Following feedback from members, our golf course designer Tom Mackenzie has confirmed he is able to produce a composite 18-hole course which can be played by members to the end of June.

This will include the Par 3 course and nine of the existing 18-hole course. We will share the course design with you just as soon as it is complete.

From the point of the main course closures until the end of the membership year in June, there will be free, unlimited access to the 18-hole composite course for all Duchy members.

Park credits can continue to be used on the composite course between now and the end of the membership year.

From the end of June - end of September 2024, members will be able to play a 14-hole course free of charge.

A booking system will be in operation on the interim course via Intelligent Golf. Bookings will also be required for the new course when it becomes operational.

When the new 12-hole course opens, members will be invited to try the new course free of charge.

From now until the end of April 2024, there will be no changes to the current Duchy and Manor courses, so golf continues as normal until work commences.

Following consultation with members, we are proposing to open an 18-hole composite course for Duchy members to use from the end of April until the end of the membership year on 30 June 2024. This will constitute the nine-hole Manor course, combined with the front nine of the existing 18-hole Duchy course.

Additionally, members who maintain their memberships until the end of the membership year (30 June 2024) will have free access to a composite 14-hole course for a further three peak golfing months, from 30 June until the end of September 2024.

All member benefits, including onsite discounts, are to continue until 30 September 2024.

Duchy members who have paid for annual memberships in advance, and who choose to terminate their membership from the point of closure of the current Duchy course (April 2024) will instead receive a Pro Shop voucher in excess of the pro-rata value of their membership type. These members will not have free access to the 18-hole composite course or member benefits. Vouchers will be issued to members during February 2024.

The 18-hole composite course will include the nine-hole Manor course plus Duchy holes 1-9. The nine holes of the Duchy course are measured and rated, so will be eligible for competitions and handicap adjustments.

A 12-hole course can be officially measured, affiliated to England Golf (formerly the EGU & EWGA) and rated.

Park Credits are valid until the end of the current membership year, on 30 June 2024.

Vouchers for those with Park Credits will be calculated on a member-by-member basis. Voucher values will be based on the number of unused credits as a proportion of the total acquired at the original purchase price + 50%. For example, if 80 credits were purchased for £620 at the start of the membership year, then each remaining credit at the point of course closure will be assigned a Pro Shop value of £12.

We will be updating the shop range to ensure a good selection of desirable merchandise and equipment is available.

We will also permit Members to select from the Foremost catalogue to order in goods at recommended retail prices and or use up credit towards members’ guest green fees.

All existing balances can be spent as normal and at any time across the existing facilities. This applies now, until at least September 2024.

The nine-hole Manor course will remain open and available for members to play as they do now, until the end of the membership year on 30 June 2024. As such, current memberships will run unaffected until then.

The Manor course will be incorporated into the 18-hole composite course in April 2024, and into the composite 14-hole course from the beginning of July 2024. From 1 July 2024, we will also have offers available for current Manor members to continue to use the Manor course on an ongoing pay-and-play basis.

An online booking system will be available for members to book tee times in advance via Intelligent Golf.

No closure date has been set. It is intended that the Manor course will remain open at least until the end of 2024.

As the Manor course is remaining open for the remainder of the membership year, we do not believe it appropriate to offer alternatives to Manor members.

Under 16s who have paid in advance will have ongoing use of the 18-hole, then the 14-hole composite courses. Intermediate members (across all other age ranges) are eligible for the same packages as Duchy members.

Yes, and we propose further investment to improve this well-used facility.

Very much so. The new course is designed from the outset to consider climate change and to be as resilient as possible, while at the same time carefully considering its use of water and energy. State of the art irrigation will be installed with drainage added to the wet areas.

Monoculture golf courses, largely covered in grass and little else, are not that biodiverse.

We are serious about sustainability. The plans include new planting to encourage biodiversity, beehives for natural pollination, use of rainwater for irrigation and a range of other measures, such as switching to electrically powered mowers.

