Update on The South Buckinghamshire Golf Course and Farnham Park
Councillors have met with Wycombe Wanderers Football Club
16th February 2026
Cllr Carter and Cllr Crocker have met with Tim Davies of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club to better understand what the future plans might be for these sites. Please see the latest update:
Dear Stoke Poges Parish Council,
I am writing to provide an update on the progress at Farnham Park Playing Fields and South Buckinghamshire Golf Course following our meeting earlier this month, and to outline the next steps being undertaken by Wycombe Wanderers Football Club in partnership with the Council as trustee for the site.
As you’ll be aware, in August 2025, working closely with colleagues at Buckinghamshire Council, we announced a new partnership to secure the long-term future of the Farnham Park Playing Fields and South Buckinghamshire Golf Course as a flagship sporting hub for the community.
Together we share a vision for the site that it becomes a modern, multi-sports hub with inclusive facilities that will significantly increase opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds across the community to play sport and be active.
Following the comprehensive process run by the Council as trustee, the Club was selected as the preferred leaseholder, and we are now preparing to take overall responsibility for operating and managing the sites by 1 April 2026.
Since being selected, I have spent time meeting with the organisations and clubs using the playing fields and golf course. We’ve also used the previous few months to appoint our expert team and explore what is possible across the whole site. This includes the appointment of the award-winning architecture and design practice, KSS architects, who will lead the design process.
KSS have a track record in delivering complex sports and leisure projects, having worked on a range of high-profile schemes across the UK and internationally. Over recent months, they have been working closely with us to begin developing a detailed understanding of the site and help shape a deliverable long-term approach for its future.
Alongside this work, we have also been reviewing the future operation of the golf course which the Club will be responsible for shortly. In recent years, the golf course has seen declining usage and has become financially unviable to operate. A key pillar of our vision is to bring financial stability and sustainability to the site and to do this we are proposing to make some changes to the golf course and overall model.
From April 2026, we are therefore proposing to move to a 9-hole course, supported by an academy (small short-game practice holes) and putting green to diversify the offer. This approach is intended to revitalise the course, making it more flexible, inclusive and attractive to families, young people, casual golfers and experienced players alike. We see this as a first step towards widening participation in golf, making phased improvements to the facilities, and putting the course on a more affordable and sustainable footing for the future.
To do this, we will be using the existing holes located at the southern end of the golf course as the 9-hole course, and discontinuing use of the holes located in the northern part of the course. The northern part of the course will remain as wider green space for the immediate future, and we will continue to maintain the public footpaths / rights of way.
Since coming onboard, we have been consulting with Sport England, England Golf and other governing bodies on these plans, and we have been in regular dialogue with the two golf clubs who use the course. Throughout this early engagement we have been clear that our plans would involve exploring changes to the course layout, operations, and memberships. Once we take on the day-to-day operations, we plan to run the course on a 100% pay-as-you-play basis for all golfers, with affordable pricing, to attract the widest possible usage. This means that we will no longer be in a position to provide specific arrangements for the two clubs by reserving blocks of tee times or offering separate advance booking and green fees for club members. We have today held a meeting with both clubs to communicate these changes and reiterate that they continue to be welcome to play at the course and enjoy the facilities.
Later this year, we intend to consult more widely on proposals for the whole site. This will enable the wider community to understand our plans and share their views on our ambition to invest in modern, high-quality facilities and to create a lasting home for community sport, recreation and wellbeing.
We remain committed to keeping you and the wider community informed as this work progresses and will be back in touch with you on the next phase of the project before any wider public engagement takes place.
Yours sincerely,
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club
The Parish Council is continuing to communicate with Wycombe Wanderers so we can see what plans might be coming forward. We will share timely information as we receive it.
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