Club reports 77% surge in memberships since the Ryder Cup

A golf club in Lancashire has seen a surge in memberships in just the last few weeks and it believes it is down to having a link with one of the stars of the Ryder Cup.

Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa says it has seen a 77 percent surge in golf memberships and enrolments since Team Europe’s historic Ryder Cup win in early autumn.

The club has also had a 20 percent year-on-year increase in footfall to its driving range and a 43 percent increase in rounds played on its Woodhey Dunes course. Sales at the club shop are up nine percent.

Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa

The resort is calling this the “Tommy Fleetwood effect”.

The Ryder Cup star grew up in Southport and learned to play as a young boy at Formby Hall. He also opened his first Tommy Fleetwood Academy at the club – the TFA Formby Hall – in 2019 under the leadership of his junior coach, Norman Marshall.

TFA Formby Hall has seen junior golfer enrolments go up by 28 percent compared with pre–Ryder Cup levels. Calls to the TFA to find out more are up 200 percent and website visits are up by 219 percent.

Mark Williams, golf manager and head professional at Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa, said, “Formby Hall has been associated with golf’s elite since we opened in 1996. Having such strong links to one of the world’s best golfers in Tommy Fleetwood is a privilege.

“You can’t help but feel inspired by Tommy’s performance in Rome, and to see him secure the winning point for team Europe in his Sunday singles match was amazing. It’s fantastic to see how his achievements have inspired junior and adult golfers to take up golf, we’ve had everything from complete novices to experts get in touch with us since the Ryder Cup.”

Norman Marshall with Tommy Fleetwood

Tommy Fleetwood won Formby Hall’s junior champion title in 2003 and made his first hole-in-one on the 16th hole at just 12 years of age. At the TFA Formby Hall, Norman Marshall uses his decades of experience and time with Tommy to create structured coaching programmes that include the games and drills that Tommy used as a developing golfer.

Norman says, “Golf is a powerful sport that teaches many life lessons. The peak in interest in the TFA just goes to show what a role model and inspiration Tommy is. We have a range of coaching programmes with one-to-one lessons and group coaching for men, women and juniors and it’s the demand from new juniors that we’ve seen a real increase post-Ryder cup.

“Our programmes incorporate life skills and lessons that extend far beyond the golf course and into our daily lives – things like resilience, hard-work and belief, which is especially powerful for young people. We have juniors and their parents who tell us that the skills acquired at the TFA help them to manage difficult times in their lives and have built up their confidence – that’s something me and Tommy are incredibly proud of.”