Clubs geared up for lucrative Halloween and Bonfire Night events

Many golf clubs will be treating both Halloween and Bonfire Night as an opportunity to bring new visitors to their facilities.

Last year, for instance, Cushendall Golf Club in Northern Ireland, ran ‘an evening of spooky tales and music’ with guest tellers, for £5, followed by an afternoon of ‘spooky crafts, stories, face painting and fancy dress’ in the run up to October 31. The second event, including a craft workshop for children featuring lanterns and ‘spooky posters’, was £3, and that same evening for £6, attendees were treated to a ‘storytelling and music concert’ featuring singer songwriter Tommy Sands and hosted by storyteller Feargal Lynn.

Meanwhile, Quinta do Lago’s Paul McGinley Golf Academy in Portugal was also at the heart of the Halloween antics.

Younger guests were treated to a Halloween programme that included a ‘haunted dinner’, brunch and an Alice in Wonderland tea party.

“The family fun did not stop there thanks to a scary golf and costume parade where children can really get in the spirit of things by dressing up as vampires, villains, princesses and dinosaurs,” said a spokesman for the resort.

In terms of November 5, golf clubs are now often seen as the place to watch a fireworks display.

“We needed to demonstrate to the community that we were there,” said a spokesman for Crowlands Golf Centre in Essex, “so we implemented a fireworks’ night and, instead of it being a members’ event, we created an open to all event where we get to show off our club and invite people in to enjoy the facilities.

“We paid a professional firework display team to put on the show on our driving range; we had 1,000 tickets for sale, created outdoor food stalls, bars with live music, face painting and sweet stands and so on. Plus we added an inflatable net for kids to try golf.

“We sold tickets for £4 each the first year, and marketed via banners, emails, leaflet droppings at local schools and word of mouth.

“We sold out the 1,000 tickets. We could have had 2,000 there but had to draw a line on how safe we could run the event comfortably. It generated £12,000 for one night.

“Now it’s a flagship event for 1,250 people that the community enjoys every year and its making use of our outdoor space in the dark that’s not otherwise used. It’s also our open day and leads to membership sales.”