Scottish Golf management team duo in shock departure

Scottish Golf looks to be in turmoil after it emerged that two key members of the governing body's management team are leaving the organisation.

Ross Duncan, pictured with Colin Montgomerie at the launch of a charity partnership between the eight-time European No 1 and the SGU and SLGA in 2011, is leaving his role as Scottish Golf's development director

The departures of Ross Duncan, the development director, and head of operations Louise Burke have been confirmed just days before Scottish Golf's annual general meeting in Stirling.

“We can confirm that one member of staff left the organisation last week, and a further member will be leaving next week," said a statement from Scottish Golf to The Scotsman. "It would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time.”

The Scotsman also understands that a team of regional development officers, who worked closely with clubs around the country, is being scrapped, resulting in more job losses.

Duncan is one Scottish Golf's longest-serving staff members, having joined the organisation when it was the Scottish Golf Union as marketing, media and sponsorship manager just under 16 years ago.

He was then commercial and marketing director for a spell before being switched to a development role in May 2018 after Andrew McKinlay became chief executive.

Duncan, who previously worked for Sunderland Football Club as brand manager, was responsible for leading a team tasked with supporting clubs in the ongoing battle with declining membership.

Burke has been the head of operations at the St Andrews-based organisation for the past 18 months, having held the post of head of finance and IT for 10 months prior to that.

A qualified accountant, she was Scottish Basketball's Chief Operating Officer for just over five years before moving to Scottish Golf and is a non executive director of Scottish Curling.

Job losses had been threatened before Scottish Golf received the backing from its shareholders to increase the affiliation fee paid by club members from £11.25 to £14.50 in October 2018.

In one fell swoop, that increased the amalgamated organisation's revenue by approximately £500,000, which, it was announced at the time, would be ring-fenced to "support the development of key strategic priorities" and to "offset proposed cuts announced in light of decreased funding available to Scottish Golf".

News of the double departure comes on the back of some member clubs threatening to revolt due to feeling they are being "railroaded" by Scottish Golf over a new software system being rolled out by the governing body.

The Venue Management System (VMS), which is supposed to simplify golf clubs’ tee booking, competition scoring, handicapping and other administration, was one of the pillars of Scottish Golf's campaign in 2018 to increase affiliation fees.

But some clubs in the Lothians, the biggest of the 16 men's area associations in Scotland, are considering holding back affiliation fees due to a feeling of discontent over Scottish Golf's handling of the system.

The governing body is also facing growing pressure over a handicap database that is crucial in order for the new World Handicap System to be a success when it is rolled out in the home of golf later this year.