Swindon golf club set to significantly grow

A golf club in Swindon has applied for planning permission to expand significantly through a new, modern driving range, football pitches and an adventure golf course.

Broome Manor Golf Complex has proposed the development of a state-of-the-art driving range utilising modern technology, eight five- and seven-a-side football pitches and an adventure golf course.

The plans have been submitted by Twigmarket, which leases the complex from Swindon Borough Council, and are broadly in line with what was proposed to the council in 2014 when Twigmarket took over the complex.

Jeremy Sturgess, managing director of Twigmarket, said: “These are really exciting plans for Broome Manor, which we think Swindon residents will love.

“It’s already a great facility and these plans bring it into the 21st century and are part of the plans to secure the site’s long-term viability as a leisure facility.

“We have developed identical football and adventure golf facilities at our other course, Trent Park in London, and these have proved a big success, helping to draw new people and a different demographic to the site thus broadening revenue streams and assisting with viability.

“Topgolf style range developments which combine entertainment and golf are all the rage in America and are growing in popularity in the UK, helping to attract new players to a game that had become unfashionable.“

All three areas have been golf industry trends in recent years.

A three-tiered driving range is currently being built in Scotland, while several clubs are either building driving ranges that are connected to microchipped balls or converting their existing ranges.

In addition, golf clubs such as East Sussex National Resort and Kirkby Valley Golf Club have had plans to build football pitches, while the growth of adventure golf has been a notable trend in the golf industry in the last decade.