Members rescue English golf club from the brink

An English golf club is looking to the future with optimism after battling back from the very brink of closure.

Staff at Gloucester Golf Club were informed on October 9 by London-based owners Coleman and Basinghall Ltd that it would be closing its doors on October 31 after seven years of loss making.

However, quick-thinking vice-captain Darren Smith and PGA professional Keith Wood sprung into action and, along with directors and the support of fellow members, they agreed the terms of a lease with the owners following two weeks of meetings, planning and negotiation that has secured its future for another 20 years.

It means Gloucester is now a members’ golf club, as opposed to being under proprietary ownership, with nine jobs – rising to 15 in the summer – saved.

But as Wood (above) explained, it was touch and go for a while as to whether an agreement could be reached within the timeframe given.

“The gates were being locked on October 31 and as recently as Wednesday, October 11, I received an email to say that would definitely be the case,” Wood, who is now general manager at the club, told bunkered.co.uk.

“There would have been no way back from that. It would have just been left to get overgrown and that would have been it. The greens, even after a couple of weeks of growth, would have been so hard to restore. Plus, once the gates are locked and people have gone elsewhere, it would have been very hard to bring them back.

“It should have taken six months to get the legalities of the lease sorted but we managed to do that in just three weeks. Even up until the day we signed it, it was touch and go, having to get some extra paperwork signed an hour before the deadline. It couldn’t have been any closer.”

For Wood, a member at Gloucester since he was 11 and employee for more than 20 years, he classes helping to save the club of 350 members as ‘one of his proudest moments’ and, now general manager, he is confident of transforming its fortunes – with positive steps already being made.

“We’re going to change a lot of aspects here to increase turnover and make it sustainable for us – the pro shop, driving range and membership categories are just some of those,” he added. “Also, becoming a members’ club, it’s non-profit making so it’s exempt from VAT and that makes a big difference as well.

“Without the support of from members though, this never would have happened. Word is now spreading we’re a members’ club so we’ve already had enquiries about membership prices and that’s fantastic. There’s just an excitement and buzz about the place that’s never been seen before so hopefully this can signal the start of a new era for us.”