Couple who bought Kinmel Bay Golf spend £100k on modernising site

Erin Lloyd Jones, one of the directors at Kinmel Park Golf in Bodelwyddan, and her husband, Rhodri, 44, head PGA Pro, took over the site two weeks in April 2020, two weeks before lockdown, and four weeks before having a new baby. 

As the couple had only just taking over the site, they weren't eligible for government support. However, Erin and Rhodri have battled the storm and have since been able to invest in 20 Toptracer Driving Bays [a camera tracking system used on PGA and European tour]. Rhodri has also been able to transform his teaching bay into a "state-of-the-art" swing room and the driving range has been refursbished.

Rhodri at one of the Toptracer bays. Kinmel Park Golf has installed 20 top tracer bays (Image: Kinmel Park Golf)

Erin, co-presenter on BBC Wales’s Weatherman Walking, said: "The driving range was looking quite tired, so we’ve invested approximately £100,000 into the site. We’ve refurbished the driving range by painting and carpeting it with ‘grass’, we’ve made the range’s outfield like a golf course with flags and greens, invested money into the best golf ball you can buy for driving ranges [a two-piece, 100 per cent distance ball so it is like a true game of golf] and invested in machinery for groundskeeping. We are doing a lot of work improving the nine-hole golf course. We also have additional teaching aids such as an Explanar and Flightscope which are free to use and we’ve introduced junior and ladies group lessons.

"The 'biggie', the Toptracer, is a camera tracking system used on PGA and European tours. So when you see a shot on Sky Sports or on TV and see the trace of the ball, that is the technology we use at the driving range. With screens in 20 of our 23 covered bay range, people come down and can play golf against each other. We hold competitions each month such as ‘nearest the pin’ and there is an app people can download which creates a community. You instantly see how far you have hit the ball, its speed and launch angle."

Rhodri, who is orginally from Cefn Meiriadog near St Asaph, is a PGA Professional and after working for many years at Chirk Golf Club, he moved back nearer to home. He has taught at Kinmel Park Golf for the last 20 years.

As well as being a director and a tv presenter, Erin, who grew up in Ceiriog Valley near Llangollen, is a doctor of archaeology. 

The couple, who now live in an old farmhouse near Bodfari, have daughter Poppy who is aged two. 

Talking about some of the challenges during the pandemic, Erin said: "After having worked at the site for 20 years, Rhods had always spoken about how much potential the site had, but it needed injection of cash. It was definitely a passion project.

"Taking over in lockdown had its challenges, but also some silver linings. It meant that we had time to go in and do the improvements and refurbishments we had planned which would have otherwise been difficult if we had been open to the public.

Poppy, aged two, is already part of the team! (Image: Kinmel Park Golf)

"We had no income coming in and we weren’t eligible for the first government support grant because of the timing of when we took over. When restrictions first started to lift, golf was one of the first things we were allowed to do, as it is an outdoor activity. We temporarily moved all of the bays out on to the field and followed all of the guidance to ensure we were safe for our clients. When we first opened we had a huge influx of numbers – from those dedicated golfers really happy to be back playing, to others who had never tried the game before.

"Business started to boom. We were constantly striving to improve and make it better – and so came the decision to install Toptracer. We researched all of the different range technologies. We knew TopTracer was the market leader, but we wanted to explore every option. We visited other ranges and spoke to other owners and it was clear that it was the one to install. It offers a completely new experience to golfers rather than just standing there hitting balls at a target. Games are interactive; you can play a round of golf, even with friends, and can do this at the best golf courses, the really famous ones, such as St Andrews, Pebble Beach, Royal St George etc, right here in Bodelwyddan. 

"It is an absolute joy taking our baby Poppy to work too. We first took her in when she was a tiny baby and we weren’t even open. Since then she has almost become a member of the team, and regularly goes to meet and greet people with her daddy, collecting empty baskets, and sometimes you’ll even see her ‘helping’ in the pro shop."

Erin and Rhodri said the site is currently the busiest it has ever been.

"We’re really starting to get to know all of our clients, and loving seeing them improve their game," Erin added.

"For 2023, there are the more simple things to carry out to help the business and the environment. Work includes installing energy-saving bulbs in our floodlights - we’re open until 9pm, so need lights when it is dark. We do also have a few more exciting ideas to implement.

"Following the pandemic, we are really passionate about getting the tourism and hospitality sector in North Wales back on its feet, and thriving again. We’d love to hear from any local businesses who may be interested in collaborating."