The Belfry’s Chris Eigelaar joins the UK Golf Federation board

Chris Eigelaar, Resort General Manager at iconic golf destination The Belfry Hotel & Resort has joined the board at the UK Golf Federation (UKGF). The resort has also joined the federation as a Premium Member.

The Belfry Hotel & Resort is renowned for its three golf courses, including The Brabazon and The PGA National, which are recognised as world-class, having previously hosted The Ryder Cup four times – more than any other venue in the world – and 19 European Tour events, producing some of the most dramatic moments in the history of golf.

Chri Eigelaar, who joined The Belfry in 2018, has led The Belfry through a hugely successful golfing year after hosting four major golf tournaments across all three of its world-class golf courses over the last year. This includes the British Challenge presented by Modest! Golf Management which took place on the par 72 PGA National Course in September 2021; The FootGolf UK Open 2021 on The Derby course in August; The Betfred British Masters 2021 on the award-winning Brabazon course in May, where Richard Bland triumphed to claim his maiden European Tour title at the age of 48; and the ISPS HANDA UK Championship 2020 in August 2020, also on the Brabazon course.

This year The Belfry unveiled its newly refurbished PGA National Academy, offering a unique variety of Toptracer Range products on-site and placing the resort on the map as a premier practice destination. The Belfry has also been awarded for its high-quality facilities and exceptionally high standard of service, as it retained its position as the World’s Best Golf Hotel, England’s Best Golf Hotel and England’s Best Golf Course at the World Golf Awards, and England’s Leading Resort and England’s Leading Conference Hotel at the World Travel Awards. To make golf more accessible to youngsters, this summer the resort launched several new junior golf programmes and is now the home of the Robert Rock Junior Tour, run by Midlands European Tour Professional Robert Rock.

Commenting on his appointment on the UKGF Board, Chris Eigelaar said: “It is an honour to join the UKGF board and for The Belfry to join as a Premium Member. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to share my passion for both golf and hospitality. I’m looking forward to working with the board and sharing my knowledge and support with the members of the UK Golf Federation.”

Doug Poole CEO of the UKGF said: “Chris brings a new vision to the board through his skills and knowledge of running a multi-service golf resort. His understanding of accommodation, functions and golf all working together will give us a unique insight into new areas of the business and enable the UK Golf Federation to support members better.”

The UKGF is a not-for-profit organisation now with over 1,200 member facilities whose aims are to represent and support the interests of proprietary, and operator commercial golf courses and driving ranges in the UK. It takes a key role in providing leadership in discussions with Government and golf’s governing bodies on all matters that impact commercially minded golf facilities. The Federation has a programme of benefits and opportunities for its members to enable them to understand and develop their business. Its mission is to “grow golf participation through open access golf facilities and grow the bottom line”.