freedom to do exactly as he wants.

 

[r0wly86]

My old course in Devon, one which I was planning on rejoining when I relocate back. Was recently taken over by a national golf firm.

Rumours are they want to reduce it a 12 hole course and build holiday lodges on part of the land.

I can only see this as a death knell for the club if they do that.

Small membership, clubhouse is rarely busy as they've put up food prices. And theyve recently increased subs by about 20%

Plenty of established courses in south and east Devon.

A real shame the natural landscape made for a very interesting and challenging course. Never had the investment to get the greens and finer things right.

It may survive as a hotel and lodge complex with an interesting 12 hole course attached, but will expect a large swathe of members to move to other courses