League One football club Wycombe Wanderers has reached an agreement with Buckinghamshire County Council to take over the lease of The South Buckinghamshire Golf Course.
Bucks Council, which owns the land, has said that the football club will manage the golf course and the adjacent Farnham Park Playing Fields, on which it plans to build a new training centre and academy, as well as a new artificial sports pitch for community use.
Included in the plans is a renovation of the 18-hole golf course, which according to the authority, may be adapted to a 9- or 12-hole layout in the hopes of encouraging more people to take the sport.
Wycombe Wanderers is now responsible for investing and modernising the playing fields and maintaining the pitches and fields on a long-term basis.
Councillor Peter Brazier said: “I am delighted to announce that Wycombe Wanderers Football Club will be the new head leaseholder for these key sites, which are protected for sport and physical activity. Their vision and commitment to a multi-sports hub with modern, inclusive facilities will significantly increase opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds across the community to play sport and be active.
“Their proposals for the site are subject to planning permission and consultation and engagement with existing tenants and local residents, but this is a very exciting step forward and promises a very bright future for the much-loved playing fields and golf course.”
Bucks Council that the site will remain open as usual throughout the design and planning process. Wycombe Wanderers plans to complete a phased programme and upgrade facilities at playing fields and golf club over a five-year period.
Interim chairman and chief of football at Wycombe Wanderers, Dan Rice, said: “We are committed to a long-term partnership that enhances and future-proofs the recreational and sporting value of South Buckinghamshire Golf Course and Farnham Park.
“Our vision is founded on three key pillars: community access, sporting excellence, and environmental sustainability. From improving grassroots and multi-sport infrastructure to developing a state-of-the-art academy and training centre, we aim to create a lasting legacy that benefits both current users and future generations.
“We are dedicated to working openly and collaboratively with the Council, existing user groups, and the wider community to ensure that the site remains inclusive, accessible, and enriched by new investment. This is about safeguarding public use while unlocking new opportunities, participation, and activity for all.”
South Bucks Golf Course was originally the site of the 9-hole Ladies Course of Stoke Park Golf Club, which was also designed by Harry Colt. It was later gifted to Bucks Council for public use and subsequently re-opened as a nine-hole course in 1975, before being expanded to an 18-hole layout by Fred Hawtree in 1982.