Leading golf club to invest in greenkeeping

By Alistair February 18, 2019 10:20 Updated

A world-famous golf club that had pursued revenue streams in addition to golf, such as weddings, has decided to focus on its golf offering to members instead as it moves forward.

Moor Park Golf Club in Hertfordshire has said it will ‘revert to its roots’ because the commercialisation it had previously sought had resulted in ‘a non-defined role for members and the club’s position in the golf industry’.

In particular, the club will move its focus away from the corporate and wedding sectors and instead invest more in its golf facilities, especially new greenkeeping staff and course machinery, over the next five years.

“Moor Park has been through a period of commercialisation, with mixed messages and a non-defined role for members and the club’s position in the golf industry,” said recently-appointed chief executive Amy Yeates.

Amy Yeates

“The board and I believe that the club needs to redefine its direction and turn the focus back to the people that count most – its membership.

“With this is mind, we have created a new vision to take Moor Park back to being a private members’ golf club in the sense and tradition of a golfing experience. By positioning Moor Park as a premium golf club with facilities and courses to match, we believe that we can secure a lasting legacy that will reinstate us one of the England’s top private members’ clubs.”

Moor Park features two 18-hole championship golf courses – the High Course and West Course, both designed by Harry Colt in 1923 – and extensive practice facilities, as well as a17^th century mansion clubhouse dating back to 1680.

The club has concentrated in recent years on promoting itself as a luxury venue for weddings and corporate events but will now change direction with, at the heart of the new vision, the overriding aim of ‘enriching members’ lives through an exceptional club experience’.

Moor Park has completed a £1million-plus investment over the last three years on areas including the High Course and a short-game area and, under the new plans, is proposing a further period of investment on and off the course to improve the members’ experience.

Changes planned over the next two years include further investment on the golf courses, increased levels of greenkeeping staff and investment in course machinery.

Yeates added: “We are fully committed to delivering our vision, and the changes and improvements will result in an elevated reputation and enhanced status within the overall golf industry. It’s our desire to give members a club to be proud of and that first and foremost starts with delivering two exceptional golf courses.”