Wimbledon Park Golf Club

Our Approach

  • Thorough preparation and analysis of legal parameters and stakeholder objectives
  • Engagement with all stakeholders to confirm objectives and to progress consensus
  • Presentation of deliverable and negotiated solution for formal consideration by stakeholders

We employed these capabilities when we advised the members of Wimbledon Park Golf Club.

Sector

The Built Environment
WPGC
AELTC

Public or Private: Private

Client Position: Seller

  • Company Profile
  • Transaction Background
  • What We Did
  • Outcome

Wimbledon Park Golf Club is an 18-hole parkland course set around the Wimbledon Park Lake, in the heart of London SW19. The club was owned by its members and held a 23 year lease for the golf course land. The freeholder was the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC) which is situated adjacent to the course and runs the Wimbledon Championships.

  • AELTC wished to buy back the golf course lease in order to use the golf course land to expand tournament facilities and had made a number of financial proposals to the WPGC members
  • After a period of internal discussions, the member appointed board at WPGC decided to appoint financial advisers to manage the process of engagement with AELTC and to ensure effective member consultation through a rigorous, impartial process
  • Working with legal and property advisers, Opus advised on extensive consultation with WPGC members alongside negotiations with AELTC to provide an optimal proposal for member consideration
  • As part of the process, the governance of WPGC required updating and reconstituting to provide transparent and effective decision processes and deliverable outcomes
  • A substantially improved proposal was negotiated with AELTC for consideration by WPGC members
  • Under the renewed WPGC constitution the pros and cons of the AELTC proposal (both financial and non-financial) were set out in a detailed document to inform a vote by members on the final AELTC proposal without any recommendation as to voting. The AELTC proposal was approved by special resolution of WPGC members