Traditional blade shapes with 303 stainless steel and lie-angle balance hint at a new direction for L.A.B. Golf.

ORLANDO, Florida — There’s something ironic about spotting yet-to-be-released L.A.B. Golf blade-style putters in the practice area ahead of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational. The Oregon-based company built its reputation on shapes that help golfers get more consistent results on the greens but look, to some, like potato mashers on a stick. L.A.B. has never shied away from unconventional designs.

Boasting a classic James Braid-designed parkland course and a stunning clubhouse, Bush Hill Park Golf Club has been enjoying a new lease of life in recent years, with the 128-year-old north London venue buoyed by a new generation of golfers that have been attracted to the club by a continuous period of investment in the facilities and a new emphasis on inclusivity, first-class hospitality and a family-friendly ethos

Like many golf clubs in the UK, Bush Hill Park enjoyed a significant uptick to its membership ranks during the pandemic, with the leafy North London club, which is located near Enfield, less than four miles from junction 25 of the M25, being fairly inundated with enquiries from men and women of all ages looking to find somewhere to play during those strange times when golf was just about the only activity allowed besides dog walking. 

Fortunately for many of those enquirers, Bush Hill Park had the capacity to cope with some extra members, as the historic club, which was founded in 1895, had, also like many other golf facilities in the UK, experienced a dip in membership over the last decade or so. While the pandemic brought pain and suffering to many people, one of the few positive by-products was a renewed appreciation of the great outdoors, and in golf in particular, largely due it being sport that, although extremely sociable in normal times, is also easy to do while remaining socially distanced. With visitor play suspended during the early months of Covid back in 2020, the only way you could get a game at Bush Hill was to join. 

Fast forward three years, and the club’s membership has swelled to a new high of 650, and a waiting list has been introduced for the first time in over 30 years. Seven-day membership is full, while a new six-day membership, which allows play on every day except Saturday, and the five-day membership, are also close to capacity. 

It all points to a very rosy picture for a club that not that long ago was on its proverbial uppers, with income from golf activities barely enabling the club to break even, let alone invest for the future. Now, with the bank balance back firmly in the black, and those who have joined in the last few years appearing to be in it for the long haul, the club has been able to carry out some long-awaited renovations to both the course and the clubhouse, bringing it firmly into the 21st century and beyond.

Stewart Judd, the club’s general manager, who has been in role since 2017, is justifiably proud that Bush Hill Park has become one of the most progressive golf clubs around, and he, and his fellow board members, are determined that the club’s future fortunes are permanently turned around based on the quality of the facilities and the member experience, rather than being a flash in the pan caused by a global health disaster. 

“Golf clubs can get a bit caught up with tradition and tradition is often a reason not to change, whereas we try to celebrate our heritage, but keep looking forward,” he says of the club which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2020. “We are all about championing inclusivity and welcoming everyone, be they are single figure competitors, new golfers, groups of friends, or social members who simply want to enjoy our new hospitality facilities.”

The club’s progressive attitudes have captured the attention of several major awards in recent years, with England Golf dishing out Bush Hill Park with ‘Golf Club of the Year’ in 2021, while the venue also picked up the highly coveted Club Awards’ Club of the Year title in 2020 and again in 2022. The judging panels were clearly impressed by what has been going on at the club in the last few years, most notably in the area of women’s golf development, with Nicola Bennett, the club’s Senior PGA Professional, and a Golf Foundation Ambassador, helping to set up a pathway to golf that has seen over 70 women golfers come through the sessions, leading to over 20 taking up full membership. 

“We’re trying to achieve more of a balanced membership profile,” says Stewart. “Within the Women in Golf Charter we’ve set ourselves a target of another 50 female members between now and 2025. We’ll continue to drive that and we want to continue to improve things in the clubhouse. We refurbished our bar the year in 2019, and made it much more contemporary and modern looking. We want to try and keep that rollout going in the clubhouse – with potential to improve changing rooms and our restaurant area, which is currently being renovated. 

