County Durham hotel to open £6m golf academy, leisure and entertainment hub
A County Durham Hotel is investing more than £6m with the intention of creating one of the UK's top golf facilities.
Ramside Hall, Hotel, Golf and Spa already has two championship courses, which bring players from across the region and nationally. Now, the hotel is building a multi-million-pound golf academy, leisure and entertainment hub. The development will include a 43-bay TopTracer driving range, a six-lane indoor bowling alley, sports bar with interactive electronic games such as darts and shuffleboards, pool tables and large screens which will show major sports events.
A new academy, which it is hoped will attract more golf professionals, will include new short game practice and coaching areas, a new retail outlet and a 120-seater function room. The phased opening of the development will take place between March and August.
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John Adamson, hotel owner, believes the development will not only benefit Ramside, but wider County Durham. He said: "These new facilities will have something for everyone, just for golfers.
"The bowling alley and the sports bar with the electronic games will hopefully attract people who just want to enjoy some fun activities but don't necessarily want to play golf. At the same time, the Golf Academy will mean that anyone who is interested in learning the game – or who wants to improve their existing game – can also make use of the state-of-the-art facilities."
Other developments at Ramside in recent years include a new spa and the opening of treehouses for guests to stay in.