Tomorrow will be the last day to play Fernhill golf course, as the course is set to close for the last time on 31st August.  Owner Michael Bowes has confirmed his intention to close the course at the end of the month, citing an ongoing trading loss as the reason.  This follows the winding down of the golf club in Fernhill in 2016.  The owner did not offer members the option to renew their membership after December 2018 and since then the course operated under a pay and play basis over the past eight months.

Fernhill is the latest casualty in the industry.  Ringenane, Blarney, and Harbour Point all closed over through the past decade.  Many golfers questioned Fernhill’s ability to reverse trading losses with the loss of the club revenues.  Last year in an email to members the ower cited extensive losses in the off peak season and intimated that these were unsustainable in the long term.

A few months ago Bowes put the hotel in Fernhill up for sale with a guide price of €4.5m.  The golf course and clubhouse was not included at that time.  The entire property which covers approximately 80 acres was designated as a Strategic Land Reserve in the recent draft Local Area Plan, indicating potential for housing development in the future.