“It’s just carrying on improving things in the clubhouse and developing the golf course. We want to keep improving our practice facilities too. We’ve put the new bays in and practice green and chipping area, but we’ve got a space where we can put in some more holes and the aim is to have an academy course.”

The 18-hole course, which is neatly contained in just under 100 acres of parkland, is not long by modern standards, measuring 5,776 yards from the competition tees, but its par of 70, and a sextet of tricky par threes and four lengthy par fives, ensures that players must bring their ‘A game’ to score well here. Some of the fairways are narrow, tree-lined affairs, although it broadens out in places to enable big hitters to open their shoulders on the par fives, three of which are well over 500 yards long. The closing stretch of holes from 13-18 is especially memorable, with water coming into play on the par-four 17th. All in all, it’s an entertaining mix that will provide a challenge to all elements of your game in delightfully peaceful surroundings.

The installation of a state-of-the-art irrigation system back in 2018 has proved a life saver as far as the course is concerned during a series of hot summers, most notably in 2022, when many courses burnt to a crisp, and it’s more than paid its way in ensuring that quality playing conditions are maintained throughout the season. 

Once entering the club’s gates, the first-time visitor can’t fail to be impressed by the sweeping driveway that leads through beautiful grounds to the majestic clubhouse, the Old Park Mansion, a listed building that has been home to its members since 1922. The clubhouse provides an impressive venue for all occasions, with function rooms of various sizes, three bars, a restaurant and spacious changing rooms. There is a large patio at the front of the building, overlooking the 18th green, and a veranda at the rear overlooking the first tee, both of which provide great places to sit outside with a drink in the sunshine, and make the club the perfect place to spend time whether or not you’re playing golf.

Although the club upholds the traditions of a private members’ club, it also welcomes visitors and societies to enjoy its facilities, with pre-bookable tee times available during the week and at weekends, while society packages are also available. The dress code is very relaxed, with a sports bar where golfers can come in off the course as they are, while jeans are allowed throughout the clubhouse.

The club offers a wide range of membership options, with the full categories offered with discounts for families and age-related concessions for members aged between 18 and 30. A credit-based Lifestyle membership, offering seven-day access to the course and full member benefits, can be used to book tee times and play in all club competitions, and is a good option for those wanting to give the club a try before committing to full membership, as well as those who might only play once a month or so. The club also has a very active junior section and offers a structured junior coaching programme of group and individual lessons.

All told, Bush Hill Park has all the right ingredients in place to create a very special golf club and a very happy membership, and looks set to do so for many years to come.

To discuss membership opportunities, please call 020 3146 9892 or visit www.bhpgc.com. 

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Like many golf clubs in the UK, Bush Hill Park has enjoyed a significant change to the landscape of its membership in recent years, following a revival in golf from both seasoned but previously ‘nomadic’ players, and novices dipping their toe into the game for the first time.

Thanks to the injection of new blood, the club has been able to carry out significant renovations to both the course and the clubhouse that has brought a club that was first founded in 1895, firmly into the 21st century and beyond.

WINNING AWARDS

Stewart Judd, the club’s general manager, who has been in role since 2017, is justifiably proud that Bush Hill Park has become one of the most progressive golf clubs around, and he, and his fellow board members, are determined that the club’s future fortunes are permanently turned around based on the quality of the facilities and the member and visitor experience.

As one of the first clubs in Middlesex to have been awarded England Golf ’s new ‘Respect in Golf ’ accreditation, which recognises a commitment to inspiring a welcoming environment, the club’s progressive attitudes have captured the attention of several major awards in recent years, most recently at the Club Mirror Awards in November 2023 when the club was crowned the Golf Club of the Year Award.

This is the third time the Club has been honoured at these awards following wins in 2019 and 2022, and together with the ‘Golf Club of the Year’ awarded in 2021 by England Golf, marked a quartet of awards.

The judging panels were clearly impressed by developments at the club in the last few years, most notably in respect of women’s golf, which has brought female participation at the club to an all-time high. Nicola Bennett.

