Nine-hole feeder course could open in Hampshire

A nine-hole par three golf course aimed at elderly golfers and beginners could open in Liss, Hampshire, now a planning application has been submitted.

According to research there is growing demand for shorter courses to appeal to potential golfers who find 18-hole venues unappealing.

Brows Farm Golf Range is currently an 18-bay driving range but its manager, Hamish Petty, says it can be extended to help both the golf industry and the local community.

The application is seeking a change of use of the land for use as a nine-hole golf course and an extension of the golf driving range building to provide seven additional bays with car parking and landscaping.

“Our vision is to encourage into the game beginners, the elderly and those with limited time on their hands. We hope the potential par three golf course will help achieve this,” he said.

“It is well-known that beginner golfers often struggle, take up time and disrupt play for others when on a normal golf course.

Brows Farm Golf Range

“The simplicity of the par three golf course layout will favour beginner golfers and those who struggle with length and accuracy. We believe that our par three golf course will act as a stepping stone and platform for many beginner golfers who feel they aren’t entirely ready to join a proper golf club.

“Many of the elderly give golf up due to the fact that they can’t handle a full round of golf, struggle with the length of the modern courses and find the ‘carries’ off the tees too long.

“Taking these important factors into account, we designed the course with wide fairways and short ‘carries’ to allow golfers of all ages and abilities to play at their own pace without worrying about hitting the ball far or arrow straight.

“Golf is an extremely time-consuming sport which many people suggest is why it’s not as popular as it could be. A four-ball will take between four and five hours to complete a round of golf at a normal 18-hole golf club.

“However, the proposed par three golf course will take a four-ball no longer than two hours to complete.

“We would like to think this will attract more people in to participating in golf.

“The proposed nine-hole par three golf course will act as a stepping stone for beginners to help them in the process of taking up golf and joining a full 18-hole golf club.

“This could possibly see membership numbers increase in golf courses around the local area.”