One of the oldest golf clubs in Scotland has elected the first woman to hold its most senior management position in its 130-year history.
Members of Cathcart Castle Golf Club, established in 1895, voted in a contested election for former investment manager Carol Biggart as their new chair of the Council of Management (CoM). Biggart will hold the post for the next three years, overseeing the club’s finances, course development and clubhouse facilities.
Her election comes 10 years after Jane Alexander was voted Cathcart Castle’s first female captain, and coincides with the start of the third year of the club’s successful Get into Golf (GiG) programme. Approximately 24 percent of Cathcart Castle’s current 900 members are women, significantly above the average across Scottish golf clubs.
Biggart was nominated to the position by former gents’ captain Alan Slater, who says he proposed her “without hesitation”.
“I had recognised that she was more than capable of carrying out the duties of CCGC chair, having seen her in action during her year as the ladies’ captain,” Slater said. “I think it was that personal experience of working together and supporting each other throughout the year as we continued successfully to bring the club back to normality after Covid that made my decision quite easy.”
After earning a degree in economics and maths from the University of Edinburgh, Biggart worked in stockbroking as an investment analyst in Glasgow and latterly Australia. Upon returning to Scotland she joined Murray Johnstone, followed by Scottish Amicable, as a fund manager.
She also started and ran her own business, a custom signage supplier, and has previously mentored with the Women into Business programme run by Glasgow Opportunities.
Biggart has been a member of Cathcart Castle since 2001, following in the footsteps of her mother Anne Hutchison. During that time she has played for the club in the Glasgow Southside and Greenlees leagues, and has also taken part in Renfrew County fixtures and friendly matches.
“My ambitions for CCGC are to continue to build on the progress of the past few years, both on the course and off it,” she said.
“We have spent a considerable amount of money recently on new roofing, a new kitchen, updated the lounge, and an indoor Trackman studio in the clubhouse. On the course, we completely refurbished a burn and markedly upgraded many pathways.
“We have significant plans for further upgrades internally and externally with a new white tee at the 3rd, new signage at the 1st and driveway, complete refurbishment of the offices, a new entrance and upgrade of the gents’ showers.”
Biggart added: “I believe our greatest strengths lie in the positive attitude of the members to step forwards to help using their particular skill bases. In addition, we have a strong, experienced management team in our head greenkeeper, managing secretary, clubhouse manager and chef who run the club with the utmost professionalism.”
Cathcart Castle’s CoM was set up in 2009 to replace the previous framework where the Gents’ Captain, serving for one year, led the management of the club as head of the captain’s committee. The revised management structure has provided stability for longer-term planning.
Biggart is the fifth person to serve as chair of the CoM at Cathcart Castle.
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