3 Hammers wins ‘Golf Facility of the Year’

April 3, 2025

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The 3 Hammers Golf Complex in Wolverhampton has been named ‘Golf Facility of the Year’ by England Golf.

The award recognises the inclusive, welcoming and diverse nature of the venue, the role it plays in the local community and its commitment to developing golf and golfers. This is also the second award for the venue in less than a week having won bronze in the new business category at the Staffordshire Tourism Awards.

Over the last 39 years, 3 Hammers has built a reputation as a pioneering venue and industry leader offering best in class facilities. By offering different golf formats and non-golf activities, it has become an asset to the local community as well as attracting golfers from across the region. The 3 Hammers team is also proactively engaged in community outreach work with schools, underprivileged youngsters and disability groups most recently, developing routes into golf for the National Autistic Society. Over 1,000 children from local schools have enjoyed free sessions at 3 Hammers’ 18-hole adventure golf course, Jurassic Creek, in the last 12 months alone.

“I am very proud of the facilities we have at 3 Hammers, but this award goes to our incredible staff who deliver the welcoming, personal, inclusive experience that the judges recognised. The five team members at the awards have worked here for 148 years collectively, which shows how much our team love the venue and everything it stands for,” comments owner of 3 Hammers, Ian Bonser. “Whilst golf is our business, our open-door policy means everyone is welcome. We are home to regular walking groups, dementia meet-ups and school groups. Our golfers are aged from 18-months to 90 years old, so no day here looks the same here. We don’t care what you wear or how you play golf, we just want you to have the best time possible while you are with us.”

3 Hammers is made up of Jurassic Creek, a dinosaur themed adventure golf course, a par three course, a Toptracer driving range, a bistro, a learn to play area and a golf academy – all managed from a central reception desk where everyone receives the same warm welcome. This set-up means that there are multiple entry points into the sport, all of which offer a pathway to learning to play, becoming regular golfers and even taking up careers in the industry. More than 30 people who have started at 3 Hammers now have jobs in golf including tour players and internationally recognised coaches.

“Accessibility and affordability are the keys to our success,” comments Ian. “I hope more golf facilities see what we have achieved here and develop their sites to make them more attractive to their local communities. We have players who started their journey with us 3 decades ago, brought their children here and are now bringing their grandchildren. It does not matter to us whether they are playing adventure golf, hitting drivers on the range, playing the short course or practising on our indoor putting green. Golf in all its formats, is still golf and the more participants we have the better.”

In the last few days, Hawarden has been named the Wales Golf Club of the Year and Prestonfield has been named Scottish Golf’s Club of the Year.

Elsewhere, at the England Golf awards, which were hosted by BBC Sport presenter Mark Chapman, at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate, over 400 guests recognised those who have gone above and beyond this year in their contributions to golf.

As part of the celebrations, 11 different awards handed out from across various categories, while Brenda Parker was also given a Lifetime Service Award and six new names were also inducted into England Golf’s Hall of Fame.

There were 11 category winners announced each with a unique story to tell, while nine of those categories were nominated for by the public, before 50 judges from the golf industry and golf media examined the nominations to whittle them down to one winner per category.

Reflecting on the evening, England Golf CEO Jeremy Tomlinson said: “The England Golf Awards are always a very special occasion, and last night was no exception! It was another inspiring evening in Manchester.

“We celebrated exceptional individuals and organisations who are helping shape the future of our game. Many congratulations to all our winners and finalists—you are the heart of golf in England.”

Other winners

Club of the Year (sponsored by Marsh): Shirley Golf Club