Sapey Golf Club to permanently close

A Herefordshire golf club once owned by millionaire Alfie Best is set to be converted into a private family home with guest facilities.

Sapey Golf Club, near the Worcestershire border north of Bromyard, was bought by Mr Best’s Wyldecrest Parks in 2017. The company, which still owns nearby Saltmarshe Castle residential park, put the 80-hectare site on the market last year with a guide price of £1.8 million. It changed hands earlier this year and a course review this April stated that the golf club had closed.

The 18-hole and nine-hole courses, clubhouse, and four holiday lodges are now the subject of a full planning application (ref 251707) by Brett Walton of Great Witley. He is seeking permission to convert the site into a family base with guest accommodation.

In his submission, Mr Walton said the golf business had struggled because the heavy clay soil made it difficult to keep the course open all year, a problem “made worse by climate change”.

Under the plans:

• Ground-floor storerooms in the clubhouse would be converted into a three-bedroom accommodation block with a bathroom.
• Offices, the shop and reception would remain largely unchanged.
• Upstairs, the existing dining and function room would continue to operate, with the large kitchen used by cooks for guests.
• The exterior of the clubhouse would remain mostly unaltered, and the garage, workshop and large maintenance yard would stay in use.
• The four holiday lodges on the old nine-hole course would also remain.

Mr Walton proposes creating bridleway-style paths across the golf holes, allowing guests to walk or ride horses through the treed countryside, while a few fairways would be kept for visitors. Local residents would also be able to enjoy the grounds.

The application is open for public comment until August 29.