A BELOVED golf course will be closing as plans are approved to turn the site into a luxury resort.
Fans of the 18-hole course are sad to hear the news.
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A beloved golf course is closing with plans to turn the site into a luxury hotel Credit: Unknown
Fans of golf course called the Surrey spot a “hidden gem” Credit: Unknown
Gatton Manor golf course is set to close this year with plans approved for a new £41 million redevelopment project.
The Surrey spot has welcomed players to its green since in 1969, but will be permanently closing after years of financial losses.
Instead, the site will be welcoming a new luxury hotel resort.
Featuring 81 guest rooms and facilities including restaurants, a spa, swimming pools and a gym, the “beautiful” refurb of the historic country club is expected to make the area a popular destination spot and boost the local economy.
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Liberal Democrat Councillor, Roger Adams, said: “With global warming and rising temperatures I suspect a lot of people seeking a holiday will no longer be heading to the Mediterranean but may well seek to have staycations, and where better to stay for a holiday than Surrey.
“We’ve got this beautiful country here and we do need developments such as this.
“It will provide employment and enhance the visitor schemes.”
Fellow Councillor, Monica Weller, added: “It really is quite fantastic as far as I’m concerned.
A business like this has got to bring something really quite fantastic to our area and that is really to be welcomed.”
Holidaymakers can expect a fine-dining restaurant alongside padel and tennis courts at the new destination spot.
For locals, there are some benefits too.
Residents living near the new resort will be able to grab one of up to 100 gym memberships available at a discounted rate.
The Gatton Manor Country Club closed its original hotel back in 2022, and the 167-acre site will now say goodbye to the beloved golf course under the new development project.
The 18-hole course was set to close regardless of whether plans for the £41 million project were achieved, citing years of financial losses.
Plans for the new restoration were approved by Mole Valley District Council and the existing golf course will be rewilded “to create a much-enhanced landscape and wildlife habitat”.
The redevelopment will last two years and generate around 290 construction jobs during the works.
145 long-term positions are expected to be created once the hotel is opened.
There are some, however, who will be saddened to say goodbye to the course.
Many loved the “picturesque” and “challenging” course, with one player calling the Surrey site a “hidden gem”.
Despite golfers recommending the “enjoyable” and “interesting” driving range, the Gatton Manor site has sadly run its course.
