From Royal Dornoch’s spectacular new clubhouse to concerns about the impact the cost of living crisis is having on the golf industry, 2025 ended with another month of contrasting stories.
Royal Dornoch has unveiled a spectacular new clubhouse
The £13.9 million three-storey building replaces the clubhouse that had been its home for the last 116 years.
Space has been increased by 50 percent and there are several new facilities, such as a bar and restaurant, changing rooms, trolley storage, an office and even an archive room for what is one of the oldest links golf courses in the world.
“I truly believe we now have a clubhouse to match the reputation of our beloved links,” said club captain Gary Bethune.
Some venues are set to relaunch with new names
The Mere in Cheshire, for example, is undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment, and will relaunch as Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere in late 2026.
Old Thorns Hotel & Resort in Hampshire, meanwhile, is also undergoing a major renovation, and will be renamed Mövenpick Hampshire.
And The Duke’s Course, which has been operated by Kohler for the last 25 years, is becoming St Andrews Links Trust’s eighth golf course, and is being renamed The Craigtoun Course.
2026 is going to be a tough year for many clubs
Even though it’s been another year of record participation in golf, financial forces are taking a toll on some golf clubs, leading to predictions that some will go under over the next few years. In 2025, seven UK golf clubs closed their doors for the last time with no continuation of golf facilities to replace them.
Phil Grice, the former manager of Royal Norwich Golf Club, who now runs Custodian Golf, says the demand to play golf might be very strong, but “clubs are wrestling with mounting costs, ageing facilities and member bases that are quietly shrinking in value.”
He gives some interesting data: “According to our research, almost 40 percent of clubs generate only a small annual surplus, and 12 percent have no financial cushion at all. Fifty-five percent of clubs reinvest less than £50,000 a year in their facilities, a level that barely maintains the status quo. Forty percent of clubs say their boards are volunteer-led, and 69 percent admit that performance is reviewed only informally or not at all. Only one percent of golf club members are women aged 20 to 50, while 19 percent of all members are already over 75. Six percent of English courses have more than half their land at high flood risk.”
A tip to a club concerned about its future could be to invest. “Driving ranges, simulators and shorter format venues are thriving,” he added.
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