A STRUGGLING new £7m golf club, in Merseyside, has been forced to put together a rescue plan to avoid closure.

The North West National, at Rainford – described as the UK’s first “golf village” – suffered a series of setbacks after its first phase opened in 2009.

It is now saddled with £400,000 in debts and has entered a five-year payback scheme, known as a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), to fend off creditors.

It also emerged that director of golf Glenn Turner, who was instrumental in setting up the course and acted as a golf coach, has now left the company.

As well as the general harsh economic climate, progress at the club was hampered by poor weather.

The course was built partly on the old Pilkington glassworks and former agricultural land, making it one of the longest in the region.

Hundreds of thousands of tons of earth were shifted to make way for the 18-hole course, but work was constantly disrupted by extreme weather conditions.

The only part of the site open at present is the driving range, although it is hoped the rest of the course will reopen shortly.

Mr Turner, originally from New Zealand, is a qualified golf professional and well-known as a golf commentator on radio and television.