Twelve golf clubs in Scotland have been awarded grants to support the recruitment of a staff member dedicated to growing their female membership sections.
Two local authorities have also been awarded funding from The Women and Girls Coordinator Fund, which was launched in July as a key pillar of Scottish Golf’s Women and Girls Strategy 2025-2035.
The successful applicants will each receive up to £5,000 from Scottish Golf in year one of a three-year partnership.
Currently, around 12.4 percent of golf club members in Scotland are female and the fund forms part of a wide-ranging plan to address the imbalance.
This partnership involves phased investment from both sides.
Scottish Golf’s total investment in year one will reach £56,000 with clubs and third parties contributing a further £25,000.
Applicants were asked to present a detailed three-year action plan setting out how they would deploy funds to create a sustainable club role.
The successful applicants are Kings Golf Club, Muir of Ord Golf Club, Duffhouse Royal Golf Club, Inverallochy Golf Club, Bridge of Allan Golf Club, Muckhart Golf Club, Saline Golf Club, Cawder Golf Club, Glencruitten Golf Club, Gourock Golf Club, Wishaw Golf Club,
Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Club, Edinburgh Leisure (six courses) and North Lanarkshire Council (two courses).
Jennifer Wilson, Scottish Golf’s Women and Girls Development Manager, said: “The response to this new funding opportunity has been fantastic.
“We had notes of interest and then applications from all over Scotland.
“Following a robust selection process, we’re now thrilled to have our first cohort of clubs and two local authorities on board.
“In our conversations with clubs, we recognised that while many had the ambition to sustain their existing memberships or welcome more women and girls into the game, this was a challenge in terms of dedicated resource.
“This fund is designed to remove this barrier for clubs and to help them achieve their ambitions.
“It’s also a chance for clubs to embrace the values that are enshrined in our Women and Girls Strategy, equity of opportunity and inclusion, and to try and make sure these are golden threads running through every aspect of club life.
“It’s great to see adverts now appearing for these new roles and, in the months ahead, our network of Regional Development Managers and our participation team will continue to support clubs to deliver on their plans.”
Scottish Golf’s ambition is to grow female club membership to 38,000 by 2035, signifying a 50 percent increase.
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