Scottish Golf CEO Andrew McKinlay resigns

The chief executive of Scottish Golf, Andrew McKinlay, has resigned after two years in post, due to ‘the impact of Covid-19’.

According to Eleanor Cannon, chair of Scottish Golf, the decision is due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are living in unprecedented times and, as we are all very well aware, sport has no immunity to the impact of Covid-19,” she has said in a statement.

“Scottish Golf, like all businesses and indeed golf clubs across the country, is having to assess its business model.

“The governing body has had to make some very difficult decisions regarding income and expenditure, to ensure sustainability in the current circumstances. To this end, our chief executive, Andrew McKinlay, has decided that he should step aside in order to help the organisation come through this situation. He leaves having worked with the team on a revised structure that will be fit for purpose when we emerge from the national lockdown.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Andrew for his contribution to Scottish Golf over the past two years. He brought a wealth of experience to what can be a pressurised role. “He has helped take the organisation forward and has now taken a very difficult decision at this challenging time. I thank him for doing so and wish him the very best for the future.”

Andrew McKinlay said: “It has been a privilege to lead this fantastic organisation and, I am grateful to Eleanor and the board for the opportunity. Above all I am indebted to the team at Scottish Golf for their commitment in implementing the objectives to take the game forward towards a sustainable and, indeed, prosperous future.”

The announcement comes as some managers had said they would not be filling out a Scottish Golf Covid-19 survey, because it asks clubs to reveal sensitive financial information.

The organisation also announced less than two weeks ago that it had furloughed the majority of its staff.

According to reports, chief operating officer Karin Sharp has taken over the duties of CEO with immediate effect.

McKinlay is the fourth head of a major golf association or union to resign in less than a year. Nick Pink stood down as the head of England Golf last year, there was recently a change at the top of the Golfing Union of Ireland, while Bob Williams announced he was ending his spell as the CEO of the Golf Club Managers’ Association last month.