THE LONG-TERM future of Newbold Comyn Golf Course remains uncertain say council chiefs.
Management company Mack Golf closed the course on New Year’s Eve despite being in breach of its contract with owners Warwick District Council.
Council chiefs have considered a report from their officers which detailed the circumstances of the closure. It was reported despite legal warnings from the council, Mack Golf had no right to “walk away” from the contract and had ignored demands to continue operating the course.
The committee heard the council was fully within its rights to sue Mack Golf for breach of contract and seek damages.
But the committee also heard the service the firm had been providing had not been up to the standard required by the council for some time, despite ongoing monitoring and intervention by council officers.
As a result, the committee decided to enter into negotiations to end the council’s contractual relationship with Mack Golf. It is understood the contract was to have run until 2060.
Council leisure spokesman Michael Coker said: “I am very disappointed that Mack Golf has left our residents unable to play on their local golf course.
“I’m afraid I cannot offer any guarantees about the future of the golf course until we have entered into our negotiations with Mack Golf, but I will keep the public informed about our progress.”
During the negotiations to end the contract, Mack Golf remains responsible for the land comprising the course and has agreed although the golf course is closed to the public, it will maintain the land so that it does not fall into further disrepair.
Mack Golf has declined to comment when contacted by The Observer.
The course was created from ridge and furrow farmland in 1973. The 6,315 yard course has developed over the decades to become recognised as one of the finest municipal courses in the West Midlands.
