Tate plays starring role in new Stanedge docuseries

A new docuseries telling the story of one woman’s mission to turnaround a rundown golf club and make it a friendly, accessible and inclusive community venue is now streaming on Syngenta Golf’s website, syngentagolf.com.

The fly-on-the-wall documentary, Changing the Business of Golf, follows former Ladies European Tour professional Fame Tate as she aims to transform the course and customer experience at Stanedge Golf Club in Derbyshire.

In the first episode, Tate recalls the life-changing decision to acquire the golf course and how she is turning the club into an open, friendly venue at the heart of her local community.

Meanwhile, as the team prepares for a new season, they are faced with the prospect of preparing the golf course for reopening without their head greenkeeper.

“If you’d said to me one day you’ll own a golf club, I’d have probably sat there are laughed,” said Tate, whose playing career was cut short by injury. “My vision from day one was to break away from the traditional golf club model. It’s about making a place that’s welcoming, affordable, accessible, inclusive.”

Working closely with her greenkeeping team – and revealing how she rolled up her sleeves to get stuck in to groundwork – Tate is investing in a major course upgrade to improve playing conditions.

The series documents day-to-day happenings, including course management work led by head greenkeeper Christian ‘CJ’ Johnson.

“It was a tough task for Fame and everybody involved to get the course back to where it was,” said Johnson. “But since then we have really tried to improve it as a team and get it moving forwards.”

Just one year after acquiring the club, Tate faced the potentially catastrophic challenge of the Covid pandemic and multiple lockdowns, forcing her and the team to call on their reserves of resilience to keep the business afloat.

The series will now follow Tate and her team as she reopens Stanedge Golf Club and takes on the business of golf.

To watch the first episode of ‘Changing the Business of Golf’ on Syngenta Golf, click here.