History of Beedles Lake
Beedles Lake Golf Club and its surroundings have undergone several transitions to become the beautiful course that we see today. The clubhouse overlooks a magnificent 38 acre lake known locally as Beedles Lake, as in the 1950’s it was owned by Thomas Beedle. The land was sold to Jelson Ltd in the 1960’s for sand and gravel excavation followed by landfill.
It was at the Jelson Centenary Golf Day in 1987 that talk began of the possibilities of a golf course on the site. David Tucker a local golf course architect was keen to develop a golf course on the site and as Robert Jelley, MD of Jelson Ltd. was his son-in-law, he had the ideal opportunity. David was passionate about the pay and play ethos and wanted to bring a high standard of golf within the reach of everyone. He had already designed a number of golf courses including locally Lingdale, Oadby and Six Hills but it was his experience of designing many northern golf courses on Coal Board landfill sites that would be invaluable here. There then followed a working alliance that proved to be revolutionary in golf course design and build, that of golf course architect David Tucker with Jelson Ltd. the building company. The plans were drawn up and construction began. Now the alliance between a building company with excellent knowledge of drainage and construction and an architect with vision and design flair came into it’s own.
The sight was transformed into the beautifully landscaped course you see today, hundreds of trees were planted and some innovative construction ideas were used. Ash was used as the root-zone for the greens. This was against all advice on green construction at the time, but Jelsons organised experiments and showed it to be good growing matter with excellent drainage.The use of this material is the reason Beedles Lake never has to use temporary greens not even in the depths of winter.
The course opened on the 1st July 1993 and now hosts around 35,000 rounds per year with a membership of around 500. The course is constantly improving, now offering a stiff challenge for the most accomplished golfer. New bunkers, hazards, trees and shrubbery have been added over the years, and three holes were re-designed to add even more challenging and exciting features.
In addition to the 18 hole course, and to further the “Golf for Everyone” ethos of the club, we opened the “Little Owl” par 3 course in May 2014. Creating a challenging but fun course, suitable for golfers of all abilities was the aim, and the course has certainly gained a fantastic reputation from members and visitors. Ideal for time constrained golfers, and an excellent introduction for beginners and families, we offer superb golf at value for money green fees. The course has a very established feel despite only being opened recently, with natural features such as the stream, mature woodland and challenging green design all adding to the experience.We believe the “Little Owl” is a unique challenge, and not to be missed.
The excellent clubhouse has since been extended twice to accommodate demand, the new function room can seat 150 to dinner and overlooks the beautiful lake which gives the club its name. The lounge bar was modernised in 2011, and offers a relaxed and family friendly atmosphere, with quality menus and ales available 7 days a week.