AFTER the lifting of some of the lockdown restrictions on outdoor activities Wiltshire has welcomed the first steps towards normality.

None more so than the UK’s 900,000 regular golfers, who from March 29 have taken their first brave-steps back to the fairways and greens of their local club.

At Westbury Golf Club on the White Horse Country Park they’ve been doing just that in their droves.

The club has strong ladies and senior sections who regularly play during the week, a social aspect to golf club membership that’s often understated.

For many members it often becomes the heart of their social life both on and off the golf course.

Club committee member Bob Rawlings said: “Many of the relationships you build at Westbury Golf Club last a lifetime.

“With the recent focus nationally on combating loneliness, particularly during these unsettling and worrying times, I really feel like Westbury Golf Club is playing a pro-active part in helping tackle this.

“We’re a community that’s welcoming of everyone. Add to that the psychological health benefits of regular exercise that you get from playing golf.”

The nine-hole course at Westbury is set in mature parkland at the foot of the famous White Horse.

While the beautifully manicured fairways and greens, along with the stunning scenery, make for a memorable golfing experience – it’s perhaps more the friendliness and warm welcome that people remember after their visit.

Westbury Golf Club isn’t a championship golf course that aspires to sit alongside the famous venues we all see on television. It’s a golf club that’s comfortable in its own skin - offering an enjoyable playing experience for golfers of all abilities.

It welcomes those just learning the game or those who like a relatively flat aspect where the thought of trapsing 7,000 yards of hilly terrain is somewhat of a nightmare.Mr Rawlings added: “We’re proud to be an unpretentious club that welcomes newcomers and high handicappers.

“Golf should be about enjoyment – and tortuous courses that are long and tough aren’t much fun for most of us.”We offer a very playable nine-hole golfing experience, which you can of course play twice to make up your 18.

“It’s not about making a course that’s hard to play – it’s about making it achievable and enjoyable.

“That’s not to say it’s not without challenge: there are enough hazards and trees to keep you on your toes, you have to think your way around the course and choose your shots carefully rather than try and blast the ball a million miles.

As a result, the club’s membership is thriving and costs just £355 a year, less than £1 a day.It’s arguably one of the best investments in enjoyment, health and wellbeing that you could make.

Full details available at www.westburygolfclub.co.uk