Abbeydale Golf Club is in the running for Club of the Year at the England Golf Awards, with General Manager Nigel Perry citing a club-wide effort for its success.
General Manager Nigel Perry praised his entire team and members at Abbeydale Golf Club after being nominated for Club of the Year in the England Golf Awards 2025.
The Yorkshire club is among three finalists for the prestigious prize, with Potters Resorts Five Lakes Golf Club in Essex and Shirley Golf Club in Warwickshire also in the running.
Describing the club as “one big family”, Nigel expressed his pride at receiving the nomination and insisted it takes a team effort to truly stand out, with staff and members all pulling in the same direction.
“It is a great honour to have been nominated as a finalist for the England Golf Club of the Year Award,” he said. “I strongly believe that Abbeydale is a very special club and we are excited to be recognised for our achievements and hard work.
“The club is a team, one big family. From the excellent Board of Directors led by Chair Angela Lord, through to the departmental teams of management office, green, food and beverage, PGA Professionals and housekeeping.
“Of course support is also needed from our membership and at present I am delighted to say that all aspects of the club are in a very positive position to be able to deliver and for the members and guests to enjoy.”
Despite having received such a ringing endorsement by being shortlisted for a major national prize, Nigel knows Abbeydale cannot afford to rest on its laurels as he looks ahead to the possibility of being crowned Club of the Year.
“We realise the need to continue to develop and evolve to stay current,” he said. “Communication is key. We conduct detailed online surveys which cover all aspects of the club and we listen to our members and where possible address their concerns.
“To win the award would be a phenomenal accolade for the club and validation for the whole team’s tremendous efforts in providing such an amazing place to work and play.”
‘Respectfully Progressive’ — Nigel on what makes Abbeydale stand out…
Abbeydale is a Herbert Fowler designed golf course and is considered by many as a ‘hidden gem’ and a ‘must play’ when visiting North Derbyshire or South Yorkshire. We have an extremely well-respected Course Manager who constantly strives to improve and upgrade the course. It is a wonderful place to learn, improve and play golf within a safe environment. We have a great group of members, combined with excellent staff in all departments, green, food & beverage, PGA Professionals, office & housekeeping. We are led by a pro-active Board of Directors who are forward-thinking and help to make up a great all-round team.
Being founded in 1895, like many older clubs we have a history to be proud of. As we evolve and make modern-day adjustments, our brand going forward is recognised as being ‘Respectfully Progressive’.
In a modern-day environment, we do not have membership interviews, but instead offer ‘welcome meetings’ to our applicants. We emphasise the hope that all new members will grow to love the club as much as we do.
We have always retained a joining fee for those over 18 years of age. This provides members who are fully committed to the club. We encourage partners, spouses and families to join. A partner or spouse is entitled to a 50% reduction on the joining fee.
We have four PGA Professionals who are extremely dedicated and committed to help drive the success of the club. They offer a wide range of coaching opportunities to new and existing members through a number of initiatives, including an extensive junior programme for all ages and abilities (we currently have 95 juniors); Girls Golf Rocks; a mixed Academy which operates a two-year program and recruits a dozen new members biannually; new to golf lessons and member lessons in our indoor and outdoor teaching facilities.
The Indoor Golf Studio was installed in 2020. It is a fabulous addition, providing a space to practice, receive lessons from our Professional Team, or play indoor golf when the course is unplayable. It also provides a place where our older/less mobile members can still enjoy golf without having to walk the course.
We offer a variety of membership options. As well as the 7-Day and 6-day membership, we offer special rates for 19-35-year-olds to help drive in the younger golfers. 5-day is offered to older members wishing to reduce their playing days and costs. We also offer a further reduced membership of 12 rounds and social aimed at the same type of member.
New members on the wait list can be offered a ‘One Day Sunday’ membership, providing a weekly connection, but also includes full social membership. This helps them to get used to and, we hope, fall in love with the club. It also guarantees membership at 6-day or full from the following year. We currently have a large waiting list.
Our catering offering is also exceptional and well supported by the membership with events frequently becoming fully booked within a couple of hours of being advertised. We have three in-house chefs, offering from the basics of bacon sandwiches and tea or coffee on arrival, to one, two or three-course meal menus, all the way up to a monthly eight-course gourmet taster menu evening. Every Friday we offer a Happy Hour (okay 1 ½ hour) and Friday evening pub-style food. Our variety of choices are there to suit all members pockets. We are also a popular venue for visiting groups for lunch, dinner and celebration parties, as well as being a much sought after venue for wakes and celebration of life functions.
