Richard and Sally Haygarth, owners of Chichester and Hill Barn Golf Clubs have added another club to the group, now known as Maple Leaf Golf, having acquired Horton Park Golf Club from the administrators.
Horton Park Golf Club is situated close to Epsom in Surrey. It has an 18-hole course – The Millennium – and a 9 hole Par 3 – The Joyce – as well as a driving range and clubhouse with function facilities.
The Club, which went into administration in December 2008, was acquired by Maple Leaf Golf after a hotly contested bidding war with a number of serious bids being received by the administrators. Peter Townson, who has been running the site on behalf of the
administrators, said “We are delighted with the outcome. Maple Leaf Golf are an established golf operator with an excellent track record, it was just what this business needs”.
Members are also delighted about the new ownership. Club Secretary, John Prichard said ‘It’s a great outcome for the members who will get a secure golfing future and an even better course’.
Richard Haygarth, who will be running the new site, said “We are very excited about Horton Park. It is one of the best courses in the area and fits perfectly with our existing
businesses”.
Plans for Horton Park include a new irrigation system for the Par 3 course, a new fleet of green keeping machinery, the return of buggies and a day one purchase of 20,000 range balls. Haygarth commented “It’s a great business with excellent staff that just needs the proper investment”
The great news for members of Chichester and Hill Barn Golf Clubs is that they will be able to play at Horton Park Golf Club as part of their existing membership. This now means the possibility of playing a total of four 18-hole and two 9-hole courses.
The name Maple Leaf Golf derives from owners’, Richard & Sally Haygarth, time in Canada in the 1990’s where they were both partners with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Toronto. The customer service mentality in Canada was so good, that they wanted to make it central to their culture in the golf business.
