A new era is set to begin at Filton Golf Club with a Par 3 course set to launch next summer and a driving range to open in the next 18 months. Both will be open to the public.
The club, at the end of Golf Course lane and overlooking the former Filton Airfield, already has a scenic 18-hole course for its 520 members. The new plans are aimed at encouraging more local people, young and old, to play the game. The club has already invested more than £1m in the project.
The Par 3 course will be nine holes (six initially) which are typically 120-200 yards in length, meaning a game might last just an hour as opposed to the 3-4 hours of a full 18-hole round. The club say this might appeal to players who want to have a taste of golf but are not sure about committing to a full membership. The driving range of 15 bays will give golfers the chance to hit balls and utilise the latest laser ball tracking technology to study their efforts. Both facilities will be ‘pay to play’ with a full membership not needed.
The Par 3 course is already being constructed on land owned by the club beyond the 18th green while the driving range will be situated on the current practice range, with balls being struck away from the club.
General manager Sue Elliott said the facilities would be unique in north Bristol for a ‘members” club.
She said: “We are hoping that we can attract families and people who are interested in golf but still not sure about making the leap to full membership.
“We also want to encourage primary schools to get involved and we are hoping the driving range can be attractive to SGS College’s golf programmes. This is all part of our plans to develop the club.
“Many people don’t even know that there is a golf course here but we have a beautiful setting, fantastic facilities for food and drink and our professional shop for the best equipment and coaching.”
Club chair Mark Ford said: “It is so important for us to engage the local community and we think these plans will do just that. We also hope to get kids into golf early.”
Work is ongoing to develop the new facilities and it is hoped at least six Par 3 holes will be open by next summer.
Fees to play have not been confirmed yet.