Gary Walsh explains how Mill Green is removing barriers, building community links and proving that an inclusive golf club can still thrive commercially.
The Club at Mill Green's recognition as the Club of the Year at the England Golf Awards shone a light on a facility that has combined strong commercial performance with a clear community purpose.
Operated by the charitable organisation Get Golfing, Mill Green has put accessibility and inclusion at the heart of its approach. Graduated membership options, no joining or bar levy fees, a relaxed dress code and free memberships for under-18s have helped remove barriers to participation, while profits generated by the club are reinvested directly into the charity’s courses and clubhouses – with an aim to make them genuine community hubs – it’s people and local charitable and community initiatives.
From free school meals during holidays and complimentary use of facilities for charities, schools and community groups, to partnerships with organisations such as Isabel Hospice, the club has worked to create welcoming spaces that support wellbeing, connection and opportunity. Continued investment in the course, clubhouse, competitions calendar, junior section and academy has further strengthened that offer, with a new Advisory Board helping guide Mill Green's long-term role as both a successful golf club and a valued community hub.
For General Manager Gary Walsh, the route into that environment began with playing and coaching ambitions of his own. He moved to the UK at the end of 2017 after time in Spain, then joined Mill Green in 2018 and began his PGA training while working in the pro shop and coaching.
"I'd been in Spain playing and coaching," Walsh explained. "I was playing on EuroPro Tour, some Alps Tour events, and I enjoyed it but I realised I wasn't going to cut it on the playing side of things. I started at Mill Green in mid-2018 and worked my way through the PGA course while running the pro shop and doing some coaching."
The next step came in June 2020, when Get Golfing took over the facility and Walsh was offered the chance to move into club management. The opportunity meant stepping away from coaching, but the purpose being set out by founder Ed Richardson gave Walsh a different way to make an impact in the game.
"Ed, who was the founder of Get Golfing, sat down with me and offered me the opportunity to move into club management," Walsh said. "When he explained what he wanted to achieve and the sort of culture he wanted to create, that won me over. I was very intrigued and I wanted to be part of it."
Pictured: The team at the England Golf Awards, where Mill Green was named Club of the Year
That culture has shaped the way Mill Green presents itself to golfers, members and the wider community, and Walsh is proud to be part of an organisation where the ethos is to improve people's lives through a sport he loves.
"It's an amazing game," he said. "There are obviously all the physical and mental benefits of playing the game. We have incredible space and great facilities here, so it's opening them up to the community that we operate within and just making everyone aware that they're welcome. Ed used to say the golf course is for the golfers and the clubhouse is for everyone, and that's the way we operate on a day-to-day basis."
Membership is one of the clearest areas where that thinking becomes practical. Mill Green has created a more open route into the club, with a range of categories designed around different ages, lifestyles and playing habits.
"There are no joining fees for starters," Walsh explained. "It's very much open to everybody. The intermediate packages run from 18 to 34 years old, so at various stages you'll get a reduced membership fee. Then we offer a flexible membership, which is extremely popular."
The flexible membership runs on a points-based system and can be used across all 13 Get Golfing sites. Walsh said the category had proved valuable because it allowed people to belong to the club in a way that fitted around work, family commitments or changing playing patterns.
"With the flexible membership, you're no less of a member than anyone else," he said. "It's just a different way of paying for your membership. You can still play in competitions. You still get all the benefits that come with being a member. We've noticed this has really helped, particularly with members who are busy with work or getting a bit older and not able to play as much."
The club's facilities also support a gradual route into golf. With a grass driving range, a 9-hole short course and the main course on site, golfers can build confidence and take things at their own pace.
"We're definitely seeing more intermediates join the club, so it's reducing the average age," said Walsh. "We're seeing a lot more golfers in general, but a lot more women taking advantage of starting on the short course, then taking out a flexible membership and making their way onto the main course as soon as they feel comfortable."
