The men who saved two golf courses
Last autumn, I played nine holes at Heaton Park in Manchester after liaising with professional Andrew Terry. Along with business partner Joe Jackson, he had taken over the running of this JH Taylor-designed public course after the previous operator had walked away.
Heaton Park did actually close for a few months, but this was the second public course they had helped to save. Previously, they had rescued Marland Golf Course in Rochdale when it was faced with closure – a course where Terry had worked as a pro for 15 years.
He was convinced it could still operate profitably and provide a vital and inexpensive public facility for local golfers. It wasn’t in great shape at the time, having suffered from a lack of irrigation during 2018’s hot, dry summer. But his enthusiasm, coupled with a streamlined staffing structure and more affordable green fees, proved a winner.
“It was a big overnight transition,” Terry tells me. “The course went from being extremely quiet to extremely busy within a matter of days through the work that we put in on social media” – a tool he regards as hugely important.
Such was the turnaround in Marland’s fortunes that Terry and Jackson were asked to advise Manchester City Council when Heaton Park faced the same predicament. When the tender process yielded no takers, they offered to take it on.
It’s an intriguing course for a mere £12-£14 a round, with Taylor’s routing taking you on a rollercoaster ride around the park, and the long par-3 11th across a ravine to a plateau green standing out. Add in an 18-hole par-3 course at £5 a pop and Terry and Jackson really are delivering on their promise to help keep golf accessible for all.