Historic golf course saved from closure thanks to rescue package
An historic golf course has been saved from closure after a local authority agreed to step in.
The course at Bowring Park in Merseyside was one of six in the region that closed last week following the collapse of Mack Golf.
Mack Golf went into voluntary liquidation last week, causing the course to close with immediate effect and the company’s employees to lose their jobs.
Knowsley Council opened talks that same day with the affected staff to try to save the Huyton course, which is one of the oldest municipal golf courses in the country.
As a result the course will reopen today. And – after discussions with staff and their GMB union representatives – all five members of staff will be re-employed by the council whilst more a more permanent operator is sought.
Heaton Park
Shelley Powell, Knowsley Council’s Communities and Neighbourhoods Cabinet Member, said: “It was a real shock to the community when the course suddenly closed.
“Not only are local people really proud of this historically important course but it also employs five people and is much valued by golfers.
“It was really important for the Council to do everything we could to get the course back open as soon as possible, so I’m delighted to be able to confirm that we’re going to do just that.”
The Council will now go out to tender for a permanent operator and hope to make an appointment by the end of March 2019. In the meantime, it will be business as usual for staff and club members.
Cllr Powell continued: “I’m really confident that we’ll be able to attract a high quality operator for the course and I’m sure we’ll get a lot of interest in running the course.
“The £2m of investment that is going into Bowring Park at the moment should make it a really attractive proposition for the right operator.”
Further details of the tender exercise will be published in due course.
A question mark still hangs over the future of the golf courses at Heaton Park in Manchester along with Ellesmere Port Golf Course.
Knights Grange Golf Club in Winsford has also closed its doors as well as Stanley Park in Blackpool and Stony Holme in Carlisle.
