'We built golf centre on land I played on as a boy'

The founder of a golf centre in Cheshire has said it is a "very strange but incredible feeling" to be running the site on land he used to play the sport as a child with his grandfather.

James and Sophie Need created Need Golf near Nantwich, Cheshire, after golf professional James gave up touring when his wife became pregnant with their first child.

The centre, which opened in 2019, attracts more than 50,000 visitors a year, with many thousands more following on social media.

In recent weeks it has been named facility of the year by England Golf.

James Need said he treasured the site as it was somewhere "me and my grandad would grab a couple of clubs and some balls and smack them around".

The centre includes a driving range and academy, and James Need also provides coaching online. However, despite the success, there are no plans to build a golf course.

England Golf named the centre facility of the year for its "outstanding commitment to inclusivity, community impact, and redefining what a modern golf venue can be".

To be recognised by the sport's governing body meant the absolute world, said James Need, adding they had run family festivals, got local residents involved and worked to highlight the mental health benefits of the game.

Sophie Need, who has a background in architecture and property development designed the site, after her husband pitched the idea on their first wedding anniversary.

The 33-year-old said she never anticipated it would become the family business, and for the first year of trade, the only staff were the couple and their baby daughter.

"First day open, and we thought oh my gosh, we've got to actually run the golf centre now, we hadn't even thought about that, we'd just concentrated on building it!" said James Need, 37.

The couple are planning to expand the site in Worleston, but will not be creating a golf course, despite requests.

"We very much believe that off-course golf gets more people into the sport, so we're wanting to do adventure golf, wanting to build more bays because we are busy," said Sophie Need.

The aim is to also attract those who are not golfers and to encourage multiple generations to play together, she added.

"It's often I sit here in my office and see a little grandson who might be three, with his grandad... and it's so beautiful to see."

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