Data-driven
Decades of planning expertise
Unparalleled golf insights
We use comprehensive data and golf industry expertise to help clubs facing structural, environmental and financial pressures take control of their future.
As the only golfing partner that combines data, planning and golf expertise, our comprehensive national dataset covers every golf facility in Great Britain and gives us a unique insight into each club's challenges.
We help pinpoint where relocation is viable and how it can be delivered with no break in play. From early feasibility studies and land promotion to planning, funding and delivery, we manage the entire process through one evidence-based framework. No other company offers the same combination of golf industry insight, data expertise and track record.
Custodian Golf’s unique data identifies that 1 in 5 clubs in Britain are so distressed they could face closure.
Our data tells your story.
Our bespoke dataset reveals a sport under strain, but not beyond saving.
Only 1% of members are women aged 20 to 50, the most critical demographic for family participation.
Gender imbalance
6% of English courses have more than half their land at high flood risk.
High flood risk
55% of clubs reinvest less than £50,000 a year in their facilities, a level that barely keeps the lights on, let alone builds for the future.
Deteriorating facilities
Nineteen percent of golf club members are already over 75, with average male life expectancy at 78.
Age imbalance
Almost 40% of clubs generate only a small annual surplus, and 12% have no financial cushion at all.
Financial fragility
40% of clubs say their boards are volunteer-led, and 69% admit performance is reviewed only informally or not at all.
Governance strain
Why you can trust our data
No one else can offer this level of insight.
The Custodian Golf national golf club database is two years in the making and covers every golfing facility in Great Britain. We built it from scratch using only the very highest quality datasets from Ordnance Survey, the Office for National Statistics, and many more. We are constantly monitoring and improving the database as the golf club landscape changes. This is how we are able to offer unique insights into the physical, financial and demographic challenges all clubs now face.
How relocation can help your club
Relocation can sound like a radical idea, but in reality, it is a structured, viability assessed and evidence-led process.
Relocation allows clubs to:
1. Move from constrained or flood-prone land to modern, sustainable sites.
2. Unlock land value to reinvest in new courses, clubhouses and practice facilities.
3. Create environments that attract younger members and families.
Relocation is not about abandoning history. It ensures the club, its members and its heritage continue for the next 100 years.
The successful relocation of Royal Norwich Golf Club
Members of our leadership team oversaw the successful relocation of Royal Norwich Golf Club, a project that was runner up in World Golf Development of the Year. The project involved every aspect of transition: member engagement, governance, planning, funding and delivery.
This project shows how our real-world experience combined with expertise in golf analysis, finance, project management, planning and new course development enables Custodian Golf to deliver end-to-end club relocations without interrupting play. No other UK partner or land promoter offers such a complete, bespoke service.
How we work
Turning evidence into action
We begin with data, not opinion. Custodian Golf’s unique Great Britain dataset reveals each club’s financial, environmental and demographic reality, giving boards a factual foundation to understand options and plan confidently for the future.
1. Evidence
We translate evidence into strategy. Through detailed feasibility and site modelling, we assess reinvestment, repurposing or relocation options, identifying the most sustainable route to secure long-term stability and member confidence.
2. Planning
We turn strategy into reality, managing planning, funding, construction and communication through one evidence-based framework, guaranteeing continuity of play, transparency for members and a sustainable, future-ready facility.
3. Delivery
In the Press
Explore national media coverage for the challenges faced by golf and how Custodian Golf is leading the charge to help.
Golf Shake
Golf Club Talk UK
Greenkeeper
The Courier & Advertiser