THE fallout following the surprise closure of one of the county’s most popular golf clubs continues with members said to be angry they were "kept in the dark" over the situation.

In a statement, the directors of Raglan Parc Golf Club said they are “heartbroken by what has happened and apologise for the current state of affairs”.

They revealed there had been a breakdown in communications between them, and the landowners, Raglan Castle Properties Ltd.

The current lease on the golf club, the directors said, was signed in 2014 and would last five years, but despite indications the drafting of a new lease had been agreed in principle in September 2017 the landowners have since been unwilling to enter any negotiations, the directors allege.

“During 2018 we have looked to either negotiate a long lease or purchase the Land and Buildings from the landlords,” the directors’ statement read.

“They have not responded directly to any of our approaches.

“Without a long lease or the prospect of outright purchase it has proven impossible for us to raise the necessary finance to continue trading through the coming winter months.”

The club’s sudden closure was announced on Thursday, and while members have been able to attend the club to pick up their belongings, clear out their lockers, and fulfil arrangements already booked at the club, they were not given any prior warning the club would close down.

One member, who wished to remain anonymous, said it was “an absolute crying shame” the club had been forced to close.

“We weren’t consulted,” he said, referring to Raglan Parc’s roughly 450 members.

“We were just sent a cold email. It’s disgraceful. We are the lifeblood of the club.”

Many of the members, he said, attended an “emotionally-charged” tournament at the club on Saturday, which went ahead despite the club technically being close, because the plans had already been put in place.

Some members had been too upset to attend though, he added.

“We’re so tight-knit and we socialise with each other,” he said.

“There’s some positivity because we don’t want to lose what we’ve got.

“But there’s also sheer disbelief – it’s all up in the air until we get some answers.”

The same man said he believed many of the club’s members would have responded positively if they had been consulted and told a lack of money was the issue.

“If [the directors] had come to us, we would have injected money into the club to keep it going,” he said.

The Raglan Parc landowners, Raglan Castle Properties Ltd, were contacted multiple times by the Argus but declined to comment on the club’s closure.