Exeter secures funding for course re-design
Exeter is set to re-design its course after fears were raised about the safety of residents at a nearby housing development.
Following two years of negotiations, the club the club has secured funding from Charles Church, part of the Persimmon Group.
The housing developers were constructing a new estate beside the course and the club had been advised by two specialist golf architects that the houses were took close to the boundary, increasing the risk of golf balls leaving the course and causing injury or damage.
Exeter chairman Will Gannon said: “This new agreement with Persimmon is excellent news as it secures the future of the golf club, which has a 120 year-long history in the city and is very much part of the community here.”
‘The architects have come up with an elegant redesign’
The redesign of the course will overcome the problem by repositioning three holes of the 18-hole course. It will be overseen by architects Mackenzie & Ebert with works designed to minimise disruption to members. An 18-hole course will be maintained throughout the work, with the use of temporary holes where necessary.
It is hoped the work will start in September 2015 and completed by spring 2016.
The construction of safety netting was considered, but a redesign was considered the best option and Gannon added: “The architects have come up with an elegant redesign which will ensure our members can continue to enjoy the quality of golf that they have come to expect at the club for many years to come.”
To mark the securing of this new funding from Persimmon, Exeter is offering to waive the normal joining fee for new golfers until April 1 2015. The club has also extended its young adult membership category so that all golfers between the ages of 18 and 30 now benefit from a reduced membership subscription as well as the no-joining fee offer.
Exeter was founded in the city in 1895 but moved to its current site in 1929. It has 750 golf members and 4,000 other members who use additional on-site facilities.
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