Crown Golf grants Freedom

The fifth gear on your car. Shops which open on Sundays. 200-channel television.
We used to view these as life’s ‘extras’, but we now take them for granted. Products change, as society changes.
In comparison, the sport of golf hasn’t always had a reputation for moving with the times. However, today’s announcement from Crown Golf might change that.
Of the estimated 4 million golfers in the UK, less than 1.5 million are members of a club. So Crown Golf has created Freedom Play as a new way of joining a golf club, to encourage more golfers to take that step.
In Freedom Play, golfers pay a low annual subscription and get credits which they exchange for rounds of golf. Play at busy times and you use more credits: play when it’s quiet, and your credits go further.
The new option is now available at eight of the group’s golf clubs. Eccleston Park, The Bristol and Blue Mountain have trialled Freedom Play during the summer, and The Hertfordshire, South Essex, Stapleford Abbotts, Oak Park and Merrist Wood are introducing it for the first time this week.
“You can play in club competitions, get a golf handicap, and you belong to the club just like a full member” says Crown Golf CEO, Stephen Lewis. “It’s ideal if you’re one of the thousands of golfers in the UK who feels that they don’t play quite enough golf to justify a full annual membership.”
Surrey golfer Geoff Husband says this makes joining a golf club a less forbidding prospect. “I think it’s a good way to get more involved at the club where you regularly play. £295 is a more reasonable price for someone like me who only plays around three or four times a month.
“If I could play more often than that, then it would make sense to take up a full membership, but for now Freedom Play gives me the flexibility to play when I want, without the feeling that I am spending more than I need to on my golf. It’s a good balance, and fits the way my life is at the moment.”
The Crown Golf group is the UK’s largest golf club owner/operators, and is based at Blue Mountain Golf & Conference Centre in Berkshire.
Latest
-
News
Harry Hall bounces back from double blow to keep share of lead
Cornish rookie heads into final round tied at the top with American Adam Schenk.
-
News
Harry Hall opens three-stroke halfway lead at Charles Schwab Challenge
The Cornish rookie is chasing his first PGA Tour win after opening round of 62.
-
PGA Tour
England’s Harry Hall takes three-shot lead in Texas with career-best outing
He picked up eight birdies without dropping a shot and managed to save par from 15 and 30 feet.
-
Ryder Cup
Victor Perez to defend KLM Open title in race for Ryder Cup place
Perez has moved into the automatic qualifying places for the European Ryder Cup team.
-
PGA Championship
Michael Block in no rush to return to reality any time soon after US PGA heroics
Block almost stole the show from winner Brooks Koepka at Oak Hill, making a hole-in-one during the final round.
-
US Open
Tiger Woods withdraws from next month’s US Open
Woods pulled out of the Masters during the third round in April, saying at the time it was due to plantar fasciitis.
-
Ryder Cup
Brooks Koepka makes Ryder Cup statement with US PGA Championship success
LIV Golf’s Koepka moved up to second in the US Ryder cup rankings.
-
PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy proud of gritty effort at US PGA Championship
The 34-year-old followed an opening 71 with three straight 69s to finish two under par, seven shots behind winner Brooks Koepka.
-
PGA Championship
Club professional Michael Block relishing life-changing week at Oak Hill
The 46-year-old’s display captured the imagination of the spectators.
-
PGA Championship
Fifth major is the most meaningful, says US PGA champion Brooks Koepka
Koepka held off the challenge of Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler to claim a third US PGA title.