The major development projected covers a 52-hectare portion of the club’s 270-hectare estate, and includes a five-storey hotel featuring a spa, gym, restaurant, bar, and conference facilities.
A new sports pavilion, racket courts, swimming lake, and relocated driving range are also part of the development, alongside a proposed underpass under Ash Lane to connect the main golf club site with the eastern parcel.
There will also be a new golf academy, the Callaway Elite Performance Centre, which will boast state-of-the-art facilities for coaching, practice and club fitting.
The club, which opened in 1994 and offers two championship golf courses, the Heritage and the International, has been angling to open a hotel for over a decade, with the venue having been granted planning permission to build a 130-bedroom hotel and spa back in 2016.
Having hosted the European Open in 2008 and 2009, the club’s bid to host further top-level professional events, including a future Ryder or Solheim Cup, have not been viable without on-site accommodation.
The planning application also includes the restoration of the Grade II listed South Ash Manor and adjacent stables block, converting them into visitor accommodation, and the creation of a new Sports Turf Academy aimed at providing training for sports ground management.
The proposed development is anticipated to support about 430 jobs across hospitality and leisure roles to management positions in event coordination and facility operations.
A timeline for the project has not yet been made public, although it is expected that the new facility would not be open before 2028.
