Slievenamon Golf Club has announced that they will close after the directors put the land comprising the golf course up for sale as agricultural land.
In a letter addressed to the members of Slievanamon and obtained by Irish Golfer, Directors Brian Powell and Mary Hand stated that they have concluded that running the golf club is no longer viable. However, they still intend to develop the on-site adventure centre further.
Powell and Hand of BPM Core Investments bought the property in 2018 but incurred yearly losses in those seven years despite their significant investment. This is largely due to the increasing cost of golf course maintenance, the minimum wage, greens treatments and machinery etc.
The golf club will honour existing full memberships until the end of March this year but have now pulled out of renewing full memberships for the coming year while those who have already paid their membership subscription for 2025 will receive a full refund.
According to the club listings on Golf Ireland’s website, the Tipperary based club has 1253 registered Golf Ireland members but the club has relied heavily on low-cost distance membership over the years.
Despite trebling their distance membership numbers, the letter to members stated that Golf Ireland’s decision to introduce the Independent Golfer scheme has presented an “intolerable existential threat” to the club meaning they can no longer rely on distance membership as a long term revenue source.
For 2025 the club were offering distance members who were renewing or joining fee of €170 for anybody living more than 40 kilometres from the golf club. Slievenamon have taken legal action against Golf Ireland over their affiliation fee charging mechanisms.
Despite BPM investing significantly in course design, staff and equipment, the company have been unable to grow their local membership and have instead endured a steady decline in that category since 2018.
New members were offered to join on a special introductory membership fee of €370 in year one and €420 in year two which included a Golf Ireland affiliation fee and insurance with the first year of membership valid until March 2026.
Slievenamon are also at a disadvantage as a privately owned club, meaning they are ineligible for Sport Ireland or Golf Ireland grants that have proven to be so crucial to other rural golf clubs.
The golf course will remain open until after March for distance members and local members alike on a green fee basis while the club house and café will also remain in operation.
Below is the full letter issued to members today.
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