Royal opening for Richmond Park’s new clubhouse

Richmond Park Golf Course’s new clubhouse has received the royal seal of approval from Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra.

The Queen’s cousin officially opened the clubhouse, which was built following a £3million investment from Glendale Golf.

The investment coincided with Richmond Park Golf Course’s 90^th anniversary last year, and also provided a new driving range and academy courses, as well as a redevelopment of two 18-hole courses.

Princess Alexandra met with staff and members of the club and was given a tour of the golf facilities by Jon Dummett, general manager of Richmond Park Golf Courses.

The event concluded with a ‘Drive-In’, where members of Richmond Park Golf Course inaugurated the courses by teeing off on the first holes on the new Prince’s and Duke’s Courses.

Jon said: “The investment into the new courses, clubhouse and driving range is part of Glendale Golf’s long-term commitment to improving golf facilities in Richmond Park. Working in conjunction with the Royal Parks, one of the most important aspects of this project was sustainable building design and the use of renewable energy sources, which is especially important considering our green location.

“The newly-built driving range and four-hole academy course is also an important development, which will support our strategy to bring new people into the game from the local community.”

Simon Richards, manager of Richmond Park, said: “We’re excited to see the new clubhouse complete and we look forward to welcoming existing and new visitors to experience the Richmond Park Golf Course.

“We have been working for a number of years, alongside our partners Glendale Golf, to create a space which will give golfers the best possible start before they tee-off and we feel we have achieved that with the new cafe and pro-shop.

“The relocation of the clubhouse from Roehampton Gate to Chohole Gate is also an added benefit, allowing visitors to reach the site via the A3 which will reduce the impact of traffic in the wider park.”

 The Princess also unveiled a commemorative plaque and was presented with a framed picture of the opening of the original courses by a pupil from The Richmond Academy.

 She was joined at the opening by the Mayor of Richmond upon Thames, Councillor Meena Bond.

The new clubhouse facilities, which include a café and pro-shop, are built to BREEAM specification, meaning the building process uses renewable energy sources. The design and build process was managed by Parkwood Consultancy Services.

Glendale Golf has held the license to operate the Richmond Park Golf Courses, its flagship golfing venue, since 2004.