IT’S been a long hard winter with many of us suffering from enforced cabin fever brought on by the Covid-19 lockdown.
So, with the first buds of spring, the nation has welcomed the first steps towards freedom and normality. None more so than the 900,000 regular golfers in the UK, who from 29th March could take their first steps back to the fairways and greens of their local golf club. And Westbury Golf Club, on the White Horse Country Park, say they’ve been doing just that in their droves.
This 9-hole golf course is set in mature parkland at the foot of the famous White Horse.
The golf club report, “While the fairways, scenery and greens make for a memorable golfing experience, it’s perhaps more the friendliness and warm welcome that people remember after their visit.
“Westbury Golf Club knows its place. It isn’t a Championship golf course that aspires to sit alongside the famous venues we all see on television. It’s a golf club that’s comfortable in its own skin, offering an enjoyable playing experience for golfers of all abilities, It welcomes those just learning the game or those who like a relatively flat aspect. where the thought of trapsing 7,000 yards of hilly terrain is somewhat of a nightmare.”
Golf club committee member Bob Rawlings comments, “We’re proud to be an unpretentious club that welcomes newcomers and high handicappers. Golf should be about enjoyment, and tortuous courses that are long and tough aren’t much fun for most of us.
“We offer a very playable 9-hole golfing experience, which you can of course play twice to make up your 18. It’s not about making a course that’s hard to play, it’s about making it achievable and enjoyable. That’s not to say it’s not without challenge; there are enough hazards and trees to keep you on your toes, you have to think your way around the course and choose your shots carefully rather than try and blast the ball a million miles. ”
The club have strong ladies and senior sections who regularly play during the week. It’s a social aspect to golf club membership that’s often understated, but for many members it often becomes the heart of their social life – both on and off the golf course.
Bob continues, “Many of the relationships you build at Westbury Golf Club last a lifetime. With the recent focus nationally on combating loneliness, particularly during these unsettling and worrying times, I really feel like Westbury Golf Club is playing a pro-active part in helping tackle this.
“We’re a community that’s welcoming of everyone. Add to that the psychological health benefits of regular exercise that you get from playing golf.
“As you can imagine, membership of the club is thriving. At just £355 per annum, less than £1 a day, it’s arguably one of the best investments in enjoyment, health and wellbeing that you could make.”
Full details are available at www.westburygolfclub. co.uk
