Members furious at sudden closure of golf course owned by former Rangers chairman

The decision to close a Scottish golf club described as “the best in the region” has been described as disgraceful by its former members who claim they have been cheated.

This is another high-profile course Close In space The country suffered one of its worst shocks of the week, following the collapse of the Hirsel Golf Club in the Borders.

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Torrance park Golf At the club MotherwellNorth Lanarkshire has announced it will close for good on October 1 this year (just two weeks away), and revealed it has been loss making for a number of years and can no longer continue.

The course is owned by former Rangers chairman Sir David Murray, Property Development firm, Murray Estates.

It opened in 2009 and was originally designed by Dave Thomas, the architect of Scotland’s famous Cardrona and Spey Valley grounds, as well as Ryder Cup venue The Belfry.

Murray’s company received Plan Permission for 638 new Houses and a neighborhood shopping The centre was established at the Torrens Park site in 2019, followed by the construction of 270 homes by Avant Homes and Taylor Wimpey.

A new clubhouse was also built as part of the first phase, as Murray welcomed Ibrox legends Walter Smith and Ally McCoist and Celtic hero Murdo MacLeod to the grand opening in 2016.

But the club has declined in recent times and members moved away after a decision was made to reduce the number of holes at the club from 18 to nine by October 2023.

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Barely a year after that move, the club is now set to close for good.

A statement on the club’s website said: “For quite some time now, Torrens Park Golf Club has faced challenges in running as a profitable club.” Business,

“Unfortunately, it has been loss-making for a number of years and it has now reached a stage where it cannot continue.

“So we took a step Review About sustainability The club will examine whether it is viable to continue operating under the current circumstances Future,

“As a result of this review, in which we considered all possible options, we found there is no alternative but to close the club and therefore the golf club and clubhouse will close from 1 October 2024.”

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers and former members for their support over the years.”

Former and present members are shocked by the move and have not held back in expressing their anger.

Former member Jim Robertson admitted he was sad to see the club close, but he had anticipated it.

He said: “I was a member for many years, left five years ago. The warning signs were starting to show by then. It’s one of the best grounds in Lanarkshire, with a great layout and the greens at their best. It’s sad to see it go, but it was about time.”

Local resident Mark Dornan, who lives on the Torrens Park Estate, believes the club’s downfall was down to mismanagement.

He said: “It’s really disappointing.

“There’s a huge opportunity out there and the customer base is literally on your doorstep.

“I’ve lived on this estate for about nine years, it’s the first year of my life here.” Family And from what I’ve seen it’s mainly due to the mismanagement of the course and the clubhouse.”

Another former member, James Kerr, said: “It was the best layout in Lanarkshire, I really enjoyed my time as a senior member and made a lot of good friends.”

“I’m sure the golf club was never in Murray’s plans.” FutureI feel sorry for the workers who are losing their jobs. JobsThis is a very sad thing.”

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And a third angry ex-member, Stuart Hay, said: “This is completely wrong Insult It so happened, when the great golf course was an 18 hole affair, the members were treated with total disrespect.

,meet There were some crazy people when I was a member.”

In fact, many comments strongly criticized the decision to change the course from 18 holes to nine holes.

Trevor Holden said: “It was one of the best courses, when we were stabbed in the back to close nine holes it was the end of an era.

“The staff were wonderful but it was Death An important part of the curriculum. It will be missed.”

Tony Carroll said: “After going down to 9 holes it was inevitable, another good club sold into private hands down the river Accommodation,

And Paul Cushen said: “Great course, I was a member for a few years but after losing nine holes and Opinion It was always a challenge to attract players for the best nine holes. That was the only reason I moved forward. If it was limited to 18 holes I would still be a member.

“It’s a shame to see a great course come to an end.”

Scott McCallum said: “Pathetic, the best way was to go into the ground and why? There was no chance and the plan was always to sell! What a shame.”

Colin Summers said: “This appears to have been a long-term business strategy.

“It has never been intended to be a profitable business. It has been used to sell House and raise prices.

“Now this average House prices Once established, the course is no longer needed, and in turn the value of the land increases.

“It’s a very disappointing and sad loss for the community.”

Gillian Noble, another resident of a nearby housing complex, expressed sadness at the destruction of the clubhouse as it often catered to locals.

He said: “This is very sad because the catering and facilities for residents on the estate were excellent.”

Torrens Park has been contacted for comment.

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