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.