Five golf clubs brought to market

Five UK golf clubs have been put up for sale within just a few hours of each other.

The Mar Hall Golf and Spa Resort in Scotland, which entered administration a few weeks ago, has been put on the market for the first time.

Joint administrators from EY-Parthenon were appointed to the business in August but the resort continues to trade as normal.

Hotel management firm Michels & Taylor has taken over the running of the resort during the sale process.

“Mar Hall provides a fantastic opportunity to acquire a popular five star hotel in an excellent location free from brand or market affiliation,” said Steven Fyfe, director in the hotel capital markets team at Savills Scotland.

“Given the hotel’s stellar reputation, we anticipate a significant level of interest from a global pool of buyers.”

The 18-hole Skylark Golf & Country Club in Hampshire, which is also in administration, has also been put up for sale.

Spokesman Tom Marriott said: “This is the quintessential country club in an excellent location on the outskirts of Fareham, midway between Portsmouth and Southampton.

“The business has an excellent turnover and the potential for future growth. We expect strong interest.”

Skylark Golf & Country Club

Ashton Golf Centre in Lancaster has been put up for sale with a guide price of £1.5 million.

BidX1, the online auction specialist, has listed for sale.

The venue comprises a nine-hole golf course and clubhouse facilities which include a bar and restaurant, professional’s shop, locker room and offices at first floor level, plus a balcony with views overlooking the golf course.

Externally there is an outdoor seating area and a large car park area as well as various outbuildings including a large stone-built barn and driving range building.

While currently in use as a golf course, planning permission for 14 holiday chalets and the installation of a package treatment plant was granted by Lancaster City Council in 2018. The conditions attached to this permission were met in February 2023 and works have since commenced.

Simon Bailey, director at BidX1 UK, said: “Ashton Golf Centre presents an opportunity to acquire a leisure investment in a scenic location with a population of about nine million within a 90-minute drive.

“Planning permission is already in place for the construction of a holiday village on a small section of the site and with the Eden Project North in nearby Morecambe due to open in 2025, tourism in the area looks set to increase significantly.”

The former 27-hole golf facility, Wildwood Golf & Country Club, which closed in 2017, featuring 13,000 square feet of existing buildings, machinery compound and offices set in 232 acres of rolling Surrey countryside, is also up for sale.

Wildwood Golf & Country Club

Planning consent exists for an 84 bedroom hotel with ancillary facilities and 39 lodges.

A pre-application has also been submitted to the local planning authority setting out alternative plans for a destination resort incorporating up to 199 lodges.

Wildwood Golf & Country Club

And Manor Farm Leisure, a 182.6 acre diversified leisure portfolio in Worcestershire has been brought to market.

The property includes a successful golf club, Harvington Golf Centre, comprising an 18-hole and a nine-hole golf course, two agricultural fields, river fishing, former livestock building and a two-bedroom residential property. It comes at a guide price of £1.25 million.

Harvington Golf Centre

“This presents a unique opportunity to acquire a successful golf course as part of a diversified portfolio offering, with the option to purchase all three sites as a whole. This portfolio offers strong investment features as well as scope for further development, so we expect substantial interest from a broad range of investors and operators,” said a spokeswoman.