Charlesland Golf Club Members Lawyer Up

In happier times…

hen it was announced on September 29th that Charlesland Golf Club was set to close in three months, its members were taken completely by surprise.

Releasing a statement of their own on October 7th, the members – totalling more than 660 – said they were ‘shocked and devastated’.

Two months later, it would appear that they are also getting lawyered-up, with, they say, no other option but to institute legal proceedings with counsel now drawing up High Court documents.

In a statement just released, the members expressed their opposition to the notice period, arguing that they have an agreement, linked to income from membership, which includes a minimum 18-month notice period.

“It is a very sad way for the relationship to end,” they said, “and it is completely unnecessary. Charlesland Golf Club has been a wonderful venue for golf over the past 29 years and was one of the first courses in Ireland to fully embrace gender equality membership.”

Speaking for the club’s owners, family spokesperson Nikki Evans said that the facility required regular cash injections from the family, going on to state, “Coupled with an uncertain medium-term outlook for golf, after long and careful consideration, we made the difficult decision to close.”

Clive, Lance & Wilson Evans 1999

Ms Evans went on to pay tribute to the Charlesland members and staff. “On behalf of the Evans family, we would like to thank the members for their loyal support, particularly those who have been with the Golf Club from the start.

“As a local family entrenched in the Greystones community, we sincerely hope all will find a suitable place to continue to enjoy their golf, camaraderie and friendship. Thank you also to the greens team for presenting a wonderfully conditioned golf course and the management team for their positivity, professionalism and support over the years.”

For their part, the members state that they have not been shown any figures to suggest that the club has become non-viable. “In 2015, there were less than 400 members,” they point out, “and today, that number stands at 664. In 2020 alone there has been a net increase of more than 60 members, despite the Covid-19 restrictions.”

Given the club’s prime location right on Greystones’ seafront, reports of property developers levitating and speaking in tongues through sheer excitement could not be confirmed at the time of going to press.