‘We had 330 golfers playing on the first day back’

Like most golf clubs in the UK, Royal Mid-Surrey reopened in May following about two months of lockdown, and since then it has faced unprecedented demand, and now is in a stronger position than it was before the pandemic. 

In the five weeks that followed the reopening of Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club’s two 18-hole golf courses on May 15, most of its more than 900 members returned and played over 8,300 rounds.

After nearly eight weeks of official lockdown were lifted, the club, like most others in the UK, says it was faced with unprecedented demand for tee times from members, along with a significant number of membership enquiries for the 2020/21 season.

The club was able to accommodate a record turnout of 330 golfers playing two-ball games on the first day back, over the pristine conditioned JH Taylor and Pam Barton courses with social distancing requirements strictly adhered to.

Despite clubhouse closure and being denied access to playing the courses from late March onwards, an impressive 99 percent of annual membership renewals were secured in April at the club in Richmond. In addition, 40 new members in all categories were welcomed into the club.

“We have never seen interest and reaction like this,” said Chris Holt, Royal Mid-Surrey chairman. “We received in excess of 200 enquiries asking about joining the club a month after the lockdown was introduced and are now back to the waiting list position that we were fortunate enough to enjoy before the pandemic,” he added.

During the lockdown period, the club operated a ‘Community Support Network’, with more than 40 volunteers providing help to vulnerable members keeping to self-imposed isolation, while a temporary ‘Walking Membership’ enabled non-members to take exercise over the courses alongside the River Thames and Kew Gardens. Walking members paid a modest fee raising money for the Truants charity, the captains’ charity for this year.

“It is very encouraging to see the remarkable response from our members to the reopening of the courses and so much demand for club membership,” said Holt. “I was extremely proud of our staff and volunteers who came forward during the lockdown period to help our vulnerable members. It reflects well on the club’s spirit of community and we can see a brighter future than might have been expected now that the courses are back in use.”