Balmoral Golf Club recently welcomed Paul McGinley to unveil his plans for a brand-new, McGinley Design creation at the New Grove Estate, situated three miles away in South Belfast.
At a recent EGM, club members overwhelmingly endorsed the council’s proposal to relocate in a deal that, subject to planning, will see the Dublin-based Merrion Property Group eventually take ownership of the current site but not before a new, state-of-the-art 18-hole golf course and clubhouse are constructed and ready to open at the new site.
The three-time Ryder Cup winning player and victorious 2014 European Team Captain met with club members to share his vision and design plans for the new course and staged a meet-and-greet with juvenile members before taking a question-and-answer session in the clubhouse.
Balmoral Golf Club had gotten into financial difficulty in recent years but the decision to move will ensure the long-term future of the club, along with providing Belfast and Northern Ireland with another top-tier parkland golf course that will cater to existing and prospective future members as well as an attractive offering for the domestic and overseas green fee market.
“Balmoral is not unique; all golf clubs in urban areas are facing the same issues and not just in this city,” McGinley explained.
“There are issues in urban areas with golf balls leaving the property, and that throws up safety issues. The issues are becoming bigger, rules are stronger, holes have to be made shorter with tee boxes taken out of play.
“A lot of these courses are moving location and this is a great opportunity at the right time for Balmoral. It is moving just three-and-a-half miles away and I want to make it a win-win for everybody. The members are willing to take on this new opportunity and my job is to facilitate that.”
The club which was founded in 1914, has a long association with Fred Daly and he was the club professional when he won the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in 1947, becoming the first Irishman to do so, and Ryder Cup players such as David Feherty, Eddie Pollard and Norman Drew all came through the ranks at Balmoral.
All this history means that moving to a new site and to a new course is not a decision to be taken lightly and McGinley understands the reluctance but feels that it is the right decision for the club as the current site requires too much investment to make it sustainable in the long term.
“I’m from a golf club in Dublin, Grange, and I would feel the same way,” McGinley reasoned.
“Circumstances change and they have changed here, but there’s also a unique opportunity that won’t be around for a whole lot of time.
“To move just a short distance away and keep the club intact, close to the base of the membership, is a unique opportunity that may not be here in 10 years’ time.”
All going well and should planning be approved, then work could begin at the new site in a year’s time, and would be carried out over two-three years thereafter.
“There’s no better guy to have involved as we’ll look to drive our membership back up to 7-800 range where it once was,” said Balmoral Club Captain Michael Ewings.
“People will want to play on a Paul McGinley-designed course, and it will really be state-of-the-art with all the modern facilities including a practice range. It will also be the first golf course in Northern Ireland with full buggy paths for the entire 18 holes.”
First and foremost, it will be a course and club for the members, though McGinley doesn’t rule out the possibility that large-scale events could be held at the venue.
“We aren’t going out with that intention at the start, but it may graduate in that direction,” McGinley said when the possibility of hosting an Irish Open was brought up.
“Ulster Championships and things like that is something the club would like to embrace or maybe Irish Championships, but first and foremost this is being designed for the members.”
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