Members take over the reins at top North Wales club
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Members at the celebrated John Jacobs-designed Northop Golf Course in North Wales have secured a deal to ensure the future of the Club and course is in the hands of the membership.
This reverses a trend over the past 20 years where the number of members clubs reduce in favour of proprietor owned clubs.
When asked why he believed the members would bring a rosier future to the Club, Matt Pritchard the PGA professional, responded: “I think most golfers would agree that members who play on a regular basis are best placed to identify the changes needed on a golf course to ensure the it is both an enjoyable and challenging test of golf.”
The course was opened with high expectations in 1994, partly because it was designed by legendary Ryder Club captain, John Jacobs. The course, set in 247 acres of spectacular Welsh countryside, lived up to those expectations as it hosted numerous amateur National events, the Welsh PGA championship, the British PGA championship and the first ever European Challenge tour event to be held in Wales.
The course still has all the ingredients that brought about this success; USGA greens that allow 18 hole golf to be played for 365 days a year, championship tees that provide a stern challenge of the golfers abilities whilst also being able to accommodate golfers of a lesser ability because of the wide array of tee choices.
However whilst the members have already identified the changes that are required to bring back the good times to Northop do they have the business ‘nous’ to arrange the funding to bring about the changes. When tackled on this the club president, Tony Godden, was particularly bullish saying: “Northop, like many Golf clubs, has more than it’s fair share of successful business people. We have used their knowledge and dynamism to both secure funding and adopt a robust business plan to push through the improvements.”
Over the next 6 months the club will be upgrading the drainage, completing a general cosmetic makeover to the course and surrounds, substantially increasing the buggy fleet and completing the buggy path. This improvements will culminate with opening of a new clubhouse and driving range in Autumn 2014.
Tony added: “We have introduced an extensive range of discounts to attract new members, societies and golfers just wanting a good game of golf!”