The same approach is reflected in the club's relaxed dress expectations. Walsh said the emphasis was on conduct, comfort and making sure visitors felt able to use the facility without worrying about whether they looked the part.
"It's very much behaviour over appearance," he explained. "If people behave in the right way, everyone's welcome. You can have the best dressed person in the room that isn't behaving correctly, and somebody might be in a pair of jeans but behaving perfectly fine. We've definitely removed that so people feel a lot more comfortable. They don't have to think about what they're wearing."
Mill Green's community work is supported by Get Golfing's structure as a charitable incorporated organisation. Through the Fun, Food and Golf programme, the club works with schools, the Herts Sports Partnership, and the local council to bring children into the facility and introduce them to golf.
"At Mill Green alone, we've fed over 2,000 kids since 2020," Walsh said. "We identify kids who are usually in receipt of free school meals who’s circumstances mean they may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the game. They get invited over to get a breakfast. They'll have a golf session with the communities team or one of our pros, and then they get a hot meal afterwards."
Pictured: The club offers free memberships for under-18s
The club has also worked to give children a route back after their first visit. Walsh said one member, who started the Temper Gold foundation after losing his son, had helped provide equipment and funded coaching sessions.
"He's provided sets of golf clubs and funded coaching sessions for these kids," Walsh explained. "So it's not just that they come down when they're with the school – they can actually come down anytime, and we've removed cost, which is obviously one of the biggest barriers to entry for kids playing golf."
For juniors already spending time at the club, the emphasis begins with enjoyment. Mill Green runs a full competition calendar and a Saturday roll-up to help new members integrate, while its junior offer gives young players room to play first and progress when they want to.
"We do free junior membership," Walsh said. "If you come down here on Saturday or Sunday from two o'clock onwards, there's usually a bunch of kids who have booked tee times. There’s no competitive pressure, it's just a chance to go out and enjoy the game, and we'll find the ones that do want to take it further will develop into coaching and team matches."
The participation work is supported by a commercial model designed to keep the club sustainable. Tee-sheet management and dynamic pricing help Mill Green fill quieter periods, offer different price points, and generate the surplus required to reinvest in facilities and community work.
"We have to be successful commercially to be able to do the work that we do," Walsh said. "We operate dynamic pricing and really look at tee-sheet utilisation. You can play here from £25 on a quiet Tuesday evening to £60 on a busy Saturday morning, so it gives people options within different budgets to get out and play the golf course."
Mill Green is placing greater emphasis in measuring the impact of its offering, seeking to understand not only how many people engage with the club on some level, but what percentage come back.
"Over the last year, Get Golfing have engaged with over 12,000 people across our communities team," he said. "A priority moving forward is to measure the impact. It's lovely to say that we've given kids the opportunity to come down and experience the game and have a hot meal that they might not otherwise get, but we now want to be able to say how many lives we’ve improved through golf and how many young people have engaged with the club throughout the year."
While Mill Green's model clearly demonstrates how a more community-minded and inclusive approach can still yield commercial success and deliver member satisfaction, Walsh is mindful that not all facilities should feel compelled to follow their lead.
"I don't think we need to change the game as such," he said. "I think we just need to add more options. Clubs operating the way we operate removes barriers and gives people the option to get into the game. That can never be a bad thing."
The England Golf award brought recognition for the work being done across the board at Mill Green, although Walsh was quick to place that success in the context of the wider Get Golfing group.
"It was amazing for the team and everybody involved," he said. "From our communities team and the amazing work they do, to the greenkeeping teams across all of Get Golfing, because they present the golf courses in amazing condition on a consistent basis. It was amazing for everybody involved, but it's important to say that this is happening at 12 other sites as well."
For Walsh, the role has become rewarding in a way he had not expected when he first moved into the industry. Coaching still has its pull, but the scale of influence that comes with club management has given him a different way to contribute.
"Some days I miss coaching, of course, being on the range and helping people improve their games," he said. "But in my position, the impact that you can have across membership, guests, group golf bookings and even on the events side is very rewarding."
