New operator takes over running of council-owned Hemel Hempstead golf course
A council-owned golf course near Hemel Hempstead will have a new operator from October, it has been confirmed.
Little Hay Golf Complex will be run for the next 15 years by an as-yet-unnamed operator after a decision was reached by Dacorum Borough Council’s cabinet at a meeting last Tuesday.
Council leader Sally Symington said it is “very exciting” news, while Adrian England, portfolio holder for place, said it is “a very good thing” for the council to own a course and added: “It’s also good that the council makes sure that it is run well and that it gets good value from the process.”
Currently, the complex is run by Dacorum Sports Trust, which paid the council a management fee of £42,000 for 2025/26, but their contract expires on October 1 this year.
18 companies expressed a formal interest in running the golf course, with three submitting a full bid for its management.
A council report said that the preferred bidder had “scored well” on the technical quality of its offer, which included their approaches to prices, repairs and golf development activities, and found that it had comfortably outperformed the other two bidders on commercial criteria.
The golf complex includes an 18-hole course, as well as pitch and putt, foot golf courses and a 23-bay driving range.