A golf club has been forced to close its 18th hole after a neighbour complained to the council about balls landing in their garden.
The Holyhead Golf Club has been in Anglesey, South Wales, since 1912 but that didn’t stop one neighbour from complaining to the council about the final hole.
After collecting evidence of errant golf balls landing in their garden, they are demanding the 18th hole, described by members as “the best hole on the Isle of Anglesey”, be moved or even dug up.
The alteration is expected to cost Holyhead £75,000 and the club is expected to pay or could face closure - a move deemed a “crime against golf” by members.
“Nobody wants to play a 17-hole golf course,” a spokesperson for the club told The Times. “A neighbour said golf balls were leaving the boundary of the course and going onto their property.
“He has evidence balls were going into his garden and he raised the issue with the council.
“Even though the course has been here since 1912, we have golf balls leaving the confines and the council got involved.
“They have issued an improvement notice and we’ve had to comply with that, leaving us with a £75,000 bill for a new golf green. There’s only one person complaining and we have never had any complaints before.”
Colin James expressed his outrage on a crowdfunder, which has been launched to raise money so the “improvement” work can be completed by the beginning of May. More than £8,000 has been raised so far.
He said: “Surely if someone decides to move into a property next to the golf course they would appreciate that there may be some implications, such as there being golf shots being hit in the local area.
“It's not like the course is moving closer to the property, it's always been there. Absolute joke of a decision.”
A spokesperson for the Isle of Anglesey County Council said: “The county council’s public protection team has served an improvement notice to Holyhead Golf Club under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
“The council has a statutory duty to ensure the health and safety of golf course users as well as members of the public that may be affected by the golf course.
“Our environmental health officers continue to work closely with the golf club in relation to this matter.”
