Just ten percent of Scotland’s golf courses are accessible to the public, campaigners have warned as municipal greens continue to decline in number.
A number of council-run courses have closed in recent years, with Caird Park and Camperdown shutting down in Dundee, and Ruchill, Linn Park and Alexandra Park closing in Glasgow.
Currently, there are just 51 public or community-owned golf courses in Scotland, out of more than 550 total greens.
Nearly half of Scotland’s local authorities do operate any public greens at all, creating a postcode lottery for many Scots.
Now, the Public Golf Counts campaign, launched by golfing magazine bunkered, aims to protect the few greens that are left.
Michael McEwan, Head of Content at bunkered, commented: “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.”
McEwan added: “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.”
Veteran tour caddie Craig Connelly, who has backed the campaign, added: “My first experience of golf was playing the Dalmuir Municipal course in Clydebank, near Glasgow, where I grew up.
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“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. 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.”
