Pride as Stanedge Golf Club is named one of the best in the country

Stanedge was one of four nominees, the others being the Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club, Dunnerholme Golf Club in Cumbria and Bush Hill Golf Club in London, which was named as the eventual winner.

And despite not taking the award, Tate, a former PGA Tour professional who bought the club in 2019 after it had initially closed down, says it is a sign of how far it has come in that time.

She said: “We felt a real sense of pride and were honoured to have been shortlisted for the award. It’s really nice to feel that all of the hard work we’ve done in the last two years has been recognised and appreciated.

"I was keen to stress to everyone not to be disappointed if we didn’t win and it certainly didn’t spoil our evening – just to be there and showcased was a wonderful thing.”

Tate says a vast amount of work has had to take place since she arrived to bring the club not only back to life, but also make it the thriving and high quality facility it is today.

She said: “We’ve worked so hard together and it’s been down to that and sheer determination. We had a vision in place as to where to go and are always looking to progress and strive to improve inside and out.

"It shows what we can do even with a small team. It’s not a financial thing, it’s from real hard work and pulling together.”

Tate added that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for Stanedge GC, as with other clubs, but that it also provided opportunities too.

She said: “I wanted to turn a negative into a positive and have a focus. Among the jobs we did was sorting the drainage and resurfacing the car park – there was no outsourcing and I even found myself driving a two-ton drum roller to help get it done! These things would have been more disruptive if we’d been open.

“I was only able to furlough one person as so many staff were new, including our greenkeeper who started the day before lockdown, so it was a challenge with all the running costs continuing and the financial pressures.

"But we are now back fully open to members, with visitors at certain times too, and our membership numbers have stayed strong, including some younger ones who were unable to play in team sports during the pandemic, and who we’re now keen to retain as things get back to normal.

"We’ll never sit still, are always keen to make the club better and I want it to be the best it can be.”