Golf club closed suddenly amid Premier League interest

A Leicestershire golf club closed suddenly in January amid reports that members were owed thousands of pounds, following interest from a Premier League football club.

In February we reported that the 2016 Premier League champions, Leicester City, had failed in a bid to buy Forest Hill Golf and Conference Centre for about £2.2 million and convert it into a training ground.

It has emerged that the site for the club’s proposed training ground is now Park Hill Golf Club, which closed suddenly in January.

The club had an 18-hole golf course as well as a fishing club.

According to the Leicester Mercury, former members of the golf club believe they are owed thousands of pounds in fees they paid up front.

“At least a dozen members have told the Mercury that they have not been contacted by the company [Park Hill Golf and Fishing Ltd] since the closure, and calls they have made and emails they have sent about money they want back have not been responded to.”

One member, Steve Glennon, said: “I have a three-year membership and it’s been very frustrating. The problem is that the club was run by a private company and not a committee, so we never knew what was happening.

“When the club closed it was a surprise to everyone – the members, the staff, the professionals.”

Leicester City FC’s proposed £80m training base will include facilities for the first team, development squad and academy setups if the go-ahead of given.

The plans include about 14 pitches, a full-size indoor pitch, a show pitch with a spectator area for almost 500 people and a foundation / full-time academy and first team building.

A planning application is set to be submitted to the borough council with a decision expected in the autumn.

If approved, the club will start work on the training centre in the autumn and would aim to have it open by the 2020/21 season.