Uxbridge Golf Course in Middlesex is to close temporarily while a specialist operator is sought to take on the management of the course and nearby Haste Hill, both of which are currently run by Hillingdon Council.
The decision to close Uxbridge temporarily on January 14 follows a decline in player numbers at both sites during the past year, further hampered by wet weather.
Despite recently increasing fees, considerable council investment and an annual taxpayer subsidy, both courses have continued operating at a significant loss.
Advisers have now been appointed to source a new operator following an initial search last year by the council.
The council has reported that staff at Uxbridge will move across to Haste Hill Golf Course, although that site is also under threat of temporary closure if a new operator cannot be found quickly.
Councillor Eddie Lavery, Cabinet Member for Community and Environment, said: “We’re very proud to be in the unique position of owning several golf courses as part of Hillingdon’s great leisure offer for residents. However, with increasing pressures on council finances, the staffing, maintaining and running of these courses is a significant taxpayer subsidy for a service used by relatively few. It is an unsustainable position.
“We are actively seeking a specialist golf operator that will have the expertise we do not have to provide a more tailored offer that works for everyone.”
Uxbridge Golf Course, which first opened in the 1940s, offers a 12-hole, par-47 layout, while Haste Hill boasts a 5,720-yard, par-68, 18-hole course.
