North East: Ramside in drive to get people swinging

England’s newest golf course is hoping to reverse the trend of declining participation in golf with a major drive to encourage more people to take up the game.

County Durham’s Ramside Hall has launched a flexible membership that makes it cheaper for people to join the club then pay for only as much golf as they play.

Director of Golf Helen Roseberry said: “It’s important to recognise that golf has changed. The days of waiting lists at local clubs are gone and it is so easy to find discounted golf on the internet.

“People are busier than ever and as a north east club we need to make it easier for local people to access the sport and our golfing community, without them put of paying for a fixed term annual membership they might not use.”

‘Opening a new course is a bold move’ According to England Golf, UK club membership dropped by 20 per cent between 2004 and 2013 and last year Sport England withdrew almost £500,000 of funding for the development of grass roots golf.

John Adamson, director of Ramside Estates, said: “Opening a new golf course at Ramside is a bold move when the sport has endured a tough time. Several golf clubs have shut down across the UK over the past 18 months and golfers are more discerning than ever when it comes to price, but we are confident that the sport has lasting appeal as a leisure pastime.”

Ramside’s Cathedral course opening in September last year and is part of a £15m development that will see a new resort built on the estate.

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