Rhyl Golf Club Leads the Way in Eco-Friendly Golf Revolution
ONE of Wales’ founding golf clubs is aiming to be the first golf club in Wales (if not the UK) to be a truly carbon-neutral “green” club.
It marks a remarkable turnaround for Rhyl Golf Club, which in 2019 almost went out of business when plans were put forward to use the nine-hole course as a soak-away to the now regular flooding as a sea defence for the local community and housing.
The club opted to work with the local government to create a solution that would benefit both the community and golfers.
The course closed for 15 months in 2023/24 so that the site could be used to house the heavy plant that was needed for the sea defence work. In exchange, the Welsh Government/County Council agreed to pay for much of a new clubhouse following the demolition of the existing one.
A Vision for Sustainability
“Most of the money to rebuild has come from Government grants. We have put our own limited savings into the project too, but we do need to get funding to get the Carbon Neutral certification we feel that this project deserves,” said Rhyl Golf Club’s marketing director Mike Pritchard.
“Our vision has been to rebuild but make it the most environmentally friendly and carbon-neutral club around. Not only have we used green materials, but we have an array of 42 PV solar panels that will feed batteries to make us pretty much self-sufficient – this will include two new EV car chargers that we will have on site, again coming from our PV’s.
“We will harvest rainwater to get to self-sufficiency there too. We will be applying for our ‘Carbon Neutral Certification’ once the building has been opened in March/April,” added Pritchard.
Overcoming Challenges
When you take into account the disruption caused by Covid too, it’s been a torrid few years for everyone involved at the James Braid-designed course.
Pritchard said:
“We re-opened the course in its current provisional layout in April 2024. The full launch of the course with the new sea-defence around the perimeter is due to happen in April, so we don’t have too long to wait now.
“The course is open and being used now, but with a few limitations – not enough to hamper golfers though!”
Clubhouse Redevelopment
Work started on the new clubhouse last summer. The foundations are in, the framework is up, and the construction team are now finishing the external structure. The fitting out of the internal has started and is on course for completion by late February.
There will be snag testing in early March and then a soft launch later that month.
“The official opening ceremony is set for April 12. This will be in time for our inaugural ‘New Clubhouse and Course’ Easter Open Week,” explained Pritchard.
A Model for the Future of Golf
“The really exciting thing is that this will be unique and a new way for golf clubs to adapt to changing economic and climate requirements. We see everyone benefitting; local community (for flooding protection), visitors (new course, new clubhouse facilities – both golfers and non), local government (taxpayers’ value for money, new life given to Rhyl’s ailing image and infrastructure) and wider for UK’s golf clubs (reshaping how golf can financially survive and thrive).”
Good news stories are sometimes few and far between, with golf clubs closing and many under threat, so the story of how Rhyl is being a beacon for the future may bring sunlight back to our great sport.
