‘See mates and have a beer’: younger people in England give golf a shot

Amber Mayes-Long, 29, says she took to golf immediately: ‘It was so nice, going out and walking for four hours with no phones. It was peaceful.’ Photograph: Amber Mayes-Long

Bentham is the perfect place to spend your golden years. More than half of those living in the sleepy village in North Yorkshire are over the age of 50. However, recently there has been an influx of unlikely visitors: young people armed with golf clubs.

Some have even made the nearly two-hour drive from Manchester to putt balls and swing their irons at Bentham golf course. “Covid started it off. It was the only way they could see mates and have a beer,” said John Marshall, 32, the club’s operations manager. “Sometimes it turned into more of an outdoor pub. Then it carried on from there.”