Since the pandemic, participation in golf has soared in the UK. The number of golf course users has risen from 2.5 million to a staggering 5.3 million in just under a decade.
Indeed, a recent England Golf report shows that membership is still growing, with stronger interest in the sport from women and children contributing toward a boom in the sport’s popularity.
So why then are British golf courses closing at such an alarming rate? In that same decade that participation has doubled, we’ve seen a stark juxtaposition of around 100 UK golf courses closing.
We’ve taken a look at some recent casualties in an attempt to ascertain the issues facing courses around the country.
Maidenhead Golf Club
Closed at the end of 2025, the Berkshire course was sold by the local council to Cala Homes.
The homebuilders plan to use the site, which has been a golf course for 130 years, to build 1,500 houses and apartments.
The club has now taken over Mill Ride Golf Club, 12 miles south of the old course.
Humberston Country Club Golf Course
Part of the adjacent Bannatyne Country Club, the nine-hole golf course was available to the gym’s members but not actually owned by the fitness company. As such, once the gym giant decided not to renew their lease on the course, its owners looked to sell it.
Despite golf club members and local residents objecting, Bannatyne announced the closure at the end of March 2026. A spokesperson for the company explained that “the golf course has not been financially sustainable for some time, and its long-term viability is no longer achievable.”
An application for 249 homes to be built on the site of the course has been submitted.
Ifield Golf Club
Another leased course, Ifield Golf Club is another set to close in 2026 after Homes England, the government-owned housing agency, bought the land in 2020.
Longstanding plans to use the plot as part of a development of 3,000 houses will then move ahead west of Crawley.
North Oxford Golf Club
The highly rated Oxford-based course was almost 100 years old when it was closed in October 2025. The 70-acre site was deemed perfect to become part of a major housing development just outside of the city centre.
Owned by three different educational facilities, Oxford University, Merton College and Exeter College, the sale of the land is now underway.
Maintenance costs
As you might imagine, running a golf course involves some serious maintenance costs. Rather than an attraction that only needs setting up once, courses need constant attention to keep them playable.
A report produced by Ecobunker and the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association discovered that golf courses are forking out over £43,000 per year on bunker maintenance alone.
Castle Water suggests that courses can often use up to 3,785 m3 of water over the summer. This means that water bills of over £8,000 are not uncommon too.
In fact, when all costs, including staffing, greenkeeping and machinery are included, costs can be as much as £600,000 a year just to keep a course in good shape.
A difficult choice for course owners
Given the sky-high costs involved in not only maintaining, but also insuring and running a golf course, only the most devoted golf course owners wouldn’t have considered the redevelopment value of the land they have.
With an average 100-acre site allowing for around 1,500 new homes, the fees being offered for such land is easily in the millions, with those closer to London higher still.
Is the average UK golf course in trouble?
In short, yes. The Times recently posted an article claiming that one in five courses are at risk of being bought by developers.
To combat this, some are looking to football for unlikely inspiration in how to utilise their space for extra income.
3 Hammers Golf Complex in Wolverhampton hit upon a novel idea to both ease running costs and realise some of the value of their asset. Selling just five acres of their land for the construction of 34 properties, they were able to keep hold of a reduced 20-acre course which has proven incredibly popular.
We could well see a future where golf courses are home to several different facilities such as gyms, retail units, hospitality spots, or even sites for outdoor events.
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