A MAJOR Bournemouth golf course that has been hit badly by the floods is now involved in liquidation proceedings.

But the manager at Playgolf Bournemouth, Riverside, said customers and staff would be unaffected by the company’s financial troubles.

A meeting for creditors of Playgolf Bournemouth Ltd will be held on Monday, under the clauses of the Insolvency Act, which provide for the appointment of liquidators.

But Peter Gilbert, head of operations at Playgolf Management, said the intention was for the parent company to purchase the company out of liquidation.

He stressed the lease for the course was held by a separate company and it was not the facility going into liquidation but the operating business. “Everything’s trading as normal, there’s no effect on customers or members – they’ve all had letters telling them everything will be carrying on as normal,” he said.

He said staff had been trying to boost business at the golf course but their efforts had been scuppered when the River Stour, which runs through the course, flooded before Christmas. That left the entire course unplayable, though the putting green, driving range and restaurant are open.

“We’ve not had the course open since December 20,” he said. “On Christmas Day the river came over the entrance for the first time.

“We had 40 people booked in for Christmas dinner and we had to box up their dinners and hand-deliver them.

“If we can have three to four days of no rain, we can open. We’re pumping 2,400 litres a minute off the course at the moment.”

The meeting will be at 10.45am at the Hilton Hotel in Black Dam, Basingstoke, Hampshire.

Nick Stratten, of accountancy firm Turpin Barker Armstrong, said he could not yet answer questions about the extent of the company’s debts but said the information would emerge at the creditors’ meeting.

He said there would be a meeting of shareholders just before the creditors’ meeting. The meetings would be asked to approve the nomination of a liquidator to wind up the company’s affairs and distribute its assets.