Breaking bread: This golf club’s novel approach to staying open during lockdown
Drive for show, putt for dough – you all know it. But one club are going against the grain in applying that well-known golf saying. Berkhamsted Golf Club are getting a rise out of their members during the lockdown in England by opening up a takeaway service and selling homemade bread.
Shifting loaves and croissants by the baker’s dozen, along with other cooked food, nothing’s been going ‘a-rye’ at the Hertfordshire club as golfers have flocked to stock up their pantries.
Assistant manager Ben Hunter says Berkhamsted have been thrilled to hand players a slice of the action during this four-week halt.
“Something that worked really well in the last lockdown was a takeaway service,” he tells NCG in a knead-to-know interview. (That’s enough now – Ed.)
“We probably sold about £1,200 of revenue and, actually, the prices were really cheap because, for us, it wasn’t really about making money – it was about delivering a great service to our members and a benefit to being a member of Berkhamsted.
“It’s not really any ordinary takeaway. We actually bake our own bread on site at the club. We serve pretty much any loaf that you can think of and fresh croissants, almond croissants. You might as well call us Berkhamsted bakery for the next month or so.”
Hunter adds: “It’s all about keeping the members connected with the club over the lockdown. That’s how we think we can engage with them.
“We have a really talented head chef and a really talented team that support him. We’re all about sustainability at Berkhamsted. We are GEO accredited and it just ties in with our mission and values.”
How is your club dealing with the second coronavirus lockdown? Let me know in the comments, or tweet me.
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
