Historic English golf course set to close

“We are going to close, we are accepting that.”

It is a statement that is becoming awfully familiar for members of golf clubs all across the UK.

After the announcements that Hirsel and Torrance Park north of the border are to cease to exist because of financial constraints, one of England’s historic clubs is also set to close its doors.

Up to 450 members at the 117-year-old North Oxford Golf Club have been told that their course will close for good on October 31, 2025.

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That is because the the 70-acre land, just three miles from the city centre of Oxford, has been chosen as part of a development of homes to help solve the city’s housing shortage.

Jill Northover has been a member at North Oxford for 23 years and was devastated to accept the news of the closure.

She told the Oxford Mail: “There is an awful lot of sadness about the fact that they’re going to build houses and destroy the green land, but there is also a wider issue.

“It’s very, very sad. I think a lot of people can’t believe it will happen. It’s such a shame that it will be destroyed.

“We’ll vacate the course next year and it’ll sit here and nothing will happen for a while, possibly years. That will be such a waste.

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“For a lot of people, coming here is a lifeline. It’s not just about houses, it’s about people and their lives. One member who is 90 comes here every day. It’s people like him I just feel so sorry for.”

In more positive news, Beeston Fields Golf Club, another historic venue in Nottinghamshire, has a secure future despite being sold to a developer.

As reported by The Golf Business, the 101-year-old club will be maintained as a golf venue having been acquired by the Cilldara Group.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.