Brummie pay and plays receive massive boost

In the first month since it took on management of all seven of Birmingham City Council’s public golf courses, Mytime Active has already invested £1million in equipment to improve facilities there.

“We hope to greatly improve all of the ‘pay and play’ golf courses around the city and attract many more local people to enjoy golf this summer and our first objective was to make sure we have all the right equipment needed,” said Mark Clarke, Birmingham Mobilisation Manager from Mytime Golf.

The equipment, mainly for grass cutting and putting greens maintenance, has been purchased from Ransomes Jacobsen, supplier to some of the world’s most prestigious and sacred areas, such as royal palace lawns, legendary golf courses, monuments and football pitches including those at the World Cup.

The equipment will be used to improve the tees, fairways and greens at all the courses, which include Pype Hayes, Harborne, Hatchford Brook, Boldmere, Lickey Hills, Hilltop and Cocks Moors Woods.

Continued Mytime Golf’s Mark Clarke: “We are also passionate about involving young people in benefiting from an active lifestyle and we will be working closely with the Warwickshire County Golf Partnership and the Golf Foundation with their activity programmes and introducing Mytime Golf Academies at each site, with coaches to help people progress.

“We will also be looking to work with the local schools and colleges near our courses and set up local community teaching programmes to actively encourage the local residents to play golf.”

Mytime Active now operates 19 golf courses across the UK, including Orpington Golf Centre in Kent, a 54-hole golf course and one of the largest golfing facilities in England.

Chief Executive of Mytime Active, Steve Price, who visited the courses with Mytime Active’s trustees this week, said: “We promised to invest and we are delighted to be able to do so this quickly. In the current economic climate, many local authorities are finding it difficult to keep their golf courses open and well-managed, but we have the unique expertise to run them and as a social enterprise, we are able to reinvest back into the properties, so that local people can enjoy the benefits of affordable golf.”

Since Mytime Active was formed in 2004, it has reinvested over £16m into improvements within the services it operates, including new and improved club houses, driving ranges, changing facilities, pro-shops, and new grounds maintenance equipment to provide enhanced playing conditions.