Not much is known about Queenwood Golf Club except that it is located in Ottershaw, Surrey, and has been designed by David Kidd. The golfing industry has only had rumour and gossip to go on and some say it is destined to be the most exclusive golf club in Europe.
With the announcement that the Club will be fully opened in May 2002, more information is starting to come out. Designed by David Kidd for the US based developer Fred Green, the course is said to be a truly great track. Fred Green is better known in the US as a developer of ‘high-end’ course – such as Nantucket and Eagle Springs, Colorado.
The site is located in Surrey heathland and David Kidd has taken inspiration from magnificent courses in that area such as Sunningdale, Worplesdon, Swinley Forest and West Hill, paying homage to the memory of Fowler and Colt.
Barrelfield Golf has been part of the team that has created Queenwood. Having found the site and negotiated the purchase on behalf of Fred Green, Barrelfield also obtained the necessary planning approval and helped to establish the development team. Barrelfield also constructed the course – the first time that they have done so rather than act as project managers as in the past.
Melvin Thomas, managing director of Barrelfield, is understandably optimistic about what the future holds for his company and is in no doubt about the success of Queenwood.
“The project can already be regarded as the most financially successful in Europe,” he says. “The success of Queenwood and our involvement in the project is generating some very interesting projects and we are presently considering these. Although it would be great to carry on building top of the market facilities like Queenwood, that is not going to happen to any great extent in the UK. We are already looking in the rest of Europe and even further a field for that type of work.
“We must be careful that the market doesn’t forget that we are still very interested in all types of construction work – that is where the reliable income is.”
Barrelfield Golf www.barrelfield.co.uk
David Kidd www.dmkgolfdesign.com