NOTTINGHAM, UK - The UK golf sector is watching closely as one of Nottinghamshire’s historic venues, Mapperley Golf Club, faces a critical threat of closure. The facility has been earmarked for a 750-home development under Gedling Borough Council’s draft Local Development Plan, drawing sharp criticism from members, community leaders, and a former world champion athlete.
The proposal comes at a time when the golf industry is experiencing robust engagement, making the potential loss of a 120-year-old course a significant blow to regional sports infrastructure.
The threat to Mapperley highlights an ongoing struggle for golf clubs operating on council-leased land across the UK: balancing central government housing mandates with the preservation of profitable, community-centric recreational spaces.
Gedling Borough Council confirmed that the 46-hectare course was selected as a proposed development site to help meet an overall target of 11,484 new homes by 2043.
"The government housing targets increased Gedling's annual requirement from 460 to 638 homes in December 2024," the council stated, noting that the draft plan prioritises housing in and around Nottingham's main built-up area as its "most sustainable location for development."
The course is currently operated by Mapperley Golf Club Ltd under a 25-year lease expiring on 27 May 2030. The council noted, "No decision has been made on the renewal of this lease," leaving the club’s long-term future in limbo. Any future development would still require formal sign-off on the local plan and subsequent planning permissions.
The campaign to save the course gained substantial momentum when former four-time super-middleweight world champion boxer Carl Froch publicly backed the club. Froch, a Nottingham native who recently played the course with his 16-year-old son, Rocco, strongly criticized the proposal on social media.
From a market perspective, Froch pointed out that the council's plans run completely counter to the current high demand for golf memberships.
"It's not as if nobody's using it. There's waiting lists for most golf clubs now, they're hugely subscribed, oversubscribed in many clubs, so that just shows the demand is there," Froch said. "First of all, for selfish reasons, I use the club... I don't see how you can be looking at getting rid of something that's been there since 1907."
Froch urged decision-makers to "leave the golf course alone," emphasizing its value to a wide demographic: "It's a recreational area for people of all ages, especially the elderly. It gets them out the house and its good for their mental health and wellbeing. It's going to have a massive negative impact on the community. I think it's disgusting."
For golf operators, the situation at Mapperley underscores the multi-generational appeal and mental health benefits that modern clubs leverage to maintain viability.
Alan Pickard, a club officer and lead co-ordinator of the Save Mapperley Golf Club campaign, revealed that the club has been fighting this possibility behind the scenes for just over a year. Despite the 2030 lease expiry, the club has formally advised the council that it wishes to remain well beyond that date.
"We've got members from age 10 up to 80-plus, men and women. It is a real haven and a mix of people who go there," Pickard said.
Highlighting the social value the industry provides, Pickard added, "From personal experience, it's been a real godsend to me as a place of refuge in times when I've not had work, for example, after Covid, it was the only place I saw other adults for months on end."
Club members are organizing a strong defense, beginning with a heavily attended public meeting on Wednesday evening to coordinate opposition.
The golf industry and local community have a limited window to influence the outcome. The public consultation on the draft local plan closes on 3 August, after which the publication draft and all public comments will be submitted to the government for formal examination.
