Golfers back bid to retain course
Members of Entry Hill Golf Club have backed a local sports-ground company to save their much loved club over a rival bid which would see it turned into a nature park.
Greensward Sports Consultancy has submitted a proposal to the site’s current owners, Bath and North East Somerset Council, to take over running the golf course.
Forest of the Imagination and Avon Wildlife Trust have also put in a radical proposal to turn the site into a nature park.
Elizabeth Hallam (inset), an Entry Hill member for 11 years, said: “Keeping it as a golf course is the best option for all and would save a lot of upheaval as would happen with other bids.”
Managing director of Greensward Andy Boyce said his company is “of the firm belief that with the right model, and management in place, it can work, and that golf is the best option for the site.”
Greensward Sports Consultancy said it would take over the site and manage it “in an environmentally and economically viable and sustainable manner”.
The Bath based firm says it runs 25 other sport and amenity sites and it put in its proposal to save the club to the council back in February.
The course is operated by Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) on behalf of the council.
Mr Boyce said that he had a personal connection to the club as he learned to play on it as junior member in the 1980s.
He said: “With some smart investment and marketing, and a review of existing practices, we would be seeking an immediate improvement in course presentation and playability, which would be key to stabilising and increasing existing membership and pay and play users. “The proposal is based around a sustainable golf model optimising the playing quality of the course in harmony with the conservation of its natural environment, under economically sound and socially responsible management. “We’re aiming to create and manage good quality surfaces, populated by grass species that require minimal chemical, fertiliser and water inputs.
“It is our belief that this is the model that can compete in the current golf market.”
Mr Boyce has already met with members of the golf club, who support his bid to keep it as an accessible golf course.
Elizabeth Hallam said she thinks it would secure the course’s future - something which 1,000 people signed a petition to do.
She continued: “This is a local man wanting to help out the local community - he’s already spoken about making the cafe more of a community hub and selling local produce there.
“Over a thousand people signed the petition to save the club so it’s what locals want and the members.
“It really is a green bid too as it would protect the wildlife already in place on the course.
“This is the only affordable golf course in the area and it’s so important to keep it so.”
The council has said previously it is “keen to look at other ways of using the site” after claiming the course has “declined over the past several years”.
When the news first came out that the course had an uncertain future, many members said they were heartbroken.
The proposals on the future of Entry Hill will be discussed at a council cabinet meeting on Wednesday, July 22.