ONE of Monmouthshire’s premier golf clubs will close its doors after 30 years amidst plans to turn it into a private residence.

The 18-hole Dewstow Golf Club near Caldicot, which also boasted a 24-bay floodlight driving range, will close its golfing facilities on Friday.

The venue once had a membership of more than a thousand people and was well-used by the golfing community in Monmouthshire and further afield.

It was also once home to another 18-hole course within its expansive grounds, but "financial pressures" were cited as a reason for its closure and has since reverted back to agricultural use.

Aside from its sporting facilities, the clubhouse also served multiple purposes, with weddings, wakes and parties being held at the clubhouse along Dewstow

Both the clubhouse and its grounds have since passed over to the ownership of Royston Phelps, of Chepstow, who has proposed to change the property's use from a leisure facility into a dwelling.

After plans were submitted to Monmouthshire County Council in June 2016, the remaining club members were allowed limited use of the facilities for the “foreseeable future”.

Planning documents submitted by architects CJ Projects, on behalf of the Phelps family, reveal that a property agent had attempted to market the property over two years but to no success.

The site was also passed onto Broadhall Development Company, which confirmed that there “was not an acceptable option for them to pursue on viability grounds.”

The letter also claims that a “major golf club developer” had shown “some” interest in the site but also dropped their interest as the site failed to offer an “acceptable financial position”.

On Sunday, the club played host to a “closely-fought” final of the the prestigious Gwent Cock ‘o’ North championship for the final time.

The game was played by four long-time members of the club, Tony Croke, John Chatfield, Richard Mignaud, and Chris Meddins in front of around 20 friends and family.

Mr Mignaud and Mr Meddins come out on top, with all four golfers progressing to the regional finals at the Monmouthshire Golf Club near Abergavenny in May.

“It was a bittersweet day, the club once had a lot of members and many of their children either played or worked here, either behind the bar or out on the grounds,” said Mr Croke.

“A lot of members moved have moved on to the likes of St Pierre in Chepstow or in Llanwern, so they’ve dispersed all over the county.

“Dewstow Golf Club will be a great loss to the staff, members and visitors and will be sadly missed.”