Refinancing to unlock year-round growth for a golf club

Beamish Park Golf Club is a well-established golf course in the North East, serving both members and visitors. Like many leisure businesses, the club was looking to move beyond seasonal reliance and invest in improvements that would support a more sustainable, year-round offering.

The challenge

While the club’s trading performance was improving, historic borrowing and costly hire purchase agreements were creating ongoing financial pressure and limiting the ability to invest.

The business needed to refinance its existing lender, simplify its funding structure, and release capital for improvement works. However, this was not a straightforward proposition for a traditional lender.

The funding request involved:

• an unconventional asset in the form of a golf course
• non-executive directors who could not provide personal guarantees
• a requirement to assess the opportunity based on forward-looking projections rather than historic accounts alone

What was needed was a lender willing to take a holistic view of the business and its future plans.

The solution

Working in partnership with broker WE ARE UMi, FOLK2FOLK provided £400,000 of property-backed funding to refinance the existing lender and consolidate expensive hire purchase agreements.

The facility was structured to:

• ease immediate financial pressure
• release funds for course improvement works
• support the club’s medium-term growth plans

With a robust business plan and improving projections in place, the funding acts as a stabilisation loan, giving the club time and headroom to continue strengthening performance. The expectation is that the business will be well positioned to refinance back to a tier-one lender within the next three to four years.

Why FOLK2FOLK was the right lender

This was not a standard refinancing; it was a situation where flexibility, experience, and a willingness to look beyond standard lending criteria mattered.

FOLK2FOLK was a good fit because we could:

• lend against an unusual asset type
• proceed without personal guarantees
• take a forward-looking view based on improving accounts and credible projections
• structure funding aligned to the club’s medium-term plans

This forward-looking, relationship-led approach created the space the business needed to move towards a more resilient future.

Broker perspective

The deal was introduced by WE ARE UMi, who worked closely with both the borrower and FOLK2FOLK.

Reflecting on the transaction, the broker commented:

“The thing I value more than anything is sticking to initial expectations.”

That consistency, from initial conversations through to delivery, was key to getting the deal over the line.

The outcome

With the new funding in place, Beamish Park Golf Club can now:

• focus on improving the quality of its facilities
• invest for the future rather than manage short-term constraints
• continue its journey towards becoming a more resilient, year-round destination

This deal is a clear example of how property-backed finance can be used not just to refinance, but to unlock growth.

Looking for funding to refinance and invest in your business?

Explore how FOLK2FOLK supports leisure and tourism businesses across the UK.