Campaigners are fighting for the future of Scotland’s remaining publicly owned golf courses after figures showed they have declined by around 10% since 2020.
Just 51 public-owned courses are left in the country, and Scottish golf magazine Bunkered has launched its Public Golf Counts campaign in a push to save the remaining sites.
In recent years, notable golf course closures include Dundee’s Camperdown Park in 2020 and Caird Park earlier this year.
Meanwhile in Glasgow, Ruchill, Linn Park and Alexandra Park have closed since 2020, with just Knightswood and Littlehill remaining in the city.
Campaign to keep public courses
Bunkered says golf courses are often the first to face council funding cuts and are at risk of what campaigners have dubbed a managed decline, where lack of maintenance and investment lead to hazardous disrepair and eventual closure.
Michael McEwan, head of content at Bunkered, said: “Golf courses run by councils and local authorities are never going to host The Open or the Ryder Cup, nor are they likely to feature on many people’s ‘bucket lists’.
“But that is not their purpose. They exist to provide opportunities to participate for people who want to learn to play the game in a more relaxed, informal environment, or who perhaps cannot afford the fees required by private members’ clubs.
“If you take them away, you risk making golf something that so many people are trying so very hard to prevent it from becoming: the exclusive preserve of those who can afford to play.
“Not only is that unacceptable, it will unquestionably shrink the game – an unthinkable prospect, particularly here in Scotland, the birthplace of the sport.”
Campaigners have created a ten-point public pledge to sustain public-owned courses, including creating a taskforce who will create a blueprint to help councils manage courses.
Decision-makers will also be held accountable by campaigners, who will urge politicians and relevant governing bodies to preserve public golf.
The campaign highlighted that Hollandbush (South Lanarkshire) and Dalmuir (West Dunbartonshire) municipal courses were saved by what’s known as community transfer agreements, the latter backed by MP Douglas McAllister, where ownership is given to the community by the council.
However, Bunkered also said that these processes are often lengthy and can be difficult to sustain and safeguard long term.
‘Public golf is the lifeblood of the sport’
The campaign warns that the loss of these facilities risks deepening inequality in who gets to play the sport, which is something golfers are against.
Professional caddie Craig Connelly is renowned by many golfers as one of the best in the game.
Working for champion golfer Martin Kaymer, he also worked for Colin Montgomerie and Ryder Cup star Paul Casey.
Mr Connelly said: “My first experience of golf was playing the Dalmuir municipal course in Clydebank, near Glasgow, where I grew up.
“I have no doubt that, without it, I wouldn’t have gone on to make my living from the game, travelling the world, meeting new people, and caddying for players as they won major championships, played in Ryder Cups and climbed to the top of the world rankings.
“Public golf is the lifeblood of the sport and that’s why I’m supporting Bunkered’s new campaign.
“If they are run correctly and given a fighting chance, these courses can be hugely additive, not just to the game of golf, but to the communities in which they operate. There has never been a better time to raise their profile.”
To join the campaign, visit bunkered.co.uk/publicgolfcounts.
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