Lothian golf clubs break ranks over subscriptions

Published on Friday 21 November 2008 08:55

GOLF clubs in the Lothians are breaking ranks in Scotland after agreeing to a change in the way subscriptions are calculated.

The decision to remove "house members" from the members taken into consideration when calculating the subscription clubs pay the Lothians Golf Association was unanimously approved at last night's annual meeting at Newbattle.

The move follows recent licensing changes which have effectively allowed some golf clubs to become "open houses", the most notable in the Lothians being Duddingston and Swanston.

"This is a case of the Lothians breaking ranks," Jim Thomson, the retiring Lothians President, told the meeting after a vote was taken. "It requires Scotland as a whole to look into this and, in fairness, the Scottish Golf Union has indicated it will be undertaking a review on the matter."

However, a proposal that the Lothians Golf Association should investigate an income-based subscription system instead of being numerical received no support from clubs and will not be pursued.

Partly due to an expected decrease in sponsorship caused by the credit crunch, clubs were informed that the per capita figure paid by every member to the Lothians as part of their annual subscription would likely be rising to 1.15 – up 20p – in 2009.

With DM Hall having ended its sponsorship after more than 30 years, there will be no Lothians Men's Order of Merit next year.

But the Ian Macniven Memorial Trophy, an 18-hole stroke-play event for players aged between 35 and 54 and with a handicap of eight or less, will be played for the first time in September at a venue to be confirmed.

At the meeting, Ken Wood, who has been a member at Haddington for more than 50 years, succeeded Thomson as President, with Liberton's Denys Flaherty stepping up to be his right-hand man.

Wood is the first Haddington member to hold the post and his appointment makes it a notable double for the East Lothian club after Keith Nicholson was selected to take over from Scott Knowles as the new Lothians team captain.