Dando
Q-School Graduate
Found out yesterday that the local council own the land my course is on but AG lease it from them
Council course
- Thread starter patricks148
- Start date
chrisd
Major Champion
The Council own about 10 acres of our course which affects a couple of holes. They have leased this land to us for many years but, as its next to the M20 and is primary building land, they were threatening to stop renewal of the lease. However, we persevered and they have now given us a further 100 year lease on their bit.
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
Three within 15mins drive but all in excess of £35-40 at weekends. Most seem to just go onto better courses as guests.
One that really pains me is addition court. When I started playing it had the new course, this was a forgiving 18 hole course for starters and high h’c golfers, an 18 hole par 3 course and the range. I played the new course pre winter and the condition was terrible, everything that could be wrong with the course was. The 18 hole p3 was closed years ago and remains a walking ground for dog owners, and the range has deteriorated so much over the last 6 years that despite being less than a mile from my house I never use.
The main course (or champs) as they call it has a far better lay out complete with a good medium length 9 hole and still does very well although a bit of investment wouldn’t go a miss.
The facility as a hole is anyway busy yet the local council and crown golf put zero back in. Personally if close the newer course and range as that course can be prone to vandalism from a neighbouring estate, turn it into housing and invest the money into the more mature course. I can only assume that with both courses being packed, crown are sucking all the profit out of the rent/lease is simply to high. Given the debt that the borough council is in I’d guess the later.
One that really pains me is addition court. When I started playing it had the new course, this was a forgiving 18 hole course for starters and high h’c golfers, an 18 hole par 3 course and the range. I played the new course pre winter and the condition was terrible, everything that could be wrong with the course was. The 18 hole p3 was closed years ago and remains a walking ground for dog owners, and the range has deteriorated so much over the last 6 years that despite being less than a mile from my house I never use.
The main course (or champs) as they call it has a far better lay out complete with a good medium length 9 hole and still does very well although a bit of investment wouldn’t go a miss.
The facility as a hole is anyway busy yet the local council and crown golf put zero back in. Personally if close the newer course and range as that course can be prone to vandalism from a neighbouring estate, turn it into housing and invest the money into the more mature course. I can only assume that with both courses being packed, crown are sucking all the profit out of the rent/lease is simply to high. Given the debt that the borough council is in I’d guess the later.
Dando
Q-School Graduate
I’m sure the council only bought the land as they wanted to sell it for housing but it’s a James Braid course so no doubt there might be a covenant in place to keep it as a golf course
Jigger
Club Champion
It’s funny as I used a similar analogy in the opposite way of the “is golf too expensive thread” you have to pay a grand easy for a bike that’s not the equivalent of a set of dunlop clubs And top end bikes are £15k-£20k now. You’re also right on the time out. I have friends that are roadies and if they are not out all day clocking up 100 miles they are on their indoor trainers for hours in their garage. I practice a bit and over the summer I play up to 3 times a week but I spend a ton more time with my family than they do. I’m sure someone can come on a counter that but that’s been my experience.
Time alone cycling would dwarf golf even if you played 3 or 4 times a week.
When I raced back in the 90s, I used to do a min of 500 miles training a week, in summer a tt one night a week at the club and a couple of organised races. Even in winter we'd have a couple of club rides at the weekend which took most up most if not all day. This would be if you were comparing your average club road rider.
The only way you could make golf took more time consuming is if you compare and elite golfer to a guy the cycles once a week down the local footpath for an hour?
Golfnut1957
Newbie
My home club was build on land leased from the then town council. At some time in the late 90s the club levied £100 from each member and bought the land outright.
We have never had a muni' in the town, but we did have a 9 hole course which was owned by ICI. It was a great course, 8 par 3s of varying length and a decent par 4.
The course was originally opened for the benefit of those that worked at ICI, who supplied a multitude of sporting and social opportunities in the town. Later membership was opened up to anyone.
With the demise of ICI they sold the course to a business which tried to make it a going concern, but it was never going to happen. I never did become a member however I bought one for my son and shared his. I enjoyed that course so much that even after joining my home club I would still occasionally wander down there for a trip down memory lane.
It closed years ago but from an adjacent bridge you can look down on it and still see the outline of much of the course.
We have never had a muni' in the town, but we did have a 9 hole course which was owned by ICI. It was a great course, 8 par 3s of varying length and a decent par 4.
The course was originally opened for the benefit of those that worked at ICI, who supplied a multitude of sporting and social opportunities in the town. Later membership was opened up to anyone.
