Ashford Golf Club selects Mackenzie & Ebert to advise on course relocation
Ashford Golf Club has selected the Mackenzie & Ebert design firm to advise on the potential relocation of their club and design of their new course.
Located in the county of Kent, UK,the club has hired the firm to help select a new site for the club and assist in the entire relocation process, from planning through to construction and the establishment of the new course.
“The relocation of a course is a momentous event for a historic club like Ashford and we are really excited to have been selected to help them through the process,” said Tom Mackenzie, who will be the partner in charge of the project for Mackenzie & Ebert. “Work is still at an early stage so we cannot comment on the possible sites but it is a huge privilege to have been appointed as part of the design team.”
The club was founded in 1903 and the course at its current site was created in 1927. Since then, the club has lost some of the land it originally owned. Some was used for food production during the Second World War, and the club was not in a position to repurchase this land. Some land was also purchased for the building of the nearby M20 motorway during the 1970s.
The club now owns 87 acres, and was forced accepted a land lease from the local borough council for an additional 16 acres to the south east of the site in order to sustain an 18-hole course.
This land has been extensively worked on by the club to bring to a standard on which golf could be played. The land was made available on a 33-year lease with a contractual right to renew for a further 33 years. Upon renewal in 2010 however, the club was informed that no further renewal option would be available as of 2043, hence the need to relocate.
“We were impressed with Mackenzie & Ebert's presentation, but the deciding factor for us was that we felt that they had the best understanding of our requirements as a members’ club and that they could deliver that,” said Nigel Ladkin, the chairman of the development board for the club. “We are looking forward to progressing the plans for the future of the club with them.”
The selection process for the new site is underway, and at this stage no dates have been set for construction.