2.34pm nineteenth September 2025 -
Journey – This story was up to date on Saturday, September twentieth, 2025
This October welcomes the opening of Mad Swans, the newest enterprise from Longshot, the leisure and hospitality group based in 1994. Mad Swans is a brand new countryside idea and hangout within the Mendips, redefining fashionable hospitality, sport and sustainability.
Eco-cabin stays, a world-class 12-hole golf course, a state-of-the-art driving vary (The Swing Barn), padel and pickleball, putt patch, darts and distinctive consuming experiences, all underneath one roof. Mad Swans re-imagines the game of golf. All of the sports activities and actions accessible at Mad Swans are vibrant, relaxed, inclusive hubs the place play transcends age and expertise.
Mad Swans is constructed round a 12-hole course designed by internationally famend architect Tom Mackenzie. The Mackenzie & Ebert staff are behind transformations at programs comparable to Royal Portrush, Royal St George’s, Turnberry and advisers to eight of the ten Open Championship venues.
The transient given was distinctive, to design a course that pays tribute to golf’s heritage whereas reenvisioning it for as we speak’s gamers and for the following hundred years. The outcome is a versatile format that may be performed as six, twelve, or eighteen holes, providing each the problem anticipated by seasoned golfers and the accessibility demanded by newcomers.
It displays the broader, fast-growing business pattern in direction of extra adaptable codecs. 12-hole golf can also be endorsed by iconic championship advocates together with Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Sir Nick Faldo, who just lately visited the Mad Swans within the Mendips.
The supply of the bold golf challenge at Mad Swans has been led by 360 Golf, a consultancy with experience in masterplanning, operations, and enterprise technique for golf venues worldwide.
Working alongside the inventive imaginative and prescient of Mackenzie & Ebert to search out the right areas, 360 Golf has ensured the Mad Swans idea is commercially strong whereas aligned with evolving market calls for round time, inclusivity and participant expertise.
The Founders have been clear that Mad Swans is designed to broaden participation. The 12-hole motion is rapidly gaining momentum and challenges seasoned golfers and newcomers’ want with out demanding a complete day, all whereas bringing a extra relaxed, social spirit.
The vacation spot will encourage extra ladies, youthful gamers and households to interact with the game, shifting away from the standard formality of extra old-school membership golf golf equipment. Mad Swans is an accessible, social and welcoming place. In doing so, it mirrors broader shifts throughout the leisure sector, the place accessibility and group are as necessary because the sporting problem itself.

Set towards the fantastic thing about the backdrop of the Mendip Hills, Mad Swans just isn’t solely a extremely new and thrilling addition to the area but additionally a part of a much bigger dialog about how golf is evolving. By combining world-class design, professional operational planning, and a progressive philosophy, the challenge is positioned as one of many UK’s most forward-thinking hospitality & sporting developments.
In contrast to the golf golf equipment of previous, the sporting and eatery areas at Mad Swans are particularly created to really feel open and welcoming. From glorious meals to pickleball and darts, Mad Swans makes play new once more and you are feeling the spirit of the place on each course, courtroom and hangout space. Different components to Mad Swans embody:
F&B Outposts: Two eating places with menus impressed by multi-Michelin starred chef Ollie Dabbous; The Potting Shed (fashionable countryside eating with produce-led menus) and The Hangout (informal pizzas, desserts, cocktails, and alcohol-free serves), designed to make food and drinks central to the Mad Swans expertise.
Lodging: Sixteen eco-cabins (with 32 extra deliberate), providing restorative countryside stays with sustainable touches (Bramley facilities, eco-design, EV charging, rewilding initiatives), positioned as each a leisure and golf staycation product.
Padel & Pickleball: Three high-spec courts for each sports activities, tapping into two of the fastest-growing participation markets; inclusive, sociable codecs supported by teaching for teams or people.
Swing Barn & Putt Patch: A lined, all-weather driving vary with meals and drinks service direct to bays, plus a
vibrant mini-golf zone designed to interact youngsters, households, and informal gamers.
Extra Video games & Social Sport: AR-enhanced darts and shuffleboard carry pub-style play into the combination, broadening Mad Swans’ attraction past conventional golfers.
Gymnasium & Wellness: A Matrix-equipped gymnasium with memberships, drop-ins, and lessons, guaranteeing Mad Swans capabilities as a area people hub in addition to a golf vacation spot.
Neighborhood & Sustainability: Dedication to rewilding, tree planting, beehives, photo voltaic, equal pay and inclusive hiring, plus partnerships with faculties.

Life is filled with guidelines. Mad Swans is a spot to set them apart. No costume codes, no memberships, no pointless restrictions – simply house to attach, play, and be your self.
For extra details about Mad Swans, go to: www.madswans.com
