La Grande Mare: First step complete in building a lasting world-class sporting and hospitality legacy for Guernsey
- New Golf Performance Centre opens at La Grande Mare on Saturday 1 November
- Work continues on the course and County Club
- Owner Steve Lansdown says the world-class facility is being built to create a lasting legacy for the island
The first major milestone into developing La Grande Mare as a world-class sporting and hospitality destination has been passed.
A new Golf Performance Centre opens its doors on Saturday 1 November, part of a vision to create a lasting legacy that radiates beyond the sport with development continuing on the wider Country Club.
The centre itself has ten undercover bays where after striking the ball golfers get instant feedback on its flight. There are virtual courses and games to practice skills, as well as dedicated instructor spaces.
Development focus now moves on to the golf course, which will be open next year, while work on the buildings for the Country Club, which will be a focus for dining, health and leisure, is also said to be moving on a pace.
“In very simple terms, I did fancy building a golf course, just because that was one of my hobbies, and I thought it'd be fun, but it leads into more than that,” said La Grande Mare owner Steve Lansdown.
Meet the team behind La Grande Mare
Steve Lansdown, owner
Steve Lansdown CBE is a British entrepreneur and investor. He co-founded Hargreaves Lansdown in 1981, a financial services firm that has grown into one of the UK’s largest independent private client brokerages, managing approximately £157 billion in assets for 1.9m clients.
He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1975 and was awarded a CBE in the 2017 Birthday Honours List for services to Business and Community in Bristol.
Moving to Guernsey in 2010, he established his family office “Pula”. With investments in areas such as Financial Services, Sport, Aviation, Tourism and Renewable Energy, Pula has established itself as a leading investment institution.
Sue Shapcott, Golf Performance Director
Sue Shapcott specialises in golf instruction and club fitting, but also plays a crucial role in managing the facility, training golf staff, and ensuring clients have an enjoyable experience at the Golf Performance Centre.
Sue brings extensive professional expertise, including a tenure as the head of training for the British PGA. She also worked with top-ranked instructor Hank Haney. Career highlights include playing as a member of the winning Curtis Cup team (the youngest player and point scorer) and achieving a victory at the 'Best of Madison' award for her golf instruction business.
Liam Smyth, Director, Vistas Beach Café & La Grande Mare Project Team
Liam Smyth has been shaping Vistas’ growth since taking over the café in 2022, managing day-to-day operations and a team of 25 staff.
A member of the La Grande Mare project team, he has coordinated the food and beverage setup, overseeing furniture design, and implementing new operational software systems.
Grace Dovey, Ecologist / Environmental & Sustainability Operations
Grace Dovey brings over five years of experience in ecology, biodiversity, and sustainable operations to La Grande Mare.
Her work involves conducting ecological assessments, developing biodiversity action plans, and ensuring sustainability principles are fully integrated into operational processes. She collaborates with architects, planners, and environmental bodies to enhance biodiversity, protect habitats, and ensure compliance with environmental standards.
“I look at the opportunity, I look at the benefit it can bring. Everything's about making a difference, and I feel this makes a difference to Guernsey.
“I'm very proud to be part of it. I'm glad I could bring it here. In 50 years time, when I'm no longer on the planet… hopefully people will be looking back on this and look at this facility and be saying, ‘what a fantastic facility, isn’t Guernsey lucky to have it’.”
Part of the vision is for La Grande Mare to be a destination contributing to the island’s wider economy.
“La Grande Mare itself when it’s completed will be an attraction for people to visit Guernsey, bring people onto the island, bring business onto the island, and the golf will be a focal point of that, but not the be all and end all, because La Grande Mare is in a fantastic location. The Country Club will be a great facility for wining and dining as well as health and leisure.
“I think the reality is that what we’re looking to achieve here is something that you’re looking at and say ‘that’s top dollar’ and then therefore if it’s top dollar that attracts top dollar and that’s the aim and that’s got to be good for the island, because it’s not just going to be spent here, it’s going to be spent all around the island.”
It is a destination that will not necessarily rely on existing transport links to bring people in, and Mr Lansdown added that there were already signs of improvements in people being able to travel here.
He believes that economics drives politics.
“We'll give this as much publicity as we can on a worldwide basis, which gives Guernsey the publicity at the same time. So we'll be working very hard to make this an attraction and get people here.”
That allows the rest of Guernsey to get on the back of that and benefit from it as well.
Comments ()