By Ryan Sands
The first ‘Park Golf Experience’ anywhere in Ireland is set to be developed in Newcastle.
On Monday, the council’s Active and Healthy Communities (AHC) Committee approved the development of such a facility, in partnership with Royal County Down Golf Club, in the town’s Islands Park, with the aim that it will be ready for next summer.
A report presented to the committee stated that “it is the intention that the Park Golf facility, once developed and operational in summer 2027, will provide an affordable, accessible golf experience for all ages and abilities, including schools, youth groups, older people and disability groups etc.”
“It will support physical activity, social inclusion and community engagement, while enhancing local visitor amenities,” it read. “The site was previously used for a short 9-hole pitch and putt course and most of the course infrastructure is still in situ. The site is currently open park land with a path network running through it.”
It was proposed that council “enter into a licence agreement with RCD to enable the club to install tee boxes, putting greens and equipment in Islands Park and to maintain this infrastructure once the project is operational” and that the local authority “continue to maintain the wider site”.
A presentation explaining Park Golf and the opportunity it could offer to Newcastle was made to the committee by PGA Master Professional Kevan Whitson, who was head professional at Royal County Down Golf Club for 33 years until his retirement in late 2024.
He told the committee that golf had been good to him over the years and that he was embarking on various projects to try to give something back to the game when he came across Park Golf.
“Newcastle is lucky to have one of the finest golf courses in the world; however, the sport has a high barrier to entry for our community and local tourists,” Mr Whitson continued. “An opportunity exists to build a new, highly accessible and modern facility, which strengthens local connection and access to the sport.”
The PGA Master Professional stated that establishing the facility would drive participation in making “golf easily accessible to all”, provide “a welcoming facility that promotes health, skill development and connects communities”, “reinvigorate council land”, boost tourism with “a first of its kind facility in the country and a great addition to Newcastle’s bustling amenities”, and provide access for all through working “with schools, retirement homes and other local groups”.
