Yorkshire golf club apparently saved from closure although confusion remains

A Yorkshire golf course that feared it was about to close down has apparently been saved, although some uncertainty about its future remains.

The 90-year-old Temple Newsam Golf Club in Leeds was told by its council in 2019 that there were plans for it to be replaced with a family cycling centre featuring cycle trails, a BMX pump-track and a family road-safety park which would host cycling workshops for schools. The golf venue’s plight was taken up by the BBC, with Radio 4’s You and Yours featuring it on Boxing Day.

The council had stated that the course had seen a 65 per cent reduction in pay and play numbers, and a 60 per cent reduction in season ticket holders, in recent years, and that the council had to spend a subsidy of £220,000 per year to keep the course running.

However, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, plans to close the club are not contained in the council’s ‘Initial Budget Proposals for 2020/21’.

Councillor Andrew Carter, leader of the Conservative Group, believes this represents a “victory” for those who opposed the plans.

He said: “From the off we have been totally opposed to this and have sought to do everything we can to stop plans that would have closed this popular golf cub as it approached its centenary year.

“We thought the proposals were too rigid and did not give any consideration to a compromise that would see golf and the new cycling facilities both delivered at Temple Newsam.

“The absence of any proposals in the initial budget papers suggests that the administration have backed down and listened to us and the hundreds of golf club members and residents who were totally opposed to this scheme.

“It does seem that the administration have got themselves in a ‘bunker’ over these proposals and are now having to do a U-turn.

“One can only hope that they confirm that golf will be retained at Temple Newsam as soon as possible.”

However, a  local Twitter user responded to The Golf Business’s tweet about this stating that he had just received a citizens’ panel survey consultation on the proposals to close the golf course. Local councillor Mark Dobson replied: ‘It’s not in the budget proposals so, I suspect, it’s been quietly binned? Think the survey thing is overlap so pulling it looks even more knee-jerk than it actually is. That said, I’m speculating. Can’t see it happening now though.’ 

A spokesman for the golf club added: ‘We, the golf club have not been notified of any change of plan from the council so our fight to keep a golf course at Temple Newsam continues.’