The main car park will continue to be available to members. Any matters relating to highways and traffic will need to be discussed and agreed with Somerset Council, the Highways Authority.

Construction traffic and noise will be kept to a minimum throughout the redevelopment to protect, as far as possible, the amenity and members’ ongoing enjoyment of the club and its facilities.

Prior to closure of the current Duchy course, Direct Debit members will be contacted and given the option to either:

1. Continue with the existing Direct Debit payment up until the end of the current membership year (30 June 2024), giving them access to the 18-hole composite course from April to June; OR

2. Reduce their existing Direct Debit payment from April to September 2024 to 50% of its current value, in return for ongoing use of the 18-hole and 14-hole composite courses through to September 2024.

From the middle of April until the end of the membership year at the end of June, the number of holes available overall to members will fall by nine, from 27 to 18. From July to the end of September, members will have free access to a 14-hole composite course.

We and our investors are seeking to make Farrington Park a sustainable community resource for the long-term. When we took over in the spring of 2023, not long before the start of the membership year, it was unclear how much work would be necessary to achieve our vision, nor was it clear what the precise timescales would be. One possible outcome would have been that it would have been feasible to avoid major works until later in 2024, meaning the current membership would have been unaffected.

Work is urgently needed to address major issues with the irrigation and drainage systems, and this needs to be undertaken as soon as possible.

From the beginning of July 2024, the 14-hole composite course will be available for full paid-up 2023/24 members until the end of September 2024, free-of-charge.

The 14-hole composite course will be made up of the nine-hole Manor course, plus Duchy holes 1-5.

Further information on this course will be shared once the design has been finalised.

From the beginning of October 2024 and throughout the construction process, the 14-hole composite course will be open to all on a pay and play basis.

Conditions of card acceptance may vary at each participating club. Play is entirely at the discretion of the Host Club.

People who remain full paid-up Duchy members to the end of the membership year (30 June 2024) will be able to play the 14-hole composite course free-of-charge until the end of September 2024.

Manor members will have continued access to the Manor course until the end of the membership year (30 June 2024).

Yes, once the new 12-hole course is open. Both open and closed, and society competitions can be played on a 12-hole course.

We expect the new 12-hole course to be available in autumn 2025, not 2024. We have not yet finalised the tariffs, but they will be competitive. Existing members will receive generous discounts on annual passes.

Padel tennis is supported in Britain by the Lawn Tennis Association – the people who bring us Wimbledon every year – and is one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

There are now more than 350 padel courts in the country, with a new professional tour emerging.

Effectively it is a cross between tennis and squash. It’s usually played in doubles in an enclosed court where the ball can bounce off the walls. Winning relies on strategy rather than simply strength, and it’s very easy to learn. It’s an ideal game for men, women and youngsters to play together.

Pickleball, like padel tennis, is supported in Britain by the Lawn Tennis Association. It combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, into a game for people of all ages.

The court is the same size as a badminton court, with a shorter tennis-style net.

The game is easy to learn, fun to play and is a great way to exercise – you can easily burn 300 calories in half an hour!

It applies to anyone who was a member up until the end of the 2023/24 membership year (30 June 2024).

Gym membership won’t cover these facilities in itself but we are exploring leisure-wide passes which would cover existing and new facilities. But because we are focusing on an inclusive business model, the new facilities will be available for anyone to book.

The plans for Farrington Park are designed to make golf more inclusive and attract new generations of players. This means that in future the business model will change from being a membership club to a pay-and-play model.

We are keeping staff up to date with our proposals. With many more facilities in the future Farrington Park, there will be more employment opportunities opening up.

The response to the member questionnaire showed that existing members were keen to see investment in the food and beverage offering and the plans we will bring forward will address all the points raised.

The gym will remain open, and there will be further investment targeted here.

We would be happy to discuss options individually.

Their leases have come to an end.

We are committed to increasing biodiversity at Farrington Park and our work will be informed by a preliminary ecological appraisal, which may recommend further surveys and mitigation where necessary. Any new lighting will be sensitive to nocturnal species.