More clubs will close, warns industry leader
By Alistair Dunsmuir
More golf clubs, particularly in Scotland, could close down after three fell in the same week last month, an industry leader has warned.
Last month, three golf clubs, Hirsel, Caddington and Torrance Park, two of which are in Scotland, all announced their closure within six days of each other, while another Scottish club said during that week that it is drawing up emergency plans in order to not go the same way.
This came just a few weeks after we reported that 433 UK golf clubs faced the threat of closure due to rising costs.
Chris Spencer, from the Scottish Golf & Club Managers Association, has told The Times that Scottish golf clubs will shut if they cannot gain members or put up fees.
“The boom in membership during lockdown has now subsided as economic pressures take their toll,” he said. “With the rising energy prices, minimum wages going up and other costs such as insurance rising, it would not surprise me if other clubs are debating whether they can continue.
“Golf in Scotland has always been for everybody and therefore [membership] has been at quite a competitive rate. But the Hirsel closure isn’t the first. Unfortunately there could be others unless either more people join or members potentially have to pay a lot more to sustain their golf club.”
This comes as Kirkcaldy Golf Club, which has a course designed by Old Tom Morris, has said it is drawing up emergency plans to survive.
Its captain, Brian Laing, told Fife News: “Like many clubs across the country, [we are] having to deal with significant rises in our costs.
“We are working with our membership to agree and implement changes in our operating model which will help us adapt and navigate through this period of significant rises. We are working with the sole focus of moving the club forward and preserving a part of the Old Tom Morris heritage.”
By Alistair Dunsmuir
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Recently we ran the FedEx Open de France in Paris Golf National.
In France we have nearly 600.000 golfers !!!
And you know what ? A very few very few of them assist to this championship.
I don’t know the real success in UK but the interest for this sport isn’t going down ?
All golf clubs face very challenging times. The economic pressures of rising costs of materials and wages, the very poor autumn / winter conditions have had a cumulative effect. The sad reality is that we have too many clubs, an aging client base, and a lot more competition from other leisure activities. The days of members spending 4 hours playing golf and time socialising at the club are a thing of the past. Only the richer clubs and those who are the most adaptable and forward thinking will survive.
From a Scottish perspective, there are just too many courses for the nascent economy to sustain. This is obviously a remnant of the Victorian growth in the game. The reality as I see it is there is fierce competition for golfers in areas of high golf course density. The best conditioned courses will win out. The high end of the game, doing very well, skews and even masks the proble. I see the solution as sensible and flexible pricing for visitor golf, especially in afternoon and evening. Better getting many visitors at (say) £30 than virtually non at £60. Scottish golf should broker more collective and better deals for clubs with Golfnow, rather than trying to compete with it.
I have to wonder what these clubs are spending the fees on. It would seems it takes many more emploies to run a club than it did forty years ago.
Well said MartinC! If you cant make a golf club run at the mopment you are doing something very wrong!
Costs are rising a lot higher than many of us realise, treatment for the grounds have had to move away from products used for years either due to environmental issues (hazardous) or simply not available. My course had issues with some infestation on the greens, the chemicals were very expensive and hard to obtain. The extremely wet 2023 early 2024 meant lightweight handheld equipment had to be bought to enable some grass cutting.
Don’t forget energy costs, if we as private residents were hit hard businesses twice as bad as no government support for them.
Clubs cannot just raise fees by big amounts as they lose members, if there is plenty of local competition members will vote with their feet if costs rise too much
More employees to do the work volunteers did years ago, higher expectations of members fresh from all inclusive 5* golf weeks (at c£100 a round), increasing burden of admin including WHS and increasing policies imposed by England Golf, massive increase in fuel, insurance, wages over last 3 – 4 years…. please get involved with your club and find out what these clubs spend the fees on, its an eye opener
Scottish courses charging £300-£400 a round prices out most UK golfers from the Scottish golf market who then don’t come who would perhaps visit lesser known courses on their trip as warm up courses for the big Top 100 courses. American golfers generally not interested in the non bucket list courses on their trips.
As an American Golfer, I have traveled to Scotland and Ireland Many times over the past 24 years. Some of my most memorable rounds have been on the “lesser” known golf courses such as Tain, Brora, Golspie, Dunbar, Lundin Links and many more. I have taken the time to explore these local courses and enjoy interacting with the members. More Americans should take time to experience this wonderful side of golf. I am very sad to read the news about so many courses being in financial trouble.
Costs are rising a lot higher than many of us realise, treatment for the grounds have had to move away from products used for years either due to environmental issues (hazardous) or simply not available. My course had issues with some infestation on the greens, the chemicals were very expensive and hard to obtain. The extremely wet 2023 early 2024 meant lightweight handheld equipment had to be bought to enable some grass cutting.
Don’t forget energy costs, if we as private residents were hit hard businesses twice as bad as no government support for them.
Clubs cannot just raise fees by big amounts as they lose members, if there is plenty of local competition members will vote with their feet if costs rise too much
But I thought numbers of people playing golf are up?
I actually doubt it’s true at this point, it’s something the unions have to say to protect their decision to have a handicap without club membership. I don’t think the unions really care about clubs these days. They only care about getting subscriptions paid directly to themselves.
Perhaps it is time to rethink and reimagine the role of golf clubs in their communities?
Look at the work that golf in society is doing in scotland and the north of england and more recently in Germany- by creating opportunities for golf clubs to play a new and important role in their communities supporting “healthy ageing”, unpaid carers and people with dementia, parkinsons etc enjoy a more active and fulfilled life.
As we age, we need to age well and that means we need to look at different ways to use the amazing golf courses and their facilities to support others in their communities.
The world exonic forum had defined 6 pillars of the “longevity economy” as
Financial Resilience
Purpose
Mental fitness
Physical fitness
Life long learning
Social interaction
Golf fulfills 5 – finance not so much. We need to be thinking about golfs value beyond the small groups of members who dont want to share their assets to the value and opportunities they offer their broader community – reimaging golf clubs as community wellness hubs….
https://golfinsociety.com
In addition to cost pressures I think there’s a growing risk from climate change. Many courses in my local area are finding it increasingly difficult to keep water-logged courses open and playable.
Members have been giving clubs the benefit of doubt but if the current weather patterns continue for only a few more years then membership will inevitably decline and probably to a point where the business model’s not sustainable for many clubs.
Very true, local clubs lost members last year as people were paying £100 a month and getting nothing out of it as the courses were closed so much. Living in an area where the soil is clay based drainage is terrible for general
Play areas. Luckily I’m retired so I’m not limited to weekends to make membership worthwhile.