Members trying to buy a golf Club

[sportsbob]

Taunton Vale Golf Club was sold last week (subject to contract) to a farmer who wants to return it to farmland. The members are trying to get together and put in a bid to buy the club in order to preserve it's status as a golf club. Have any other clubs gone through the same trauma, either successfully or not that TVGC can liaise with?

 

[AmandaJR]

I don't know the full history but my club Brampton Park went through something similar when the original club went bust. Really don't know the details but don't believe it was ever sold on to a 3rd party in the way you're describing. Sorry I can't be of more help but perhaps a contact with the club's General Manager might prove useful (although he is very new)!

 

[MadAdey]

Taunton Vale Golf Club was sold last week (subject to contract) to a farmer who wants to return it to farmland. The members are trying to get together and put in a bid to buy the club in order to preserve it's status as a golf club. Have any other clubs gone through the same trauma, either successfully or not that TVGC can liaise with?

A place I played at years ago called South Kyme did. The land was owned by a farmer and he had put an 18 hole course on it. A few years later the members purchased the course from him via loans from the bank, no sugar daddy coming in. Then they structured loan repayments in relation to the expected membership level and went from there. Good thing is the course basically owns itself so there is no investors trying to make money from it. So that £100k a year that an owner might be want to make from it goes straight back into the club rather than someone's pocket.

at the end of the day there will be people at the club who know about these type of things, so I would not worry too much about it. If you prove to a bank that you have a strong membership of 500 every year @ £1000 a person that will show to any bank that the means to pay a loan back is possible.

 

[cookelad]

That's the course where I had my 18 from the highest ever hole score thread!!!