Harris golf club gets £64k help – while keeping Sabbath

Published on Sunday 21 February 2010 22:03

SCOTLAND's national sporting body has quietly backed down and paid up over a threat that it would not fund a golf course development on the God-fearing Western Isles because it banned Sunday play.

Sportsscotland has contributed 64,000 to Harris Golf Club – beloved by former Open champion Nick Faldo – despite a year ago provoking a major row over refusing to hand over the cash to a facility open only six days a week.

The news comes as members of Stornoway Golf Club on neighbouring Lewis are taking legal advice and threatening to play on Sundays because their landlords refuse to open the course on the Sabbath as part of their lease.

Yesterday was due to be the first Sunday when some members would defy the ban, but a thick covering of snow and ice made play impossible.

"Our members are furious that people can ski or snowboard on the course on a Sunday but not play golf," said club secretary Ken Galloway. "Only golf is mentioned in our lease about activities that cannot take place on the course on Sundays."

Louise Martin, chairman of sportscotland, originally said the organisation could no longer fund facilities that open only six days.

But now it has emerged that the body has paid up – without any deal on Sunday play.

Mr Hugh Maclean, the captain of the 105-member club, said it was the result of "long negotiations".

"Harris is a lovely course," he added. "This money will make it better. It will take it up to another level. By talking to sportsscotland we managed to win them round. We worked shoulder to shoulder with them.

"To their credit, they came round and worked with us. In the end, the Sunday play was not an issue.

"They recognised that this will be money well spent and came to a decision that this was in the best interests of the sport and the development of golf on the island."

No-one from sportsscotland was available at their headquarters for comment over the weekend.

Faldo, who played the course in the early Nineties before heading for the US Masters, described nine-hole Harris as "one of the most beautiful settings for golf" and "paradise" on a fine day.

Faldo left a signed 5 note in the honesty box as his green fee. That note was glazed, framed and mounted and the Faldo Fiver is now competed for annually by Harris members.

Ronan Rafferty has also played the course and his golf ball has also been transformed into a trophy.

The club also has more than 700 life members off the island.