Scottish club expected to post large financial loss

A major Scottish golf club is set to post a six-figure financial loss due to Covid-19.

While many UK golf clubs are experiencing a membership boom, clubs that rely on visitor income are experiencing, in some cases, the worst year in their histories, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Blairgowrie Golf Club’s members have been warned visitor income is expected to nosedive this year, reports The Courier. The club has already missed out on £90,000 of income since the pandemic started.

And the Perthshire club had projected more than £400,000 of income from visiting groups to its two golf courses this year.

While it is now experiencing a huge number of enquiries, managing secretary Steve Morgan has said the finances this year have been severely hit by the lockdown.

“We have had to take some difficult decisions to ensure the club comes out of the current situation as financially sustainable as possible,” he said.

“But the reality is that we are facing a six-figure financial loss, which will impair our balance sheet and have a big impact on the £250,000-plus cash reserves we had built up prudently over the last few years.”

Steve Morgan

However, despite the losses the club is hopeful it will survive 2020 – and emerge out of it in a stronger and more sustainable position.

“I’m delighted to say visitor bookings are picking-up as the Scottish government relaxes its guidelines for social distancing,” he said.

“While we are not yet in a position to accurately forecast visiting income through to September, we anticipate a significant shortfall.

“But we are looking forward to confirmation that we can return to fourballs [this has now been confirmed] and we hope to resurrect a decent amount of visiting parties over the summer. They are key to the financial picture at Blairgowrie.

“If we can achieve our amended targets the committee is hopeful we will, just, manage to see us through to the end of the financial year.”

He said members had been supportive and understanding during the lockdown and were enjoying their golf as restrictions ease.

“We are hopeful we can ride out the challenge caused by an unprecedented public health emergency and emerge with a sustainable club for us all to enjoy in the long term-term,” he said.