Crown Golf has completed the £20m refurbishment of its flagship property and St Mellion International Resort has reopened, confirming its status as South West England’s premier golf and leisure destination.
With Jack Nicklaus’ first ‘signature’ golf course in the UK extensively refurbished, and restored to European Tour standard in advance of hosting The English Open in 2011, golfers from around the world can now enjoy one of Europe’s highest quality playing experiences at St Mellion.
And a new 80-bedroom four-star standard landmark hotel, with conferencing and leisure facilities, has opened at the resort, meaning that Crown Golf’s most prestigious property is now fully equipped to realise the dream of its original founders – to create a world-class championship golf resort in the heart of the south west of England.
Crown Golf’s owner Jeff Chapman came from Australia to attend the press launch and said,” In the new revamped and revitalized St Mellion we have a world-class facility. It’s a good news story for the 30 – 40 million people who live no more than 4 hours drive away and now have St Mellion on their horizon.”
Situated near to Saltash in Cornwall, close to the villages, beaches and attractions for which the county is famed, but also within twenty minutes’ drive of Plymouth’s railway and airport, St Mellion offers easy travel links via Air Southwest, a low-cost airline offering daily scheduled flights into Plymouth from 11 airports across Great Britain & Ireland. www.airsouthwest.com
“Visitors to St Mellion now have both accommodation and golf facilities which befit our stunning Cornish location,” said Crown Golf chief executive, Stephen Lewis. “And our members can be enormously proud that their golf club now bears comparison with any in Europe.
“The new-look St Mellion represents an investment of several years and £20 million by Crown Golf, and I believe that our new resort is a fitting flagship for the group, and our position as Europe’s leading owner/operator of golf clubs. I would like to pay tribute to our main building contractor, Midas Construction, for delivering the project on time and on budget, to our members for their patience during a difficult and disruptive period and to our superb staff who will ensure that all our clients can feel relaxed and well looked after.”
Both golf courses at St Mellion International Resort have received widespread alterations, with £2.5m spent on a major bunker rebuilding programme, plus remodelled greens, new tees, a new cart path network and a new fairway irrigation system.
The Old Course, opened by brothers Martin and Hermon Bond in 1976, and which hosted St Mellion’s first professional golf tournament – the Benson & Hedges International Open in 1979 – has been re-named The Kernow Resort Course.
The Nicklaus Course, which opened in 1988, and which was Jack Nicklaus’ first golf course design project in the UK, has been re-named The Nicklaus Signature Course. The golf course celebrates its 21st birthday in 2009. With new championship tees and an upgrade to every bunker, this famously tough 7,000 yard golf course will host The English Open when The European Tour returns to St Mellion International in 2011.
The work was carried out by European Golf Services closely supervised by course manager Mike Bush and with the approval of Nicklaus Design.
At St Mellion golfers also now enjoy modernised golf reception facilities including arrivals hall, bag drop area, changing rooms and a resort-style pro shop plus, nearby, a new golf academy with driving range and practice facilities. St Mellion also has a brand new fleet of 60 electric golf buggies.
Accommodation at St Mellion International Resort has also changed beyond recognition.
Just fourteen months after the resort’s old hotel was demolished, the new St Mellion International Resort Hotel opened in early June 2009. Each bright, air-conditioned room offers Freeview plasma TV, free internet access, luxury bedding and a contemporary bathroom with power shower. Many rooms also offer fine balcony views across the golf courses and surrounding countryside.
“Visitors to our new hotel will find comfort and luxury at our surprisingly stylish and modern resort,” said resort director Stephen Towers. “Set in 450 acres of stunning Cornish countryside, I believe St Mellion International Resort is now the perfect destination for both business and pleasure in the South West of England.”
The remodelled resort is also a boon to the local economy. An estimated 375 people each year will be employed there on either full-time or part-time basis by 2010, and the St Mellion Economic Impact Final Report (Roger Tym & Partners, Sept 2006) estimates that £2.1m will be spent off-site in the area annually by people staying at St Mellion.
St Mellion International Resort www.st-mellion.co.uk
Crown Golf www.crown-golf.co.uk