BRACKEN GHYLL GOLF CLUB
A Dream Realised
by John Crellin

On 30th June this year a remarkable story will reach a successful climax when, after four years of dedication, commitment, tenacity and sheer hard work, Bracken Ghyll Golf Club will become a full 18 hole course.

Situated on the outskirts of the village of Addingham in West Yorkshire, Bracken Ghyll is located in the Yorkshire Dales and commands superb views over Ilkley Moor, Addingham Moorside and the Wharfe Valley, dominated by the imposing presence of Beamsley Beacon to the north.

The club began life as a proprietor-owned course in 1993. By 1997 its challenging 3422 yard par 74 nine holes had attracted a membership of approaching 300, and a clubhouse and bar with catering facilities, plus an indoor practice area, had been added, all organised, financed and built by club members.

Undoubtedly the star hole on the course is the eighth - the seventeenth on the new course - which measures 145 yards off the white tees, and like all great par threes punishes anything less than an accurate shot of the right length, being protected by trees on each side and a stream in front of the raised green. Ironically, on the original design the hole was planned to be played the other way round, which would have deprived the course of what members and visitors alike agree to be a classic golf hole.

It was in 1997 that the club’s officers first conceived the idea of making the transition to a members-owned and operated club playing on a full 18 hole golf course. Since then the club has overcome significant obstacles, as well as strong competition from the many excellent courses in the area, to establish a member-owned club, dedicated to the playing of golf and the enjoyment of a wide variety of other social activities.

Along the way they have also secured planning permission for the expansion, and put together a self-funding package to finance the development necessary to make this a reality. Negotiation, agreement and planning occupied most of 1998, and in January 1999 the decision was made to proceed.

Subsequent events occurred in rapid order starting with the appointment of the Bingley based Sports Turf Research Institute to redesign the course to include an additional 9 holes to be built on adjoining land. In March, a new constitution was written, administrative and financial systems implemented, and marketing initiatives launched to attract new members. Between March and May 1999, the required planning application was submitted, an Open Day held for prospective new members and the first Board of Directors elected. January 2000 saw the first AGM take place and the Board of Directors was expanded by two additional places.

	Due to the nature of the surrounding countryside, (the Yorkshire Dales National Park is situated just to the North across the River Wharfe) the requirements necessary to receive planning permission were unusually demanding.
For example the council insisted that the course be designed so as to blend in with natural features, and that any such features removed to facilitate the course layout should be replaced elsewhere. This has necessitated the moving and rebuilding of dry stone walls and the planting of over 6000 new trees.

In April 2000 came the long awaited approval from the council which was the signal for development to begin, and in December Bracken Ghyll Golf Club was able to announce that the 18 hole layout would be open for business on 30th June.

From the very start, the ethos of the club has been founded on the principles of equality, broad appeal to golfers of all abilities, and a determination to maintain membership at a level consistent with the playing of the game of golf at a relaxed but continuous pace, on a well kept course which does not suffer from over use. As well as a full Men’s section, the club operates Ladies, Junior and Over Fifty Five (TOFFs) sections, each with a full slate of official and not-so-serious competitive events, both home and away. The principle of equality is demonstrated by the fact that, unlike many clubs, the Ladies Section, which is represented on the Board of Directors, has full equality with the other sections, and enjoys the same playing privileges, while Juniors and Intermediates participate in competitions on an equal basis with the Men’s section.

Individually, the club boasts a number of Category 1 golfers some of whom have graduated from the ranks of the Junior section including a Lady member with a handicap of 4, and two Intermediate Men playing off 7. Remarkably, this impressive list of accomplishments has been achieved solely due to the efforts of the club’s officers and members, with positive support from the original proprietors, and this has engendered a strong sense of pride and ownership, resulting in a positive spirit throughout the club.

Naturally there is a wealth of stories highlighting the trials and tribulations which punctuated the early life of the club in terms of legal and administrative requirements as well the physical development of the course and facilities.

Bracken Ghyll’s first president, Ian Crawford, recalls a near miss concerning the new club’s application for a bar licence. After months of waiting, a date was finally secured for the local court to hear the application. Since the police had already given their ok, court approval was seen as a formality, and an opening night had been organised and publicised, supplies ordered and bar staff booked in anticipation of a positive outcome. Ian describes what happened when the club’s solicitor proceeded to explain the circumstances of the application to the magistrate.

"Imagine our shock and horror when one of those present stood up to lodge an objection to the application, on the technical grounds that the original application had been made, not by Bracken Ghyll Golf Club, the official name of the new members’ organisation which would be operating the licence, but by Bracken Ghyll Golf, the proprietors’ company. We were devastated. Opening night was only a week away and who knew when we would get another crack at the application."

Submissions regarding precedent followed from both sides, and after a tense 40 minute recess involving further representations from both sides, the magistrate returned to announce that she had after all decided to allow the application. To which the club’s solicitor rose and gravely declared in true courtroom style "I’m obliged ma’am".

Ian also had the job of applying for affiliation to the Yorkshire Golf Union, and invited the President and Secretary over to the club to inpect the course and its facilities.

"I made sure that everything was presentable, and that anyone likely to be around was aware of our important visitors. This included the previous proprietor who, as greenkeeper, was usually to be seen performing maintenance duties around the course. As I was on my way around with the President pointing out this or that particular feature of the course, sure enough up he rolled on his tractor. Naturally I introduced him to my guests, who engaged him in polite conversation including asking him whether he would be playing more now that the running of the club was changing hands. Despite my previous pleas for best behaviour, the reply represented typical Yorkshire bluntness. ‘What? Me play golf? Silly game!. Far better things to do with my time without all that hassle’. And so saying, he jumped back on the tractor and, with an airy wave, drove off. Fat chance of affiliation now, I thought. After completing the tour, I waited for the verdict. ‘Well Ian’ said the President, ‘Some aspects of the course aren’t yet up to R&A standards, but I’m sure they can be brought into line. I’m impressed by the efforts you’ve made, and with the frank and honest way you’ve presented the club. And I’m particularly pleased that you’ve obviously not told anyone to butter me up today!. Welcome to the YGU.’"

Several members recall the construction of the club house, which was erected within an existing barn building used as a lambing shed.
What is now the function room was originally a freestanding timber structure surrounding an outdoor swimming pool in the grounds of a large house in nearby Ilkley. The entire structure was purchased from the owners, dismantled, manhandled piece by piece to the site of the clubhouse, and rebuilt within the barn shell by the members after consultation with the original constructors.

Now, Bracken Ghyll is poised to join the ranks of Yorkshire’s leading golfing venues. A series of promotional events is planned for the period leading up to the launch of the expanded course, including an Open Day on Saturday 24th March, for prospective new members to visit the club, with an opportunity to play the existing nine with a member and to walk round the new layout. To celebrate the opening itself, a Grand Opening Week is planned consisting of a programme of events for members of all sections and their guests, culminating with a Men’s Open on Friday 6th July, to which invitations have been extended to over 300 clubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire.

To complement these activities, the club is making a special offer to attract new members to join the club as early as possible in advance of Grand Opening Week. Members who join and pay their 2001/2002 membership fees before the start of the new membership year in May will enjoy full playing privileges for the balance of the current year at no additional charge. Put simply this means up to four months golf free, gratis and for nothing. Anyone interested in taking up this offer, coming up to the club to have a look around, attending the Open Day, or seeking further information on any aspect of Bracken Ghyll Golf Club is invited to call the clubhouse on 01943-831207, or visit the website at www.brackenghyll.com

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