Golf Magazine
Former Ladies European Tour pro golfer Adrienne Engleman fears she will lose her driving range business and potentially her home when construction of a new town starts. Adrienne has worked at Cambridge Golf Club in Longstanton for more than 20 years on and off, and four years ago spent £100,000 refurbishing the driving range – when she was under the impression she would be helped to relocate when Northstowe is built on the land. The new driving range was constructed so it could be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere, but the move would cost up to £60,000, and Ms Engleman believed developer Gallagher Estates would be prepared to help with this. Now Gallagher, which wants to put the first phase of the new town on the golf course, has said no assistance will be available, and no offer was ever made. This leaves Ms Engleman, 41, facing financial ruin – because the loan which bankrolled the renovation was secured against the value of her home. Construction of Northstowe, the biggest new town in the UK since Milton Keynes, is expected to begin late this year or early next year. Ms Engleman, who played on the LET in the 90’s said: “I’m incredibly worried, not only about my future, but about the future of golf in this area. “Cambridge Golf Club was the cheapest golf club in a county which has no municipal golf courses – every other county has got local authority courses that are accessible to all golfers. “They can’t go anywhere else because they can’t afford anywhere else.” She argued a golf facility in the area would be valuable for Northstowe residents. Ms Engleman added: “Potentially I’m about to lose my job, my livelihood and even my home because I had to use it as security for my loan.” Alan Joyner, executive director of Gallagher, said planning permission for the driving range had been on a temporary basis and had now expired. He said: “It’s very unfortunate but the golf driving range operator must have known what the situation was all along and it’s not our business to fund the relocation.” Help save Cambridge Golf Club by following their Facebook and Twitter accounts to raise awareness and put pressure on developers Gallagher.
http://www.facebook.com/SaveOurGolfFacility?fref=nf_fr
https://twitter.com/SaveOurGolf
------------------------------------------------------------------------
