NORTH-EAST DISTRICT SECRETARY SAYS GOLF CLUBS MUST ADJUST MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE TO MAKE ENDS MEET

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
The North-east has not escaped the downturn elsewhere in the financial affairs of Scottish golf clubs.

Lothianburn GC, whose membership declined from 820 to 270 over the last decade, closed its doors for good in September and another Edinburgh club, Torphin Hill, will also go to the wall unless someone can throw it a £20,000 cash lifebelt before a crisis meeting next week.
Whitemoss GC near Stirling was one of the early victims of falling membership which meant that income no longer matched expenditure. The Whitemoss course reverted to farmland after the golf club closed in November 2011
East Aberdeenshire Golf Club, off the Aberdeen to Ellon road, opened - and closed - within the past decade.
Craibstone GC at Bucksburn closed in December 2010 because of it's owners' financial troubles but has been re-opened successfully by the nearby Marshall Trailers company who bought the course.
Inchmarlo Golf Centre at Banchory closed its 18-hole and nine-hole courses in 2012 but the nine-hole course has since reopened and so has the clubhouse to serve snacks to the public as well as members.
Part of the trouble is that Scotland has had TOO MANY golf courses/clubs for a number of years. Senior golfers are in the majority these days and they are dying faster than youngsters are taking up the game.
George Young, pictured above, secretary of the North-east District of the SGU, reports:
-"Taking Inchmarlo out of the equation, the golf club membership figures in the North-east dropped by 2.1% last year. We have, however, lost the Fyvie nine-hole course this year. But, as it was a pay-and-play club the overall membership total should not be affected.
"I would like to think that the fall in membership is down to two main reasons:
"A: Players who were members of multiple clubs have opted to reduce the number of clubs they are a member of and (B) Those who only play corporate or limited social golf cannot justify paying the annual subscription and would rather pay a green fee when they play and pick the courses to play.
"Falling membership is a problem that isn't going to go away and all clubs have to look at their membership structure and perhaps introduce additional categories at affordable rates for those they are targetting.
"The subscription notices for the North-east District have recently been sent out and it will be interesting to see how the membership figures stack up against this time last year."