ONE of Surrey's oldest golf clubs is being sold in a bid to secure its survival.
Redhill and Reigate Golf Club has been members-owned since its inception in 1887 but is being taken over after more than a decade of financial woes.
The new owners have vowed to transform it into a community club, and are offering lower rates to attract new golfers.
Tom O'Keefe, the golf professional and manager leading the takeover, is set to complete the purchase of the Pendleton Road club by the end of this month.
The club owns its clubhouse and has an 18-hole course on Earlswood Common, for which it pays Reigate and Banstead Borough Council £40,000 per year in rent.
After years of trying new ways to keep afloat – including borrowing £120,000 from members which is yet to be repaid – the club nearly folded last year.
Chairman Tony Hallett said: "It was fairly clear we could not continue. We had no money, we had significant debts, we had a VAT liability in excess of £20,000 we could not pay. As a result, we decided we would have to close. Before we did, we approached an industry professional with numerous links in the golfing world and asked him to see if anyone was interested in taking the club over.
"We made the decision that the best chance of continuing golf on Earlswood Common was to come to an agreement with Tom and his team to sell him the clubhouse and all the assets and for him to run a proprietary-owned golf club from this site."
He added: "We feel it is important the community is aware of this change and look at it positively.
"We are not going to be a club in decline any more, we are going to be a club on the way up."
Membership has declined from 660 in the mid 1970s to under 300 today – and reversing that trend by offering better value for money is key to the club's future success, said Mr O'Keefe. "The golf course and club can be something the community is proud of," he said.
"This club has been going for 125 years and we would like to think we can contribute to a golf club that is still going in 125 years – but to do that it has got to be run commercially."
Mr O'Keefe has cut membership fees from £935 to £849 per year and is hoping to attract more women golfers with rates of just £100 per year. Juniors can get free membership, on the condition they take part in six competitions in a year.
