This note relates to golf venues situated in England, although many of the principles covered apply across the rest of the UK. At the tail end of 2025, two important events happened: the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) published the new draft rateable values for golf venues effective from 1st April this year; and the 2025 Budget set out details about business rates bills for the next three years.
Business rates have become an increasingly complex and contentious tax over the years. Indeed, following recent events, many in the golf venue sector have been very worried about the potential prospect of significant increases in business rates bills starting from 1st April this year.
The purpose of this note is twofold: to cut through some of the complexity and help you understand the fundamental principles of the tax and how relevant matters change over time; and to outline the key actions you need to consider taking. It is impossible to cover all eventualities in this note, but it should help you devise a sound strategy to minimise this tax for your golf venue over the next three years.
The Fundamental Principles
Underlying every yearly business rates bill are two overarching variables – your property’s rateable value and the associated tax rate (known as the multiplier). The former represents your golf venue’s full market rental value at specific points in time, while the latter is a rate set by the Government each year.
Your yearly headline bill, before any reliefs or adjustments, is the product of the two. Thus, if your rateable value is £100,000 and the relevant tax rate is 55.5 pence in the pound, your headline rates bill is £55,500 for the year.
Because property market rental values change over time, the Government sets national business rates revaluations periodically. All rateable values are recorded in a statutory “Rating List”. From 1990 to 2010, revaluations were five-yearly, though the 2010 and 2017 lists lasted longer. The aim is now three-yearly valuations, which is why the new 2026 Rating List goes live on 1st April this year.
The valuation date has always been two years before the Rating List goes live. The valuation date for the current 2023 Rating List was 1 April 2021 during Covid, while the valuation date for the 2026 Rating List is 1 April 2024.
Golf market conditions were significantly stronger at 1 April 2024 than they were pre-Covid in 2019. The VOA appears to be reflecting this improvement in the draft 2026 Rating List rateable values for golf venues, leading to some substantial increases.
The subsector seeing the most alarming increases is golf driving ranges without an attached 18-hole course. Increased demand driven by technologies such as Toptracer, Trackman and Inrange has improved trading performance and perceived rental values.
Tax Rates and Reliefs
At national revaluations, a guiding principle is that the Government should not raise more money in business rates overall than the year before, after inflation. Therefore, if average rateable values rise nationally, the multiplier should fall to compensate.
Currently, the standard tax rate for properties with a rateable value of £51,000 to £500,000 is 55.5 pence in the pound. From 1st April this year it falls by 13.5% to 48 pence.
Retail, hospitality and leisure relief of 40% for 2025/26 is being removed from 1st April. Instead, eligible properties will receive a 5 pence reduction in the multiplier for at least the next three years, reducing the effective rate to around 43 pence.
For example, if your 2023 rateable value is £100,000 at 55.5 pence, your bill would have been £55,500. If your new 2026 rateable value is 25% higher at £125,000, your headline bill at 43 pence would be £53,750.
Transitional Relief
To ease the impact of rising bills, the Government has introduced a transitional phasing scheme. For rateable values between £20,001 and £100,000, increases are capped at 15% in 2026/27, 25% plus inflation in 2027/28, and 40% plus inflation in 2028/29. For properties over £100,000, caps are 30% in 2026/27, then 25% plus inflation in the following two years.
Worked examples for golf venues show that transitional relief can significantly limit short-term increases, even where rateable values rise sharply.
To fund the scheme, the Government is adding 1 penny in the pound to the tax rate for properties not receiving transitional relief.
Industry Response
The 2026 revaluation has been poorly received across retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. While pubs and music venues have been granted an additional 15% reduction, no further relief has been extended to golf venues.
Actions You Should Consider
Budgeting: Ensure you understand how your rates bill may change over the next three years so you can plan accordingly and avoid unexpected financial pressure.
Appealing Your Rateable Value: If your rateable value has increased significantly, you may lodge an appeal after 1st April. You must demonstrate that the increase is excessive relative to market rental value at 1 April 2024.
You may appeal yourself or appoint a specialist adviser. Be cautious of unqualified firms. Reputable advisers are typically members of RICS, IRRV or the Rating Surveyors’ Association and comply with the Rating Code of Practice.
Appeals often take six months to two years to resolve, but successful reductions are normally backdated to the start of the Rating List with statutory interest added.
Further Information
If you require further information, please contact:
Mark Smith BA MRICS MBA (RSA Member)
Call 07951 587303
Email mark@smithleisure.com
28 January 2026