Buxton’s Cavendish Golf Club appeals for £25,000 to keep going during lockdown

The 95-year-old club - whose course is ranked in the UK’s top 100 - says paying grounds staff costs £10,000 a month.

However chairman Terry Hayward said maintaining the course was vital and ‘if it falls to ruin it won’t be fit to play on when we come back’.

Terry estimates the club will have lost £75,000 income during lockdown if social distancing curbs are eased at the end of July - in the best case scenario.

Cavendish was passed over by the Government’s business rates relief scheme as it’s rateable value was too high - leaving the club with no help at all.

Terry said: “That would have been a lifeline to us but we’re not eligible so we need £25,000 working capital to see us through.

“We’re hoping the Prime Minister is going to relax some of the lockdown restrictions - but we’re not going to be able to bring in visitors who aren’t members booking online and spending in the shop.

“But the members have been extremely generous and some have paid next year’s membership already.”

Terry, who has worked in sales and marketing for 20 years, was brought in especially to ensure Cavendish’s survival.

Though he admitted it would be ‘very hard over the course of the next three-six months’ he was adamant that the club would not close - with funding grants already in the pipeline from Sport England.

He said: “We’re a community club - one of the first things we did when we went into lockdown was to offer the course open as a place for daily exercise.

“People are seeing part of the town they’ve never seen before and in return they have been very generous.”

Cavendish have launched a funding appeal on website Crowdfunder to raise the £25,000 needed.

Under the terms of the campaign all donation pledges will be returned if £25,000 is not reached – and the club ‘won’t get a penny’.

However over £5,000 had already been reached just over 48 hours after the appeal was launched.

To make a donation click HERE.

In return for a donation Cavendish Golf Club are offering the following:

£30 - A voucher for one round of golf – a discount of £15 £50 - A voucher for two rounds of golf £100 - A voucher for a four-ball and the donor’s name engraved on the club’s supporter’s wall £250 - A voucher for a day’s golf for four people – two rounds - with two buggies and the donor’s name engraved on the club’s supporter’s wall £500 - A voucher for a day’s golf for four people, two buggies, a Cavendish goodie bag for each player and the donor’s name engraved on the club’s supporter’s wall £1,000 A prominent place on the club’s supporter’s wall £1,500 - A bench on the course dedicated to the donor or a loved one and a prominent place on the club’s supporter’s wall £5,000 – The club holds a competition in the donor’s name or their business for which they will be given 50 places – and each player will receive a Cavendish goodie bag while the donor will receive a prominent place on the club’s supporter’s wall