Another UK golf club closes down amid Covid-19
By Alistair Dunsmuir
One UK golf club has officially closed down and another has not opened since March, as the Covid-19 golf venue toll has now hit three to five facilities.
The club that has officially closed is Brucefields Family Golf Centre in Stirling, reports The Scotsman.
The venue featured a nine-hole course, a par three course and a driving range.
The club, which had been open for more than 25 years, posted on Facebook: “This update is to notify you that Brucefields Family Golf Centre has ceased trading and will not re-open.
“Thank you for your support and membership throughout the years.”
It closed a few days before the Covid-19 lockdown and did not reopen.
The papers adds that Tulloch Homes, which has owned and operated the centre since 2004, is set to build houses on the site as part of a £100 million development.
Another club that closed in March and has still not reopened is Pewit Golf Course in Derbyshire, and some locals fear it will now not reopen again.
According to the Derby Telegraph, golfers have staged a protest over the continued closure.
The operator of the course, which is nearly 100 years old, Parkwood Leisure, is quoted as saying it cannot yet give a date when the course will open and that there is a phased approach to restarting its operations.
A spokesman for the protest group said: “Golf courses have been allowed to open since May but Pewit Golf Course is still closed.
“We can’t get any answers from Erewash Borough Council or the company who runs the course. We’ve even gone to our MP and local councillors about it.
“We’re very frustrated by this. A lot of members are elderly and golf is one of the few things you can do to stay active and socialise and they are being denied by this at the moment.
“We cannot get any reasons for its closure – all we are told is the ‘golf course is closed for the foreseeable future’. How come [Parkwood Leisure] gyms can open but not the golf course?
“Golf is supposed to be booming at the moment but for some reason it is not in Ilkeston.”
Since the pandemic started, at least three golf clubs have closed down – Patsull Park Hotel, Golf and Country Club near Wolverhampton, Magnolia Park Hotel and Golf Club in Buckinghamshire and Brucefields Family Golf Centre in Stirling, while Pewit Golf Course in Derbyshire has not yet reopened and Bulwell Hall Golf Course and Country Park is set to close in November.
By Alistair Dunsmuir
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That’s not our experience our golf courses are the busiest they have been in 10 years and new memberships are at an all time high , golf retail sales are up competitions are running at full capacity. Fun golf such as pitch and putt , crazy golf has been extremely busy with many workers furlough and schools closed. Our driving range is also the busiest its ever been consistently hitting over 12,000 golf balls a day. Club house side has been slower but is now open and although all pre bookable its very busy. We also created a new outdoor area for drinking & eating which has been utilised well with the good weather.
I am Member for Course (Chairman of the Greens) for our course. As with Neil H, we too are seeing unprecedented footfall on our course. Members who were members but never played started playing again; members who played regularly have doubled up on how much they are playing; and our 7-day membership is full, with a waiting list. Are others seeing the same thing?