Membership soars at Yorkshire golf clubs following easing of lockdown

With memberships due for renewal and the economy under strain from job losses and workers being furloughed, membership numbers before May understandably fell. Today, there is a feeling of recovery amongst courses in Yorkshire:

Data published by flexible golf club membership firm PlayMoreGolf showed unprecedented demand for membership and a welcome relief for many clubs who had been struggling like many businesses in the UK in light of Covid-19.

Last month saw 72 new memberships at Wortley Golf Club in Leeds and Hillsborough Golf Club in Sheffield which added 32 more members.

Golf clubs were among the first public resources to reopen in England with the game more suited to social distancing requirements.

This, coupled with the good weather, has led to a spike in demand that was born in the UK and is played the world over.

Commenting on the surge in demand Alastair Sinclair, chief executive with PlayMoreGolf, said: “The response from golfers up and down the UK has been fantastic but none more so than Yorkshire.

“With its abundance of courses, it is fantastic to see clubs such as Hillsborough and Wortley welcoming so many new members.

“Not only is this good for the game of golf, but we’ve seen the average age of our PlayMoreGolf members reduced from 64 to 43. Adding youngers members is protecting the future of the game, and shows what clubs are doing to attract ‘non-traditional’ golfers who have busy social lives and want more affordable and accessible options”.

Commenting on the demand from golfers for greater flexibility, Richard Crawshaw, Head PGA Professional at Wortley Golf Club said: “Seeing a huge spike in membership enquiries has been uplifting.

“Welcoming so many new-joiners has allowed us to introduce them to people who want to organise a game but have other commitments, which appears to suit younger members better.”

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