Club profile: Aylesbury Vale Golf Club

The 30-year-old Bedfordshire golf club recently replaced its tired-looking metal lockers with modern wooden ones – and the results have been so successful that there’s now a waiting list for them.

When Aylesbury Vale Golf Club in Bedfordshire decided the time had come to replace its ageing lockers, it selected industry leader Ridgeway Furniture to transform the men’s changing room into a modern area which the club and members could be proud of.

The men’s committee members who oversaw the project picked Ridgeway from a number of tendering companies and the results have delighted everybody at the club.

The committee and Ridgeway project managers jointly redesigned the space to accommodate 96 lockers of various sizes to replace the tired-looking metal lockers.

Wooden-framed cabinets with light wood finished doors and complementary wooden benches were selected to improve the appearance and functionality of the room.

Recessed areas with hanging room for clothes and with lockers above were added to make best use of the space available.

As a result the club now has a much better facility which is more useable.

“The project has been to great effect and has made a big difference to the room,” said club manager Chris Wright.

He added: “The new lockers have made a big difference and have been very well received. They are neat and stylish and a very clever design has maximised the use of the space so we now have a greater number of lockers than before and they are more suitable that the ones they replaced.

“The members are very happy with them and as a result we have a waiting list for them.

“I can recommend Ridgeway Furniture to any club looking to modernise their changing rooms, they did a very good job.”

Since its inception Ridgeway has manufactured tens of thousands of lockers that have been installed in some of the most prestigious golf clubs in the world.

The company has seen turnover increase by more than 100 per cent over the past six years and has invested more than £500,000 in a new factory increasing its capacity by over 50 per cent. The facility, at more than 18,000 square feet, means the company is now the UK’s largest dedicated manufacturer of wooden lockers.

Aylesbury Vale Golf Club is situated about four miles to the west of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, just a short drive from Milton Keynes and Dunstable. The Vale of Aylesbury itself was voted as 27th in the Halifax 2018 Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey and the club enjoys a beautiful location.

Established in 1989 it opened for play in 1991 with a challenging course measuring 6,622 yards.

Whilst the golf course is long, the fairways are generous, and many are lined with mature trees giving a splendid definition. Each hole is complemented by excellent greens maintained in top condition.

The course was designed with ample space between holes and a brook runs through the course creating some challenging water features.

Other golfing facilities overseen by head PGA professional Russell Phillips and professional Terry Bunyan include a practice green, chipping area and 250-plus yard driving range with additional grass tees.