Sports & Recreation Clubs
T
he Phoenix Sports & Social Club is a green oasis in industrial south Yorkshire. Surrounded by business units and housing, with the M1 motorway just a mile away, the club
began life as a sports facility for the employees of the Rotherham steelworks of Steel, Peach and Tozer. As time passed and the club’s popularity grew, the facilities were increased and improved to incorporate a clubhouse and to cater for many different sports.
As the numbers employed at the
steelworks gradually diminished, the facilities were opened up to local residents until today, as a Social Enterprise Organisation, the club offers its facilities, not only to local steelworkers, but to the public as a whole, for sport, recreation and for functions.
Whilst the Phoenix provides for everything
you might expect from a ‘sports club’, such as football, cricket, bowls and numerous indoor activities, it is perhaps surprising to learn that the facilities also include an 18- hole course regarded as the ‘hidden gem’ of South Yorkshire. This 6181 yard, par 71 course has a strong membership and vibrant junior section that would be the envy of many top ranked clubs. It is certainly no ‘afterthought’. In 2011, the club was presented with Golfmark and Clubmark accreditation, which is seen as the final seal of approval from England Golf and Sport England. So, where to start? The site covers a total area of sixty
hectares, of which forty-two provide the golf course, with five used for football pitches.
The remaining hectarage includes the cricket facilities, bowls green and driving range. Graham Pickin is the Head Groundsman, a title that perhaps doesn’t fully describe either his current role or his career to date. He joined the army at the age of fifteen
and served into his twenties. “I joined the Junior Leaders in Canterbury and, after graduating, joined the 2nd Battalion Light Infantry in Germany. I also served two tours of Northern Ireland and was awarded the General Service Medal.” On leaving the army, and having an engineering/welding fabrication qualification, Graham set up his own horticultural engineering business (Barnsdale Mowers) where he serviced and repaired all manner of mowers, strimmers etc. His first greenkeeping job was as assistant at the Mid
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