Rossendale’s Adventure Golf opened by Paralympion Tom Hammer, local school children and 5 year old golf prodigy George Hughes

Lancashire’s newest family attraction opens will provide outdoor family fun for thousands of families and school children to promote physical and mental wellbeing

Rossendale’s brand new family attraction, The Squirrel’s Lair adventure golf course, has been given the official seal of approval by the Mayor of Rossendale, a young golfing prodigy, a Paralympic swimmer and 40 local school children who all attended an action-packed event on Thursday 24th March to mark its grand opening.

Now open to the public seven days a week, the 18-hole woodland themed immersive golfing experience, located at the American Golf Complex on Marl Pits Rossendale, has been designed to engage people of all ages with beautiful landscaping and interactive features including a rope pull raft, audio effects and life-like animal carvings. Carefully placed lighting means that the course can be enjoyed from morning through to night. Set in Lancashire’s rolling hills, it also boasts unrivalled views over the region’s countryside.

The attraction was officially opened by the Mayor of Rossendale and George Hughes (aged five), a rising star who has been playing golf since he was 18 months old and has raised thousands of pounds in memory of his late father by completing golfing challenges throughout the North West. Also in attendance were Paralympic swimmer Thomas Hamer (from Rossendale) and children from St Peter’s School, St Joseph’s School, St Veronica’s School and St James The Less School, who were amongst the first to try out the new course and pick up some tips and tricks from George.

Gary Favell, CEO of American Golf said: “What a fantastic opening day – we were absolutely delighted with the feedback from the children who were amongst the first to try out the course and it was an honour to welcome some truly inspirational sportspeople from the region to be part of the event – local hero, Paralympic swimmer Thomas Hamer and George Hughes – a rising golfing star and one to watch for the future. Not to mention the Mayor of Rossendale who did a fantastic job preceding over the occasion.

“The adventure golf course, coupled with the driving range mean that we now have first class facilities that will benefit people across the region for many years. The opening also marks an important first step in our ongoing engagement with young people as we work closely with schools to showcase the role golf can play in physical and mental development, as well as the mental health benefits of being in open green spaces and being part of a vibrant social environment.”

Louise Sedgwick, George Hughes’ mum, said: “It was a real honour to be invited to part of the opening of this fantastic new course. George is absolutely golf mad and so to be one of the first to play on the course and give him the chance to show off some of his skills and inspire other youngsters is really special.

“Golf has been a great thing for George to focus on since his dad died and you can’t underestimate the positive effects that the sport can have on young people’s mental wellbeing. It is great to see American Golf making positive strides to encourage even more young people to get outside and try something new in such a fun and interactive environment.”

Nathan Bibby, Schools Games Organiser for Rossendale, said: “This is an absolutely brilliant addition to the local area and a great way to engage younger people with the sport and discover new skills. We look forward to working closely with American Golf over the coming months and years to really showcase the many positive benefits of the sport and encourage more people to take it up at a younger age.”

Tickets are available to book now from www.squirrelslair.co.uk. Tickets are priced £7.70 for adults (16+); £5.50 for children (under 16) and £22.00 for a family of two adults and two children. All online bookings will save 10% off the prices listed. For birthday parties – several Adventure Golf and Driving Range packages are available with prices starting from just £13.00 per child.

Perfectly equipped for golfers of all ages and abilities, the American Golf Driving Range & Golf Complex is home to a newly refurbished, high-tech, two-tier driving range featuring 22 floodlit, undercover bays, each fitted with the latest Toptracer technology. The complex also boasts an expansive two-tier retail offering.
For more information on American Golf Rossendale please visit the website and follow @agrossendale on Facebook and Instagram. To find out everything American Golf has to offer please visit www.americangolf.co.uk.