We are the Nolan family, I am husband John a PGA Pro, my wife Julie and our daughter Hollie.
We hail from Manchester but have spent recent years in Turkey, Iceland, Denmark, France and Egypt where I have worked in Golf Resort Management and Project Management.
Now the travelling trio plan to stick around in North Wales and make Moss Valley Golf Centre a force to be reckoned with.
The nine hole course is council owned but we have taken over the long term lease and have big plans for the complex which is situated in a picture post-card location.
We've only been here a short time and the response has been fantastic. In the ten months the course was closed the grass had grown to waist height and the clubhouse was totally run down. During the first four weeks we stripped the whole place, repaired and refurbished the interior, bought new furniture and fittings, put in Sky TV and also added a small pro shop and office.
It's unrecognisable. I'm still smirking to myself when I look out and see what we've managed to achieve in such a short space of time.
I have been involved in much of the work out on the course, although the re-appointment of the former green-keeper was the key.
John Parry moved from Moss Valley to Carden Park but he's come back and has just worked wonders on the course. The hours he has put in have been phenomenal.
We have used a Telford-based company to scarify the greens for us but we've done the rest of the work ourselves. It was risky to scarify when we did because it wasn't really the right time of the year, but the weather was unseasonably warm and dry in early October and we were lucky.
Now featuring a cafe/bistro, members are already flooding back. We aim to have 50 members by Christmas but we surpassed that in the first four weeks, and now i'm hoping to have 100 by the end of December 2007 and 200 by the end of March 2008.
The course is badly needed and has a very strong local community feel about it. The number of golfers in the area is incredible. We've left no stone unturned when it comes to making the locals aware that Moss Valley is alive and kicking.
Planned improvements for the future include a covered seated area outside, a synthetic practice putting green, a Himalayas style putting green, practice nets, new tees and pathways, improved drainage, an extended sixth green and building into the roof space within the clubhouse.
I have worked with the likes of course designers Dave Thomas and Peter Dye, and concluded: After spending years making money for other people I have decided to have a project of my own. I know if we do things the right way then we'll all be rewarded in the long team.
