I first heard about the plan of the Menai-Davis family to hire the renowned Dye Designs to build their new golf club The Dye London in 2013. Actually, Perry Dye designed the Dye London golf course. The construction began in early 2015. They expect to open the new golf course the early 2020s.
They received the permission to build an 18-hole golf course with luxury clubhouse, practice facilities, car parking and landscaping on land southeast of the A41 / M1 Junction 4.
In tribute to the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, they will feature an island green on the short 7th hole (see top left corner of the map below). Another notable feature will be a large lake, shared by both the 9th and 18th holes.
The golf course will be over 7,000 yards in Tour configuration but will offer multiple tees for handicap golfers.
The owners intend to mimic the concept of The Shire London. Namely, offering high quality at an affordable price to a small controlled membership and 7-day access to the general public. They consider their main competitors:
- The Grove,
- Woburn Golf Club.
Tony Menai Davis said, “Initial demand for the Dye London has been phenomenal, among those who knew that it was coming, and we hope to repeat the success of the Shire, which launched with a fully sold membership in 2007.”
It was interesting to hear from Tony Menai Davis that he believes “Many golfers these days, especially younger ones, don’t want to be part of a traditional member’s club, and prefer to play less frequently but at spectacular high-quality golf courses – like the Tour venues they see on TV, or when they go on a golf holiday”.
I think Tony Menai Davis is referring to Millennials and the Generation Z. He is almost totally right. What golf club owners like him need to understand is that the younger generation assigns greater importance of personal experiences. These experiences should be meaningful and shareable!
The Dye Club should also prove that their golf club is a place for quality time (e.g. networking events, fitness facilities).
They have not disclosed if they are going to have a gym or fitness services, but such services would attract younger people. I also miss what will they do to achieve sustainability.
