THE HILL IS ALIVE!

Boasting a classic James Braid-designed parkland course and a stunning clubhouse, Bush Hill Park Golf Club has been enjoying a new lease of life in recent years, with the 128-year-old north London venue buoyed by a new generation of golfers that have been attracted to the club by a continuous period of investment in the facilities and a new emphasis on inclusivity, first-class hospitality and a family-friendly ethos

Like many golf clubs in the UK, Bush Hill Park enjoyed a significant uptick to its membership ranks during the pandemic, with the leafy North London club, which is located near Enfield, less than four miles from junction 25 of the M25, being fairly inundated with enquiries from men and women of all ages looking to find somewhere to play during those strange times when golf was just about the only activity allowed besides dog walking.

Fortunately for many of those enquirers, Bush Hill Park had the capacity to cope with some extra members, as the historic club, which was founded in 1895, had, also like many other golf facilities in the UK, experienced a dip in membership over the last decade or so. While the pandemic brought pain and suffering to many people, one of the few positive by-products was a renewed appreciation of the great outdoors, and in golf in particular, largely due it being sport that, although extremely sociable in normal times, is also easy to do while remaining socially distanced. With visitor play suspended during the early months of Covid back in 2020, the only way you could get a game at Bush Hill was to join.

Fast forward three years, and the club’s membership has swelled to a new high of 650, and a waiting list has been introduced for the first time in over 30 years. Sevenday membership is full, while a new six-day membership, which allows play on every day except Saturday, and the five-day membership, are also close to capacity.

It all points to a very rosy picture for a club that not that long ago was on its proverbial uppers, with income from golf activities barely enabling the club to break even, let alone invest for the future. Now, with the bank balance back firmly in the black, and those who have joined in the last few years appearing to be in it for the long haul, the club has been able to carry out some long-awaited renovations to both the course and the clubhouse, bringing it firmly into the 21st century and beyond.