West Waterford Golf Club, the home club of PGA Tour player Seamus Power and Walker Cup winner Gary Hurley, is up for sale with members hoping a buyer can be found who will maintain their parkland course and the club as a thriving amenity.
West Waterford, near Dungarvan, was developed by Pat and Nora Spratt in 1991 and has been in family hands ever since, with current touring professionals Power and Hurley among the hundreds of junior members who learned their golf on the Eddie Hackett-designed 6,802-yard championship parkland course in the picturesque Brickey Valley.
On the market with an asking price of €1.5m, managing director Austin Spratt is, after 28 years in the business, understood to be keen to retain the course and club in its current guise with a membership of more than 260.
Members have attended two information nights regarding the sale in recent weeks while the club’s committees and incoming captains for 2020 have been formalised.
“The new owners of West Waterford Golf Club will take over a thriving business; a highly attractive and sought-after amenity, and a business in the most picturesque surroundings imaginable,” a club press release said.
“It is fully supported by the present membership and administration, who wish to see this household name in golf circles continue to give joy and satisfaction to its members.
“Presidents, Officers and Committees look forward to working with the new owners of West Waterford Golf Club.”
With a membership buyout thought to be unviable, the ideal scenario for members would be for an investor to purchase the club and lease it back to the members.
“There is an enormous amount of goodwill in the Dungarvan area for the club to survive and flourish,” a West Waterford member said. “We are just hoping there is someone out there with the capital to make it happen.”
By Simon Lewis - Irish Examiner
