Local Tour pro Hannah Burke has officially opened the new practice range at Essendon Country Club near Welwyn Garden City. The range is the latest phase of an ambitious long-term improvement plan.
Hannah Burke visited the club just before heading to China where she is to play in two Ladies European Tour events before finishing her season with another two appearances in India and Dubai.
During her visit Burke gave a clinic to members during which she displayed the skills which helped her to finish second behind Catriona Matthew in the recent Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Archerfield Links.
“The new range is fantastic,” said the 25 year-old from Welwyn Garden City who is currently in 32nd place on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit. “It’s exactly the sort of facility you need if you want to improve your game and I’m sure it will be very popular with members. I’ve visited Essendon quite a few times over the summer and there’s a real buzz about the place,” she added.
The new range is the latest phase of an ambitious long-term improvement plan put in place when the club was purchased just over a year ago by well-known local entrepreneurs, Kieran and Liam Griffin, and their partners Elaine Ratcliffe and Clare Griffin. They have invested heavily in upgrading both its Old and New Courses and extensive renovation work has also been carried out on its attractive clubhouse built around an original 16th century barn.
Essendon Country Club started life as Hatfield London Golf Club back in the 1970s but was re-named by its new owners who once owned Addison Lee, London’s largest minicab company. It features two 18-hole courses, the 6,808-yard Old course designed by Fred Hawtree and opened in 1976, and the 6,938-yard New Course, designed by the Landscape Design Company and opened in 1992. It also has a short 9-hole par-3 course which is ideal for beginners.
The club is situated in a picturesque 400-acre estate on the outskirts of the village of Essendon and close to the A1000 between Welwyn Garden City and Hertford. It is ideally located close to the M25, M1, A1 and A10 and is just 25 miles north of the centre of London.
