GOLF: If everything goes according to plan, Waldringfield Heath Golf will have a new look in just over two years time. Although the golf club has had an application for holiday homes and a leisure centre to include two residential plots turned down, it has gone to appeal.

IF everything goes according to plan, Waldringfield Heath Golf will have a new look in just over two years time.

Although the golf club has had an application for holiday homes and a leisure centre to include two residential plots turned down, it has gone to appeal.

Alan Clarke, managing director at Waldringfield, said: "We have withdrawn our application to have two residential plots and I'm hopeful we will have planning permission in the next three months.

"If that happens we will start work. A bowls green will be laid first and then 20 holiday homes followed by the leisure centre.

"I think a realistic time scale would be two years before everything is up and running."

In recent weeks there have been plenty of rumours about the future of Waldringfield Golf Club and about things that are supposed to be happening.

But Alan said: "There's been so many rumours and the vast amount of them make no sense at all.

"In fact, we've had quite a laugh about them. On the other hand, they are not funny and some of them can be quite damaging."

Towards the end of last year there was a change in direction at the club with Robin Mann, the director of golf, leaving and also Les McWade, who had been secretary since the club first opened 18 years ago.

Alan has taken over as managing director and Rex Osman is working in the professional's shop.

"In my opinion Waldringfield has massively improved," said Alan.

"We have a new regime, the introduction of booking tee-times has been very successful and we're not getting the level of problems we were.

"The subscriptions this year will be the same as last following two or three years of hefty increases.

"We've had a good influx of new members and there is only a limited amount of memberships available to take us up to our capacity of 650.

"We have no plans to make changes on the golf side except for small improvements and all the changes that have been made have been positive."

There has, however, been a specific problem with the greens recently, but Alan said they would be fine by the spring.

"We have constant traffic on them throughout the year and they never get a break," he said.

Waldringfield has come a long way since it first opened as a nine-hole course and will be boosted even further if planning permission is granted to put up holiday homes and a leisure centre.