Bust

[robinthehood]

No one owes any golf club a living. Its not 1950.
in a world where we're encouraged to shop around for the best deals why should golf be a special case ?

 

[patricks148]

Cheers it's a nice course. A little quirky but always in decent nick. 30 years ago you couldn't get a game there . Times change but they didn't really.
Its not like there is a ton of competition nearby

i didn't play golf back then but my Bother did and i remember him and his mates having que up at the local Muni's, Batchwood hall in St Albans and Stockwood park in Luton at 6am just to get out for a game in the 80's and 90's. but in those days you just couldn't get into a private members club around there.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Excuse my ignorance here but what happens after a club closes ? Does the clubhouse just shut, does the course just overgrow, what about the machinery ? Do the greens staff get paid off ?

It depends if there is any money left in the club for an administrator to work with or whether the sale of the club would generate money to cover those costs. My club went into administration two years ago, over the winter. They closed the clubhouse and laid off the clubhouse staff, pro etc. They kept the greenkeepers though as they believed, correctly, that they could sell the site as a golf course still. This kept people using the course and so it was viable to sell. Once sold the clubhouse was re opened.

If there is no money and no prospect of it remaining as a golf course then the chances are everyone would be laid off. No reason for the administrator to spend money maintaining a course when that will not bring in money for the creditors. The administrator would sell off all equipment, fittings etc. to whoever offers the most, or any, money.

The biggest losers are always the staff.

 

[robinthehood]

i didn't play golf back then but my Bother did and i remember him and his mates having que up at the local Muni's, Batchwood hall in St Albans and Stockwood park in Luton at 6am just to get out for a game in the 80's and 90's. but in those days you just couldn't get into a private members club around there.

These days those same private clubs are falling over themselves in an effort to get new members. All can be played easily as a visitor. Some are even on tee off times

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Cant help to wonder whether these feeder to courses to the 'better' courses, will have an affect to the 'better' courses membership pools in years to come.

Sad to hear another 3 courses closed.

 

[USER1999]

Was Potters bar a members club, or a commercial outfit?

 

[duncan mackie]

Was Potters bar a members club, or a commercial outfit?

I believe it was a members club, on members share basis, with an elected management board.
Whether it was all wrapped into a limited company or not will impact member liabilities and/or asset shares.
However, the original post isn't really consistent with either of these ie you would expect all members to be well aware of developments!

 

[robinthehood]

I was aware they had issues but the recent agm produced a plan to move the club forward. So it was a surprise that it closed so suddenly.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

You have a lot a very good courses nearby as well - Hadley Wood , Old Ford Manor and Drynham Park - excellent clubs

 

[robinthehood]

Indeed no shortage of courses in this part of the world. I'll probably wait till after winter now and just pay and play for a bit.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I was aware they had issues but the recent agm produced a plan to move the club forward. So it was a surprise that it closed so suddenly.

It may be a move to protect the members, whoever is in charge of the club, whoever is liable for the debt etc. Another review of the figures may have highlighted a downward spiral that was unlikely to be reversed and so the safest option was this.

Not all clubs or businesses go under owing money. Some wind up with money in the bank but do so in an orderly fashion, paying all outstanding debts. It may be that the committee have been pro-active and no debts are left behind.

 

[USER1999]

Does the land belong to the club, or is it leased?

 

[patricks148]

You have a lot a very good courses nearby as well - Hadley Wood , Old Ford Manor and Drynham Park - excellent clubs

whats happening to the land at Hadley Wood? thats part of the site of the battle of Barnet 1471, so wonder if they would be allowed to build on it?

 

[OOB]

It depends if there is any money left in the club for an administrator to work with or whether the sale of the club would generate money to cover those costs. My club went into administration two years ago, over the winter. They closed the clubhouse and laid off the clubhouse staff, pro etc. They kept the greenkeepers though as they believed, correctly, that they could sell the site as a golf course still. This kept people using the course and so it was viable to sell. Once sold the clubhouse was re opened.

If there is no money and no prospect of it remaining as a golf course then the chances are everyone would be laid off. No reason for the administrator to spend money maintaining a course when that will not bring in money for the creditors. The administrator would sell off all equipment, fittings etc. to whoever offers the most, or any, money.

The biggest losers are always the staff.

I don't know the ins and outs of the closure, as it was well before my time in this area, but North Weald golf club has bits and pieces of it left, the range still seems to be operating as a going concern, and the old car park looks to have been redeveloped into a five a side football area. The sad parts are where the "very obviously an old golf course" bits sit as nature slowly reclaims the land as its own

 

[Jacko_G]

More members to get swept up by other clubs in the areas, survival of the fittest or most financially astute.

Is that a bad thing? There will be a lot more closures to come all around the country.

 

[PJ87]

Oh that’s a real shame.. played a society there last season was hoping to play it again it was really nice

 

[patricks148]

More members to get swept up by other clubs in the areas, survival of the fittest or most financially astute.

Is that a bad thing? There will be a lot more closures to come all around the country.

Sadly you are correct Jacko old bean. i fear for a few clubs up here.

Stathpeffer is apparently down to less than 50 members, Muir of ord and Lochness will no doubt suffer when the new Torvean opens, Alness and Invergordon Struggle, though they have just poached quite few members from Tain, who are also struggling along with Golspie

 

[Jacko_G]

That is a shame about Tain, I liked "parts" of Golspie but it just doesn't "flow" (IMO) as a course, greens were very good at Golspie when we played.

 

[patricks148]

That is a shame about Tain, I liked "parts" of Golspie but it just doesn't "flow" (IMO) as a course, greens were very good at Golspie when we played.

the links and heathland holes are good, but the 3 or so parkland holes and the last hole are nowhere near as good

 

[robinthehood]

I don't know the ins and outs of the closure, as it was well before my time in this area, but North Weald golf club has bits and pieces of it left, the range still seems to be operating as a going concern, and the old car park looks to have been redeveloped into a five a side football area. The sad parts are where the "very obviously an old golf course" bits sit as nature slowly reclaims the land as its own

Lots of clubs in that area . I guess as the game declined something had to give.