PGA Tour plan on tee for town
AN AUDACIOUS bid to bring the PGA European Tour to Doncaster by developing a luxury golf complex has been launched.
The Doncaster Council-backed scheme aims to create a course at Rossington Hall and the project is being led by a consortium of land owners in the area.
If successful the golf complex and resort would operate under the PGA European Tour banner.
The PGA European Tour, the organisation that operates the three leading men’s professional golf tours in Europe, has indicated it would back the plan.
An outline planning application for the 500 acre site is expected to be submitted later this year with work expected to start by the end of 2014.
Plans for the complex include an international tournament quality 18 hole golf course designed and built on the site, an 18 hole club course, a club house, leisure facilities, luxury homes set alongside the course, road infrastructure improvements to support the plans and public footpaths, cycle routes and bridleways.
Mayor of Doncaster Peter Davies said: “It is a great honour that the European Tour is considering Doncaster for the expansion of their network of carefully selected golf destinations.
“Doncaster is already home to a world class horse racing venue and international golf would further enhance our reputation for quality sport.
“Only two European Tour tournaments are taking place in England this year and one of those is The Open which rotates around British golf courses. Given the English golfing talent at the top of the sport, this is a travesty. It would be fantastic news if Doncaster was to host another in the future.”
David MacLaren, the European Tour’s director of property and venue development, said: “The European Tour has a proud history of hosting tournaments in the North of England and we are also keen to continue the expansion of our network of world-class venues.
“I have been impressed with the determination, vision and strategy of all concerned with the Rossington Hall project, including Doncaster Council and the project developers.
“The European Tour looks forward to its next involvement in this part of the world and will assess opportunities for an involvement at Rossington with keen interest.”
In a joint statment, Richard McIlroy, of Mount Pleasant Hotel, and Gary Gee of Rossington Hall Hotel, the two hotels affected by the plans, said: “We are pleased to confirm our involvement in discussions with The PGA European Tour regarding the exciting possibility of developing a European Tour Golf Destination on land surrounding our respective hotels.
“This is a unique development that would create a high profile tournament golf complex of national repute and new residential development of a quality not previously seen in Doncaster which together will offer an unrivalled opportunity to attract new investment and establish the area as a major growth point in the Sheffield City Region.”
The proposal follows an earlier collapsed plan for a golf complex to be built at Rossington Hall in the early 1990s.
