Concerns about keeping an eye on plans to close Efield Golf Club – Golf News
An English golf selector branded the possible closure of the Efield Golf Club, making the house a “disaster”.
Headquartered in Crawley, the club was acquired by Homes England in 2020 as part of a plan for 3,000 developments west of Ifield. A mixed plan application was submitted to Horsham District Council in August.
The club attracts about 6,000 unique visitors each year and will celebrate its centenary in 2027, while land leases run out for a year. But the milestone is now threatened and members fear the door will close.
Club member and England selector Alan Covey, under 18, said: “It’s a disaster. Not only for Crawley. [for the under 18s]we discourage children from playing golf.
“I deal with elite players in the country, but I need places like this to develop kids to reach my level.
“The good thing about this place is that it welcomes kids. They don’t feel intimidated, they come, play golf and feel relaxed. That’s what we need as a country (a place like this).”
Suggested relief
The club members range from seven to 101 years old. Allen also highlighted the importance of the sport for older players, simple behaviors from five miles of walking to lessons to social activities and “reasons to get up in the morning.”
He added: “We were all shocked. It was a great community, if that would go. I don’t know where our 500 members would go. It’s not just a golf club, they’re friends.”
England’s Homes admits in its app that the Ifield Golf Club is not left, but still marks its “marginal” status. As a result, it ruled that similar alternatives would not be “proportionally or necessary”.
Instead, developers recommend improvements in Tilgate and Rookwood courses in Crawley and Horsham, and final mitigation measures consistent with Horsham Regional Council, Sports England and England Golf.
But Allen was not impressed. Instead of losing the facilities, he argued that the country needs “100 like this” to get more kids into the game.
As Europe’s Ryder Cup wins a new memorial to beat the United States, he notes that such success could bring to the next generation of golfers.
“The relief to me is to be similar to what we have,” Allen said.
“We have to have a house, but no house. If we lose that, it’s so sad.”
