A golf club with a turbulent recent history is to go under the hammer.

The 18-hole Hastings Golf and Country Club in Battle Road, St Leonards, will appear as lot 10 when it comes up for auction next month.

Auctioneer Clive Emson said the club, set in 200 acres, had already attracted a lot of interest and could sell for more than £1.5 million.

He added: "There is huge potential for further investment and development into other leisure and entertainment facilities."

Former owners Hastings Borough Council sold the club to Hastings Golf and Country Club Ltd three years ago after council leaders declared they could no longer afford to run it.

The company assured the council and players it would give a three-year commitment to the club but ran into financial difficulties after 18 months.

In October 2002 The Argus reported Hastings Golf and Country Club Ltd had gone into liquidation and a company called Ridgewoods Ltd had taken over.

Players were baffled as to who owned the club and what their membership status was. In 2003, the lease and management of the club was taken over by Ten66 Golf Club Management.

The club's freehold is owned by a London-based company called Softday.

Ten66 chairman Mark Liddle said the 300 memberships were assured whoever bought the club.

He said: "If a large golf operator buys it then they would probably want to run it themselves in which case we would enter into negotiations with them."

The course also offers an 18-bay driving range, a club house, a vacant bungalow and a flat.

The auction takes place at The Grand hotel in Brighton on April 7.