In just over two months London’s golfers will have a new course to play, with the June 1st opening of the new 9 holes at the West London Golf Centre in Northolt.
The full-length 3,037 yard Par 36 course offers a new ‘play-and-play’ challenge to the region’s golfers, although with membership fees from just £395 per year many are also expected to join.
The 9-hole course has been designed and built by an in-house team from The Bridgedown Group, owners of The Shire London near Barnet. In late 2013 the group also announced plans to create The Dye London near Edgware.
Owner Tony Menai-Davis said: “This brand-new, very attractive and very challenging golf course perfectly complements the rest of the high-quality facilities at West London Golf Centre. I think that golfers are going to love it”.
Ceri Menai-Davis, Director of The Bridgedown Group, said: ”Over the last ten years we have been fortunate to meet many of the world’s great golf course architects, including of course Severiano Ballesteros and the Dye Designs team. We have put what we have learnt from them to good effect at the new WLGC 9-hole course.
“Every blade of grass is new: we have tried to put the best possible design into this golf course, and golfers will discover some holes here which will surprise them. The same goes for our green shapes and contours: many of them would not look out of place on a Tour standard golf course, let alone a 9-hole course attached to a golf centre. This is a spectacular golf course which will be a very good test of your game.
“West London Golf Centre stands for affordable yet very high-quality golf, and I believe that our new golf course lives up to that claim”.
Among several striking holes, the short and strategic Par Four 8th is perhaps the stand-out, with a downhill drive which must avoid a lake to set up the approach to a well-guarded green.
With two Par Fives, two Par Threes and five Par Fours, West London GC mixes stadium-style target golf with links-style golf, with gorse, rolling fairways and several lakes to negotiate. There is plenty of elevation and several greens and tees offer stunning panoramas of both the golf course and the surrounding area.
“The new course is similar in spirit to The Ballesteros Masters Course at The Shire London” said Ceri Menai-Davis. “It is designed for golfers who like to have fun on the golf course, and yet you will need to think your way around to build a good score”.
The new course is an additional attraction at the West London Golf Centre facility, which was opened in December 2012 by England footballer Les Ferdinand MBE. The golf centre already has a 26-bay floodlit driving range, a 4,500ft american golf superstore, a licensed bar and restaurant and parking for 150 vehicles.
In summer 2014 the new course will be joined by a new Dinosaur Adventure Golf attraction, and a new Putting and Short Game Zone. “We expect these to be open in June” said Tony Menai-Davis. “The Dinosaur-themed adventure course will be spectacular and a lot of fun. It will attract people of all ages and abilities to West London Golf Centre, while the Putting and Short Game Zone completes the facility for more serious golfers”.
The Bridgedown Group’s next project is already under construction: a championship-length 18-hole course, named West London Links, is being built directly opposite the West London Golf Centre, and is set to open in 2017. In November 2013 the group also announced that it will open The Dye London near Edgware, north London, before the end of the decade.
5-Day Silver Membership of the West London Golf Centre golf course has been set at £395, with 7-Day Gold Membership at £495. All golfers who join before 31st May 2014 will receive a £50 voucher to spend at the centre’s driving range.
West London Golf Centre www.westlondongolf.com