“We are anticipating tremendous growth over the next five years”

The directors of a golf hub – which was purchased as a driving range just a few weeks before the pandemic started – have hailed the success the venue has seen since.

Directors Lee Edwards, Andrew Pickering and John Ingham purchased what was Penrith Driving Range in December 2019, stripping everything back to basics and starting again, and have converted it into Penrith Golf Hub.

“At the heart of Penrith Golf Hub’s growth and development is pioneering technology,” explains Lee Edwards. “Introducing technology in all 14 bays, for example, has been invaluable for customers in measuring ball flight, speed, distance and trajectory.”

The establishment has also installed two state-of-the-art teaching bays, one serving as a bespoke custom fitting suite, together with screens on which to display the data and video analysis. In addition, an innovative pressure mat and app demonstrates interaction with the ground and pressure location during the swing. New coaching software in each teaching bay featuring comprehensive markerless 3D motion swing analysis provides real time feedback that is easy for the customer to understand and visualise.

“In everything that we do, we put our customers’ needs first. How can we make their experience more enjoyable and constructive; being able to provide first-rate statistical analysis through technology has seen our clients transform their game. It’s why they come to us,” adds Lee.

They also enlisted the expertise of Michael Newton, a PGA professional with 58,000 YouTube subscribers. He joined PGA professionals, James and Stewart Wilkinson and Jonathan Graham (who is certified in hack motion, 3D technology and TPI screening). A putting lab studio designed for teaching and fitting and housing more than 140 putters is also a feature at Penrith Golf Hub.

The last lockdown presented the opportunity to create a custom-built workshop to enable the team to undertake repairs and regrips on a ‘whilst you wait’ basis, with more than 40 styles and sizes of grip held in stock.

The nine-hole on-site course has also been transformed by a new team of greens staff and a £100,000 investment, and footgolf is the latest activity to be added to its list of facilities.

“Encouraging young people from all backgrounds to ‘have a go’ is of paramount importance to us,” says Lee. “We have created an inclusive, positive and encouraging environment here where everyone is welcome.”

Custom fitting figures rose by 78 percent from 2020 to 2021 with overall revenue increasing by 63 percent over the same period. More than two million balls were hit on the driving range in 2021 and green fees rose by 50 percent.

“We are ambitious, but our work is paying off,” says Lee. “We are anticipating tremendous growth over the next five years with continual investment in the latest technology and the addition of a new on-site café / bar. We remain one of the UK’s leading teaching and custom fitting facilities and to have achieved that in two years is nothing short of extraordinary.”