With the demise of ICI they sold the course to a business which tried to make it a going concern, but it was never going to happen. I never did become a member however I bought one for my son and shared his. I enjoyed that course so much that even after joining my home club I would still occasionally wander down there for a trip down memory lane.
It closed years ago but from an adjacent bridge you can look down on it and still see the outline of much of the course.
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Genu9
Active member
Towneley is owned by Burnley Council and has improved massively under the new Greenkeeper. We regularly use it as an alternative when competitions preclude ours. £12 a round for retired players last year. I think membership is around £500.
stefanovic
Medal Winner
When I first played regularly Birmingham had 8 council courses.
They still have 6 but are run by Mytime who have recently offered 6 weeks winter membership for £81 unlimited golf including weekends.
Strange thing is I'm never quite sure which council owns the land.
Hatchford Brook - is it in Solihull?
Lickey Hills - is it in Bromsgrove?
Boldmere (Sutton Coldfield), Pype Hayes, Harborne CF, Cocks Moors Woods are in Birmingham.
Hilltop has closed, and won't reopen. But was it in West Bromwich?
Warley Woods still open, but is it in Sandwell? Now privately run.
I didn't take up the offer because they only charge me £5-10 a round off peak.
They still have 6 but are run by Mytime who have recently offered 6 weeks winter membership for £81 unlimited golf including weekends.
Strange thing is I'm never quite sure which council owns the land.
Hatchford Brook - is it in Solihull?
Lickey Hills - is it in Bromsgrove?
Boldmere (Sutton Coldfield), Pype Hayes, Harborne CF, Cocks Moors Woods are in Birmingham.
Hilltop has closed, and won't reopen. But was it in West Bromwich?
Warley Woods still open, but is it in Sandwell? Now privately run.
I didn't take up the offer because they only charge me £5-10 a round off peak.
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NearHull
Well-known member
What is the course, please?
Teebs
Newbie
Springhead Park in Hull. Used to play scratch matches there and it was interesting.
Members used to have to Q up at 3am or something silly to get a tee-time for the next weekend (or something similar).
We used to get balls stolen off the greens in scratch matches back in the last 90's
Members used to have to Q up at 3am or something silly to get a tee-time for the next weekend (or something similar).
We used to get balls stolen off the greens in scratch matches back in the last 90's
Wilson
Head Pro
Same with the one I play, it was run by the council for years - it’s now leased out, and the owner is trying to lose 3 holes of the 9 hole course for football pitches.
need_my_wedge
Has Now Found His Wedgie
Stockwood is, great course……. Not. It’s fine if you want to play around people setting up for a picnic by the green, or kids riding bmx bikes through the bunkers whilst you’re playing the hole….
It's been 17 years since I played it and it was OK, though I think there was a burnt out car in the car park. It had some quiet good holes as I remember.love to give both another go now I'm slightly better than I was then?
need_my_wedge
Has Now Found His Wedgie
Would have put you up, but I'll be up there by the time you get down here... probably not worth the drive now...
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Stockwood was in decent condition when we played a scratch match last year - will also find out in 4 weeks when we play there again
Only issue was it was very busy
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Haste Hill is a public course near me. It's where my first membership was based - the club and course are separate so it was only £100 membership for the year but you pay greens fees at the course when you play. I haven't played there for a while now but it used to be £20-24 a round, something like that. There used to be three council courses and you could buy a season ticket to play at any of them for around 600 or 650 a year, but Ruislip shut down a few years ago for HS2 to be built through half of it. The other one is Uxbridge, it's only 12 holes and not particularly enjoyable in my opinion.
Rickmansworth is a fun public course, only 65 par but some hellishly difficult par 3s due to the slopes and elevation. Not council though since it was taken over by Everyone Active a few years ago. That's about £20-22 a round.
Rickmansworth is a fun public course, only 65 par but some hellishly difficult par 3s due to the slopes and elevation. Not council though since it was taken over by Everyone Active a few years ago. That's about £20-22 a round.
Been down a few times but never take clubs. Going to visit friends in London in the next month, might see if I can sneak off for an afternoon and play batchwood?
Whereditgo
Journeyman Pro
backwoodsman
Tour Winner
It's still owned by the Council - its just that the management/maintenance has been outsourced. Its managed for the Council rather than by the Council. In England at least (don't know about the othe home nations) most Councils long since realised that specialist facilities like golf courses were better run by outfits with more experience in that field. That way, a better product could be delivered to the punter, and most likely, profits would be better - or more realistically, losses might be reduced. Doesn't always work though
