A golf club in Derbyshire that has seen its membership drop from 350 in 2006 to 210 today has announced it will permanently close down next spring.
Maywood Golf Club will cease trading on March 31, 2019 – just a few hours after the UK is set to leave the European Union.
According to Tory Moon, who has co-owned the venue since it opened in 2006, younger members have stopped replacing older members when they leave the club.
“We’ve lost around 70 members this year and we don’t feel like we should prop up a sport that appears to have been in decline for years,” she said.
“Around 75 per cent of our members are seniors and many of those leave and don’t stay with the club forever. Younger people don’t want to buy a membership and instead pay and play then go to another course.
“Most of our members are very sad and upset that we are going but we appreciate all the support that we have had, especially from Erewash Valley Golf Club. They have been very supportive and asked if they could help out in any way.
“Many of these clubs will benefit from our closure but nothing will change for us until March. We want to thank everyone who has been with us for many years but it’s time for a new chapter.”
Fellow owner Brian Tucker told DerbyshireLive: “Many of our members come to meet other members who they consider friends. They don’t just play golf but they come and talk.
“Younger people don’t tend to do that anymore.”
Both Moon and Tucker cited other problems with the golf industry that have led to the closure, including an oversaturated market, people being busier than they used to be, clubs putting on ‘crazy deals’ to attract golfers, a VAT disparity between proprietary and private members’ clubs and the game being male dominated.
The website added that the land will stay in the family but could be used for farming or owning horses, while Tory is planning to set up a dog grooming business.
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