The story so far:
Just on the faint off chance that you might not know it, Stockwood Park Golf Centre is a municipal golf course in Luton, 30 miles north of London, a town once famous the world over for its production of women’s hats. It is a much-loved facility by the local community and offers golf after 2pm for as little as £10 on weekdays and £12 at weekends.
This time last year, Luton Council was facing a financial crisis caused in part by a reduction in income from its airport. This is one of the reasons why the council announced it wanted to close Stockwood Park, a move that would bring it two benefits: It would rid itself of a facility it says is uneconomic and secondly, if it were sold, it would generate considerable financial benefit for a cash-strapped council.
The threat brought shrieks of anguish from those who have played at, or know of, this popular facility, among them Ian Poulter – currently 53rd in the world rankings. “If Stockwood Park closes, no public course has a hope anywhere,” said Ken Brown, the former Ryder Cup player now golf course architect and TV commentator, who lives nearby. “For it to be shut is ridiculous. In its pomp it had 50,000 rounds a year.”
This time last year Declan Duggan, an energetic and loquacious Irishman, told GGP that nearly £300,000 had been raised by local enthusiasts led by him to save the club from closure. Duggan was scornful of the way the club had been run to that time.
“My grandchildren could run it better,” Duggan said. “It is run for Luton Council by a body called Active Luton. More like Inactive Luton. They have been running it down deliberately. Its green acres are the last lungs left in Luton. It is a great asset, landscaped and beautiful. And it is safe.”
At the same time as Duggan was so scornful of Active Luton, a petition was launched to save the golf facility. Within a short time 10,000 signatures had been received. “Golf is one of the only sports that has been open and can be played socially distanced during COVID-19 except during lockdowns,” Sarah Jolley, the leader of the petition, said at the time. “Stockwood Park is a gem in our town. It caters for all ages and is an affordable golf centre.”
“Golf should not be an elitist sport and Stockwood Park has ensured that the game can be played by all, especially children,” wrote Stephen Halloran in support of the campaign. “I know this as I learned here and still enjoy playing the course.”
That was March 2021. Let us move on to January 2022. Where stands Stockwood Park now?
Faced by the petition and Duggan’s activity, Luton Council backtracked and announced it was reconsidering its decision to close the golf centre and would begin a period of discussion. “For the avoidance of doubt there have never been plans to build houses or another similar development on the park,” Luton Council said in a statement. “Our key probity is about ensuring that we maximise the recreational benefit of the park for the whole community. A full report on the outcome and the consultation will be published shortly.” Duggan is due to meet the leader of Luton Council early next month.
Nor is it a battle limited to the United Kingdom. There are reports of municipal courses in Canada that are under threat and in the California legislature a proposal to turn some of the state’s public courses into housing has just been defeated.
Meanwhile, the fight to keep municipal courses open continues as councils, already under considerable financial strain, struggle to maintain roads, drains, libraries and other public services. For Stockwood Park read Brackenwood, perhaps also Hoylake Municipal, both near the famous Royal Liverpool on the Wirral, or Allestree Park in Derby or Whitewebbs Park in north London or many municipal courses in Scotland.
Nor is it a battle limited to the United Kingdom. There are reports of municipal courses in Canada that are under threat and in the California legislature a proposal to turn some of the state’s public courses into housing has just been defeated. The bill, known formally as AB 672 but dubbed the Public Golf Endangerment Act by the Southern California Golf Association, failed to complete the required procedure in the allotted time. The association, which had marshalled golfers up and down the state to oppose this measure, announced this triumph beneath the following headline: “Municipal Golf Courses in California Saved … for Now.”
It might be a losing battle but all is not yet lost. Many people, most notably the Chinese owners of Wentworth Golf Club, have found that the ordinary man and woman in Britain – often colloquially known as the man or woman on the top of the Clapham omnibus – can be a powerful force against a decision of which they disapprove. It might be the closing of a local library, a theatre or a swimming pool. In the case of Wentworth, the taking over of a world-famous golf club by a Chinese businessman has turned out to be a sad story. The businessman may have thought he was about to pick a plump and juicy pear when he bought the club perhaps guaranteeing himself a place in British society. It has turned out to be a very prickly one instead.
Defiance is to be admired in many circumstances and those municipal courses in the UK that are not an economic drain on the local council, such as Thorpe Wood in Peterborough, are to be applauded.
Nevertheless, it is a battle that surely will be lost in the end. Once the National Association of Public Golf Courses had 200 courses as members. Now it has fewer than half that number. It is hard to imagine this trend being reversed, however much one would like it to be. “It is sad but I think we could see the end of municipal courses within 20 years,” Rob Maxfield, chief executive of the PGA, told GGP in March 2021.
Maxfield addressed the subject again this week in a text from the PGA Show in Florida. “Municipal golf courses have for many years offered a really important route for many people to get into golf,” he wrote. “I fear that in the next few years we will see more municipals close due to the increased pressures on local authorities to save cost or allocate land for home building.”
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