A year ago, we helped finance the transformation of a Cornish family farm into one of the county’s most talked-about leisure venues. Twelve months on, we caught up with founder Will Eustice to hear how it’s gone.
From farmland to flagship venue
When Will Eustice first approached ASC, he had a bold idea to transform his family’s farm near Crantock on the North Cornish coast into something unique. His vision was to create a sports-led venue paired with a top food experience. He needed finance to build a 15-bay state-of-the-art Trackman-equipped golf range, a mini-golf course, and rustic feasting barns
It was an ambitious vision and a complex financing proposition.
Halwyn opened its doors on 16 June 2025. One year on, visitors have launched two million golf balls from its range, the feasting barns have served 10,000 covers, and the venue has earned a 4.7-star rating across more than 70 Google reviews. And, it’s not just its visitors who recognise Halwyn as a destination experience. It’s been shortlisted for Indoor Golf Venue of the Year at the Golf Course Awards 2025, and named a finalist in the Best Newcomer category at the Trencherman’s Awards 2026, widely regarded as the South West’s most prestigious hospitality awards.
Not bad for a first year. Especially one without any hospitality experience to fall back on.
A complex finance situation
Halwyn presented an unusual financing challenge. Will needed £600,000 to fund the build, yet securing a development loan for a start-up with no trading history in the hospitality sector, operating a concept that didn’t fit neatly into any established category, wasn’t going to be easy. It was simultaneously a leisure development, a food-and-beverage operation, and a new concept in experiential hospitality. Most traditional lenders weren’t quite sure what to make of it.
Our job was to find one that did.
Our local expert, Conrad Robins, identified a lender willing to take a merit-based approach. He targeted one that looked at the substance of the project and the strength of Will’s background as a professional quantity surveyor, rather than simply applying a standard risk assessment. The lender was sufficiently convinced that it didn’t request a formal valuation, and we secured a two-year facility drawn down in stages as the build progressed.
More than a venue
What’s perhaps most striking about Halwyn’s first year isn’t the numbers, but what the venue has become. Will set out to create a social community, and he has. Halwyn now hosts a monthly farmers’ market, has screened documentary films for the local community, and has a programme of events planned through the winter to keep the momentum going year-round. All food is locally sourced and handmade, and at peak season, a team of 20 keeps the venue running smoothly.
The challenge Will identified early on, namely, convincing people that exceptional food and a social sporting experience could genuinely coexist, appears to have been met
“With the support of ASC and our amazing team, we’ve built something people want to come back to,” says Will. “The plan now is to keep making it better.”
Have an unconventional project? Let’s talk.
Halwyn is a good example of what’s possible when financing is approached creatively. Some financing requirements can pose real obstacles with mainstream lenders, but that doesn’t mean the funding isn’t available.
If you have a project that doesn’t fit the standard mould, our network of local finance experts is well placed to help. We’ll find the right lender for your circumstances, not just the most obvious one.
Find your local ASC expert here.