DRIVING FORCE

The club’s Senior PGA Professional, and Golf Foundation Ambassador, was recognised in England Golf’s Centenary Awards just last month, where she was the recipient of the Diversity and Inclusion Champion award for her impressive work in breaking down barriers for women in golf, and inspiring new golfers from a wide range of backgrounds within the local community and further afield.

Nicola teaches the Club’s Women Driving Forward campaign that sets up a pathway to golf, which has seen hundreds of women and girls take up the game for the first time.

In 2023, she hosted two primary school festivals at Bush Hill Park, accommodating
16 schools and over 200 pupils. She has also run classes for the Muslim Women’s Sports Association and is passionate about inspiring more young people from all backgrounds, particularly girls, into the sport.

Like the rest of the club, Bush Hill Park’s 18-hole course has not stood still. The 5,776-yard parkland layout recently having been which rated the fourth best in Middlesex by respected authority Top100Courses.com.

Neatly contained in just over 100 acres of suburban parkland, the course is not long by modern standards, but its par of 70, and a sextet of tricky par-three holes and four lengthy par fives, ensures that players must bring their ‘A game’ to score well here.

Some of the fairways are narrow, tree-lined affairs, although it broadens out in places to enable big hitters to open their shoulders on the par fives, three of which are well over 500 yards long.

The closing stretch of holes from 13-18 is especially memorable, with water coming into play on the par-four 17th. All in all, it’s an entertaining mix that will provide a challenge to all elements of your game in delightfully peaceful surroundings.

The installation of a state-of-the-art irrigation system back in 2018 has proved a life saver as faras the course is concerned during a series of hot summers, most notably in 2022, when many courses burnt to a crisp, and it’s more than paid its way in ensuring that quality playing conditions are maintained throughout the season.

In addition to its impressive golf course, Bush Hill Park also boasts a state-of-the-art swing studio, offering advanced swing analysis technology, including Foresight Sports’ GCQuad launch monitor to create a top-quality teaching and practice facility.

The studio is mainly used for lessons and club fittings but is also available to hire by the hour for individual practice or group games on a simulator.

Besides the course, the leafy North London club, located in Winchmore Hill and less than four miles from junction 25 of the M25, is an impressive destination, reached via a long sweeping driveway through beautiful grounds.

The club attracts visitors and hosts re- visiting societies year after year that enjoy the experience of the Club, which has been greatly enhanced in recent years with the Head Chef and in-house catering team serving an exciting menu in relaxed and recently modernised dining areas.

THE CLUBHOUSE

The clubhouse, the Old Park Mansion, is a locally listed building that has been home to its members since 1922 and provides an impressive venue for all occasions, with function rooms of various sizes, the recently renovated Ridings restaurant, contemporary lounge and sports bar, and spacious changing rooms.

The large patio at the front of the building, overlooking the 18th green, and a veranda at the rear overlooking the first tee, provide great places to enjoy a drink in the sunshine with stunning views of the course, making the club the ideal destination to spend time whether or not you’re playing golf.

The club bucks the trend of having one of the most active and vibrant social scenes in Middlesex, and hosts a diverse calendar of events and dining experiences throughout the year.

Continually evolving the member experience is a priority and has recently included the creation of added benefits with a new member referral scheme, special offers with local partners, and complimentary Country Membership with MASHIE Golf that gives members preferential green fees at premium golf clubs all over the UK.

All in all, the club continues to emerge as a destination for a broad range of players and visitors that are seeking a replete golfing experience.

To discuss summer golf days and membership opportunities, please call 020 3146 9892 or visit www.bhpgc.com.

 

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The Club is committed to enhancing the value of membership, with a strong focus on expanding member benefits through a wellness-driven approach. This includes fostering community connections by offering complimentary outdoor Stretch on the Green sessions in partnership with the local Nuffield Health branch, as well as exclusive rates at a nearby sports club. Additionally, members enjoy free Country Membership with MASHIE Golf.

With a perfect balance of heritage, modernity, and sustainability, Bush Hill Park Golf Club continues to set the standard for what a great golf club should be.

Its commitment to excellence ensures that it remains not just a place to play golf, but a true community for its members – one that will continue to thrive for many years to come.

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