How Two Childhood Friends Saved Marland Golf Course and Built a Community Golf Movement

Andrew Terry and Joe Jackson grew up on the same street in Rochdale, and on the same golf course. "I played Marland with my dad, Joe played it with his dad and his grandad," Andrew says. "It was a much-loved public course."

So when news broke in 2018 that Rochdale Council was planning to close Marland because it wasn't financially sustainable, the two friends decided to step in. That decision became Link Golf UK, and Marland was saved. Since then, the pair have grown the business into an eight-venue operation, offering free golf to every child aged 16 and under, free weekly PGA-led junior coaching, and free use of equipment, introducing more than 1,000 children a year to the game. It's that combination of rescue and reinvention that earned Link Golf UK the Community Award at this year's President's Awards.

"We're passionate about accessible, entry-level golf," Andrew explains. Link Golf UK specialises in revitalising public golf facilities, investing in technology like TrackMan driving ranges and raising the standard of municipal golf more broadly. A significant part of the work involves schools, charities and community groups, all aimed at removing the barriers that keep people out of the game.

The pair have since spotted a second problem worth solving. "It isn't only municipal courses under threat. Private members' clubs are having an increasingly tough time too." Their answer is Link Club, a new arm of the business that partners with clubs and takes on day-to-day operations, HR, finance, marketing, health and safety, and greenkeeping, while investing capital to protect the club's future. Crucially, the club keeps its freehold, its name, its traditions and its badge.

Andrew's advice for anyone thinking of doing something similar is simple. "Start by removing whatever is stopping people taking part, dress code, price, equipment, all of it. Create somewhere warm, friendly, affordable, where someone from a non-golf background actually feels welcome walking through the door. Get that right and the rest follows."