Probably far less traffic to sit in than getting to our training ground.
Doesn’t look anywhere near as big as ours though.
Members of golf club shut to make way for Leicester City say they are owed thousands of pounds in fees
Park Hill Golf Club is set to become Leicester City's training site.
Former members of Park Hill Golf Club, which shut suddenly in January to make way for Leicester City's new training ground, have told the Mercury they are owed thousands of pounds in fees they paid up front.
The golf club in Seagrave, near Loughborough, closed on Tuesday, January 16. It was later announced that Leicester City was buying the site to turn into an £80 million training facility.
Park Hill Golf and Fishing Ltd, a company headed by Loughborough businessman Alan Mee, ran the club and received the fees from members.
But at least a dozen members have told the Mercury that they have not been contacted by the company since the closure, and calls they have made and emails they have sent about money they want back have not been responded to.
The Mercury has made numerous attempts to speak to Mr Mee over the past two weeks, by phone, email and in person, but he has not been available.
Yesterday, Mr Mee told the newspaper he did not want to comment on members' claims.
The members who have been in touch with the Mercury said the amount they were owed was at least £145, based on them having paid the £175 fee for January, February and March. But for others, who have paid up to three years in advance – which costs £1,800 - the figure is much higher.
The golfers told the Mercury they understood that none of the 200-plus members had received any reimbursement. If that is correct, the total figure owned will be in the tens of thousands of pounds. Some also said they had up to £100 on their bar cards, used to obtain discounted food and drink. Paul Syer, 60, who lives in Seagrave and is owed about £145, said: “Nobody knows where anyone stands."
Mr Syer said members of the club were pleased when they heard that Park Hill Golf and Fishing Ltd was not going to be running the club anymore, because some had complaints about how it was being run and how the greens were being maintained. “But now this has happened," he said.
Steve Glennon, 51, of Keyworth, is owed about £725. He said: “I have a three-year membership and it’s been very frustrating. The problem is that the club was run by a private company and not a committee, so we never knew what was happening. “When the club closed it was a surprise to everyone – the members, the staff, the professionals. “There are between 200 and 250 members at the club and they’re all owed at least the fees for the outstanding two-and-a-half months they’ve paid up for.” Steve, who has been a member for about 10 years, said some members he knew were sending letters to Alan Mee’s home and business address to try to get a response from him. He said: “Nothing has come from any of it except dead silence.”
Two other former members, Terry Campbell and Richard Holdsworth, told the Mercury they were owed more than £700 but had received no replies to emails to Mr Mee, while Chris Johnson said he had paid £1,800 for three years of membership until 2019, and wanted his money back.
They had all been provided with a btconnect email address, but said there had been no response to their queries.
Staff at Park Hill were made redundant, without warning, on Tuesday, January 16, as
the Golf Club announced it was closing its course and clubhouse with immediate effect.
The club was opened for two hours on the morning of Saturday, January 20, for members to collect their belongings and for professionals Matt Ulyett and Matt Whelband to clear the shop’s stock, with a post on Park Hill’s website stating: “Emotions were high with many members in tears over the way the club had been closed.”
Annual events have been cancelled, while engaged couples have been forced to find alternative venues for wedding receptions.
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