Member Article

New Generation of Golfers Tee off at Carden Park

Following the success of the recent Open at Birkdale, Carden Park home to two of Cheshire’s most prestigious championship golf courses is seeing a surge of interest from seasoned golfers looking for a first-rate day of golf as well as keen young amateurs keen to learn, enjoy and develop their game.

The team at Carden Park has taken more enquiries this year from people wanting to play the Nicklaus course designed by golfing legend, Jack Nicklaus and his son Steve. Known as “the thinking man’s golf course” the course has remained true to its original design and concept and a highlight of the 2017 summer season has been watching the course mature to its full potential.

General Manager of Carden Park Paul Bayliss says, “The rise in enquiries we feel is due to the changing status of golf in that it is fast becoming popular amongst younger and to an ever-growing degree female players . A recent study found there were 95,000 adult female golfers and over 40,000 juniors in England, which is amongst the highest numbers in Europe.”

Golf Professional Garry Houston who has been associated with Carden Park for 20 years and who will join the PGA cup team to take on their American counterparts this September, says “we are well on our way to becoming a Golfing Centre of Excellence in the North and we have the resources and people, time and dedication to deliver a fantastic experience. We’re also seeing lots of parents bringing their children along. Golf at Carden is great and we want to get the message out there that it is a place to come to if you want to learn and improve whilst enjoying the best game there is.”

Golf is much more than a new hobby, Garry explains, “It is a great game for those looking to develop a natural hand, eye and ball coordination. It also helps improve focus and commitment as it isn’t always easy to hit a ball where you want it to go without practice. It can also help young players hone useful life skills such as patience, dedication and determination. Confidence in life as well as in sport is absolutely key and I’m a great believer in that golf can be as much about the power of the mind as physical fitness.”

The Junior Performance Academy will also be continuing throughout the winter months with the PGA Professionals Steve Priest, Mike Platt and Ian Rowlands hosting weekly golf lessons with local schools and also introductory lessons on weekends to help grow the game. The Golf Business Manager at Carden Park Jason Davies says, “We have fantastic facilities and coaches onsite here at Carden Park to help with all levels of golfers, we want to help introduce as many youngsters to the game as it’s one of our main goals and I’m sure the Junior Performance Academy will help us achieve this.”

Carden Park is a shining beacon within the industry with well-prepared holes and a team totally dedicated to ensuring the golf experience is excellent from arrival to a drink in the Clubhouse or Dinner in the evening.

As a 2-course golf resort, interest in playing comes from all quarters particularly groups from other golf clubs in Europe taking the time to visit the North West to be looked after in a hotel that appreciates the needs of golfers with its newly refurbished 196 bedrooms and suites. At the same time Carden is building a strong local fan base of keen young golfers wanting to play in the late day sunshine or just simply wanting to practice on the dedicated driving range and chipping green.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jo Leah .