Why travel to Portugal and Spain when you can take a quality golfing break an hour away from London by road or rail, in a beautiful rural area of England? Save your carbon footprint… find a golfing purple patch!
Those are the sentiments behind a new golf tourism strategy which was launched at De Vere Belton Woods recently. Hidden England Golf is marketing golf courses in the Welland valley area of East Midlands (Peterborough, Stamford and Grantham) to UK and European golfers.
A mixture of nine private member clubs and proprietary golf complexes with a total of eleven courses has joined the scheme. Belton Park GC, Burghley Park GC, Greetham Valley GC, Melton Mowbray GC, Orton Meadows GC, Oundle GC, Rutland Water GC, Thorpe Wood GC and Toft Hotel GC
Play golf at less than £20 a round! Customers purchase a golf passport with vouchers for three or five day breaks from Hidden England Golf Ltd which they may exchange for green fees at the participating golf facilities. There is no such scheme operating anywhere in the East Midlands nor indeed in the whole of England.
Golfers and their partners will also enjoy exploring the myriad other attractions of Hidden England: castles and gardens, Rutland Water and the historic towns of Grantham, Oakham and Stamford.
Mike Shields, managing director and past chairman of the Golf Consultants Association, said, “We are delighted with the positive feedback we have received from local golf clubs participating in the scheme. We all believe that the new passport and voucher scheme, Hidden England Golf, will encourage golfers and their non-golfing partners to visit the beautiful Welland Valley region from all over the UK.
“We are offering the opportunity for golfers to take a break to a delightful part of our country with challenging golf courses and many other attractions without the need for a carbon causing flight to Spain or Portugal. We are also delighted in the number of local guest houses and pubs that have come on board as partners, providing accommodation for visitors.
All clubs have spare playing capacity. Most Rutland and Stamford clubs appreciated the real merit in coming together with Hidden England Golf to market their spare capacity to a national and international audience on the principal of ‘make your competitor your partner’.
Hidden England Golf www.hiddenenglandgolf.co.uk