Direct Golf was a location of low expectations. Not in the sense that we were unlikely to get in, but a derelict golf driving range is not the most exciting of venues to visit.
As we were passing the area, I figured it may be worth a look.
Parking was more of a problem here as it is in a town centre location, and we had to do a little walking to get to the deserted stretch of road leading up to what was once the building where you would pay for 50 or 100 balls to whack into a large field.
Sports Direct acquired Direct Golf UK in October last year after Direct Golf and its parent company,
Powerhouse Golf went into administration in the wake of serious cash flow issues and the discovery of alleged accounting irregularities that had rendered the business insolvent. Sports Direct already had a 25% stake in Powerhouse Golf.
Accounting irregularities? Someone tampering with the tills brought this leisure outfit to a close in 2016 as well as several other outlets around the country.
The area was deserted as we reached the main building which was not at all photogenic. There were security cameras perched on it, but they looked old and disused.
Similarly, the large fencing that we thought was going to give us a problem, turned out to be not a problem, need I say more?
At some point, Direct Golf had gone to some effort to lock this place down. Rusty razor wire coupled with ineffective anti-climbing fencing was still in abundance.
As a golfer, this place had a little more going for it than maybe some other explorers. Many times I have launched balls from these kinds of mats to improve my game.
The graffiti hounds had been here before us, none of the talented ones, unfortunately.
Looking down what was once the practice tees, I could see images of golfers gone by hitting balls into the field.
From the viewpoint of behind the tee, you would never find your balls again now. One bounce and it will be hidden in all that long grass and weeds growing out there.
The building area was completely sealed and yet it must have not been once. There was a lot of broken glass on the floor and but it was difficult to source the origin of it.
This sorry excuse for a golf ball I found around the back of the building. It's not even real!
How long is this mess going to stick around? It’s hardly the stuff of history and really should be demolished to make way for something else more useful.
We walked back down the road to find a puffing and panting massive Asian woman with a small child heading up toward the former driving-range.
There’s nothing there but what we saw and a dead end. What was that all about?
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