A POPULAR golf club has been saved from closure after being bought by a major park and holiday home operator.

Sapey Golf Club had been set to close this summer but has been bought by Wyldecrest Parks, saving 26 jobs and potentially creating 30 more.

Alfie Best, chairman and chief executive officer of Wyldecrest, said the club would not only remain open but would expand as he announced there would be £500,000 of investment in the club.

Mr Best, who visited the club today (Wednesday) to reassure staff and members that the club still had a bright future, stressed that Wyldecrest was building on the excellent foundations established by the late Jim Preece who opened the course in 1990.

The company owns 62 parks across England, Scotland and Wales, including Saltmarshe Castle Park in Bromyard.

The announcement was greeted with delight by members and staff who had feared the club would close down and they would have to find somewhere else to play and, in some cases, work.

He said: "This is the best golf course in the area, a legacy left by the Preece family. To see something like this close would be beyond belief."

Mr Best said he felt Wyldecrest, as one of the biggest employers in the area, had a duty to keep it open for the local community.

The company wants to use the money to invest in a gym and leisure centre, an extended clubhouse and a steam room and swimming pool. Details of this remain at an early stage but he estimates the cash injection will create an extra 30 jobs.

The investment will also also pay for three lodges, which already have planning permission, so people can come to stay for a week or weekend to play golf.

The company takes over the running of the club on Monday and Mr Best said he would be spending three months at the club to make sure the operation is running 'to a tee'. It is hoped the lodges can be finished within 12 months but the rest of the scheme will require planning permission with work on the scheme still underway.

He added: "We hope to bring some major tournaments to the club. The reaction from the staff and team members has been overwhelming. They are passionate about Sapey Golf Club. This is not just a golf club to them. It's a second home.

"My job is to make sure Mr Preece's legacy continues for the next generation.

"All we ask for is that the local people come together to support a club that is historically attached to the area."

Mr Best said if the club had closed it would have left a hole in the heart of the community. He said: "That hole has now been filled."

Chris Welsh, a member since 1993, said: "I'm absolutely delighted. I didn't jump ship like a lot of people did. The course was Jim Preece's dream. It's a short but difficult course."

Mark Gwynn, a founder member, twice a past captain and the club's 25th anniversary captain, said: "I'm delighted. I have tried other golf clubs and it's just not the same."

Martin Childs said: "It's absolutely marvellous. People travel from Worcester to play here. That's how much they like it. There's good camaraderie and a good social scene. I think the club's ethos will certainly carry on."

Mike Pederson said because he thought the club was going to close he had joined another club but if he had known it would remain open he never would have left in the first place.

"I joined in 1997. The staff are superb. Every single one of the staff have been friendly, helpful, pleasant. You can't fault them from groundstaff to catering staff.

"The course has also matured. Look at it now. It's beautiful parkland. The greens are superb. I hope it has been saved."