Golf resorts, even Celtic Manor, have been forced to cut rates to attract players in this recession
Next year the golf world will descend on a stretch of land that was until recently the province of a handful of sheep and the odd crow — not far from a dreary section of the M4.
Millions will tune in to watch Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington battle it out in the 37th Ryder Cup between the finest golfers in Europe and America. More than 50,000 spectators a day are expected.
Yet on a recent visit to the multimillion-pound Celtic Manor resort we were the only people taking advantage of one of hundreds of extraordinarily cheap breaks that are being offered as expensive golf club membership falls and clubs struggle to fill fairways across the country.
Looking across the rolling landscape next to the swirling waters of the River Usk, there was no one about. Taking our time, we lined up our shots on the picturesque par three fourth hole. There was no need to hurry: nobody was behind hustling us onwards.
Celtic Manor is a challenging golf resort on 1,400 acres not far from Newport. It is owned by Sir Terence Matthews, the wealthiest Welshman, who lives in Canada, where he is a telecommunications billionaire, and who has invested more than £140 million in his South Wales golfing dream. It opened in 1982.
The resort stands out on many levels. For a start there is its sheer scale: a giant 300-plus room hotel on a hill overlooking the Bristol Channel, three golf courses including the new “2010” course, where the Ryder Cup will be held, vast conference halls, a futuristic driving range, two spas with a 20m pool each, five restaurants and two large clubhouses for golfers to enjoy a 19th-hole tipple.
Then there is the design. The clubhouses have huge high-ceilinged rooms with rafters and large open fireplaces, which (bizarrely) look as though they might be ski lodges in the Canadian Rockies. The hotel is visible for miles around from its perch close to a turning from the M4. And then there is the quiet. On my visit the golf courses seemed deserted. Huge bars and lounges capable of holding hundreds were empty.
What’s going on? Ross Marshall, my golf partner and the managing director of Your Golf Travel, Britain’s leading golf holiday provider, explained: “People can’t afford club membership these days, and they’re too busy working hard to keep their jobs.”
The result is that they do not have as much time for golf. Clubs are quiet, even grand ones such as Celtic Manor. Many are struggling financially. Some have closed. It means that it’s a great time for casual golfers, Marshall says, because resorts have been forced to cut rates to attract players to make up for falling membership. Even Celtic Manor has dropped prices, offering a night at its five-star hotel from £69 per person, a round of golf included.
Other clubs are almost giving rooms away. Belmont Lodge, in Hertfordshire, has recently sold rooms for as little as £36 a night, including two rounds. Marshall says that some resorts are so keen to lure golfers that they are considering 18p nights later this year: 1p for every hole on the course.
Deals are constantly updated on his website. Surely there’s a catch? “No,” he says. “Golfers usually spend vast amounts when they get to courses — at the bar, at the restaurant and on things like golf balls.” Golf resorts, desperate to keep afloat, know that cheap offers will at least help to bring in some revenue.
The “2010” course at Celtic Manor is not only a bargain, but is also exceptionally tough. Fairways seemed to stretch onwards for ever. Drives from the tee required pinpoint precision. Water hazards were just about everywhere. I lost balls in reeds, lakes, streams and thick clumps of grass.
But it is designed for champions, and testing yourself on the course that will be the focus of the golf world’s attention next year is meant to be a challenge. Celtic Manor may not be as traditional as famous established courses such as St Andrews or Sunningdale but it is good value, fun, slightly odd (the hotel may be five-star inside but it’s exterior is pretty stark), and very, very tricky indeed.
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Stay Your Golf Travel (www.yourgolftravel.com) offers a night with around of golf at Celtic Manor from £69pp. It also offers a night’s half-board and two rounds of golf at the Abbotsley Hotel, Golf & Country Club, Cambridgeshire, from £59pp, or the Five Lakes resort, Essex, with the same deal, from £79pp. The famous Old Course at St Andrews is from £149pp with a night’s B&B and two rounds of golf.
Play Celtic Manor (www.celtic-manor.com) has three championship courses. The “2010” is the toughest, while the “Montgomerie” and the “Roman Road” are easier.
Ryder Cup The 37th Ryder Cup (www.rydercup.com) will be held on October 1-3 next year.
