Coronavirus: Scottish Golf urged to show 'leadership' as clubs start to lose members

Scottish Golf's advice to clubs so far has been mainly about government guidelines and communications from the R&A and greenkeeping body BIGGA. Picture: Scottish Golf

The plea was made by Uphall Golf Club treasurer Bill Mackintosh as he admitted to feeling a sense of "trepidation" about the West Lothian club's upcoming monthly direct debit report.

Scottish Golf issued daily updates last week following the closure of courses around the country following government guidelines on the coronavirus outbreak.

They included advice from both the UK Government and Scottish Government, as well as information that had been provided by the R&A and greenkeeping body BIGGA.

However, along with other club officials around the country, Mackintosh says he would like to see the governing body stepping up to the plate in these worrying times for golf clubs.

"They've started up a Virtual GolfSixes Challenge," he said. "That's great because you want kids to be enthusiastic about golf, but what if there's no courses for them?

"We've got quite a good relationship with Scottish Golf and we had (CEO) Andrew McKinlay out seeing us after an abortive meeting through the Lothians Golf Association at Liberton.

"I spoke to him on the night and, to be fair, within a week he came out to Uphall to see myself, our long-serving club pro Gordon Law and Steve Grady, the secretary.

"We had a constructive discussion about their strategy and the new Venue Management System. We perceived that it has become all-consuming for them. They have really geared up on that.

"We have tried to run it side-by-side with our current system, but we have parked that at the moment. That is the least of our worries. That system might be great, but they seem to have put a hell of an amount of eggs into that one basket.

"We don't know what has happened to Scottish Golf's development officers while we have been reading recently about people leaving (development director Ross Duncan and head of operations Louise Burke).

"Even if they came out and said, we are working on a strategy for survival."

While some clubs are entitled to a £25,000 one-off government grant, it is feared that a number of clubs in the home of golf will not not be able to survive the current shutdown.

"We are getting some requests for membership cancellations, but not many so far," added Mackintosh. "One lady wrote to us today and said: Is the golf club doing what gyms are doing?

"I'm a member at the David Lloyd Club at Corstorphine and they wrote almost straight away saying they would not be taking any direct debits for the time being.

"But they can get their costs down really low. They shut the place up, furlough all the staff and save on all their energy costs, which is a massive outgoing for them. They can squeeze that right down, but a golf club can't do that.

"Our golf club has done that the best we can. We've got working documents which are to do with how we can run on less greenstaff if the government come out and say they are no longer key workers.

"We've looked at our finances, though we are waiting with trepidation on our monthly direct debit report to see who has cancelled. That is due over the next couple of days.

"Have they cancelled permanently? Have they just suspended it due to having other priorities?

"Scottish Golf used to provide good business advice. We had great sessions with a guy called Iain Evans in the past. It might be Janet and John stuff, but it would be helpful.

"We are fortunate at Uphall, My background is finance, we have Gordon with all his experience and we have a good balance on a small committee.

"Other golf courses might be more, and I need to phrase this carefully, be more lay people. People who are great at fixing or organising things, but don't have any financial acumen and don't know where to go for help.

"That sort of stuff from Scottish Golf would be helpful. It's leadership we are looking for. That would be appreciated by some more than others.

"Some clubs will feel they have it absolutely under control. The clubs I fear for most other than the really small ones are the ones that rely heavily on visitor income.

"That, for us, us about 10 per cent of our direct golf related income. I'm a member at Tantallon down at North Berwick and that will be completely the other way round.

"They've got big structures and great structures in place at these clubs but, all of a sudden the cancellations will be wholesale from America."

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