THE new owner of a Hampshire golf club is to invest a further £250,000 to develop the facilities.

Hamptworth Golf and Country Club in the north of the New Forest has been bought by Carl Faulds.

He said: “The intention is to create an inclusive, not exclusive, venue for the entire family to enjoy their leisure time, based on providing quality and value for money and a wide range of sporting and social activities.

“As a golfer I can tell that the as a result of the work already carried out the greens are playing better than ever.

“We have also used over a tonne of grass seed to enhance all the green surrounds and the short game area and the bunkers have received 30 tonnes of new sand.

“An all-weather buggy path around all 18 holes has been laid, using 240 tonnes of specialist material, and major drainage works will be carried out this autumn.”

The club, with 500-plus members, also has some of the finest croquet lawns in the country, plus tennis courts and a restaurant within a large clubhouse, including event facilities.

Father-of-three Carl runs a number of businesses in the financial sector, including Portland Business and Financial Solutions in

Fareham, near Southampton and Portsmouth.

He is determined to create a ‘best in class’ club that people enjoy, with the majority of golfers, croquet and tennis players travelling in from the nearby major cities of Southampton and Salisbury.

He said: “I am going to develop Hamptworth into a country club with great value and quality leisure and social activities for all the family, which is why I’m investing heavily.

“We want to improve the quality of all the facilities and then expand the range of activities while retaining a value-for-money pricing

structure.

“Already the golf course is playing better than ever with the greens – that are all designed to USPGA specification – running at around 10.5 on the ‘stimpmeter’.

“This means they are faster than the greens at St Andrews were

during the Open.

“We will be improving the course further by making it challenging for low-handicappers, but equally as important, enjoyable for everyone else.

“A new competition tee will be built for the first hole, bringing a ‘wow’ factor to the opening hole of the course, and there will be other changes too.

“In October we will be laying 1.2 miles of drainage pipes and over a mile of gravel banding will be carried out over the winter. The course will remain open the whole time.

“We have also already introduced an innovative ‘buddy’ system so new members can find suitable playing partners, and beginners can receive free lessons.

“The clubhouse is being refurbished to create a modern, clean, friendly environment for all the family with a relaxed dress code.

“The croquet and tennis parts of the club are thriving and everyone mixes very well and we want to

become a place that the entire local community can come and enjoy.”