6 public golf courses in Glasgow in consultation and face closure.

[davie24]

Our local council (South Ayrshire) has discussed a couple of times about closing the public course close to me .
So far they have been unsuccessful in their plans.
Hopefully they shelve the plans as their is a lot of various golf clubs that have members that use the course as their base

 

[HamiltonGuy]

The issue is the courses aren’t very good and they are losing £1m a year. I wouldn’t want to be part of GCC region and find I was subsidising courses to stay open for no reason. There’s things like get into golf junior memberships etc.

 

[casuk]

I played littlehill on Friday while I was up my mums, course wasn't in to bad of a shape greens were slow, fairways and bunkers were decent, going to go up lethemhill somepoint this week and check it out not been there in a while, I would be gutted if they started closing some especially lethemhill which gave me the bug, I'm going to start playing both more regular, the survey stopped half way through and I couldn't go any further I gave up after numerous attempts,

 

[darriusdax]

Used to play at Lethamhill and at Linn Park and at Little Hill when I worked through in the Glasgow area. A Friday afternoon round was always eventful no matter which course we played. These courses are a public asset and shouldn't be sold off, once they are gone it's too late. The municipal golf course still has a role to play in helping people play the game. Not everyone can join a club and pay the annual fees. A walk on round at £12 is hard to beat and needs to be kept available.

Totally agree... The housing policy in Scotland is out of control.... In Edinburgh they are packing people in wherever they can. cheap cheap housing on the outskirts which will all be ripped down and replaced in 50yrs time, so much for Scotland commiting to climate change reduction... In my job ( leak detection for the insurance industry ) I see the consequences of poor building quality control on a daily basis. On the other side of it, golf clubs are starting to diversify to attract people... I like the approach Swanston golf course in Edinburgh has taken... new academy with a 9 hole par 3 course as well as its 18 holer... and aiming at kids.. Shame my course does not have the space to do this.... How long before the developers that pushed through Craighouse will be after the land of the Merchants.....

 

[Siolag]

The issue is the courses aren’t very good and they are losing £1m a year. I wouldn’t want to be part of GCC region and find I was subsidising courses to stay open for no reason. There’s things like get into golf junior memberships etc.

Sure I seen someone else say on here that they would be better off with 3 and keep them in good nick than 6 that are, like you say, poor. Sadly, there are probably too many courses in Scotland, and pay as you play ones will be the first to go.

 

[Tashyboy]

Read somewhere that kids just don't play golf. Couldn't be further from the truth. Our club is very pro active re kids and golf. Especially during holidays. Our place will be rammed. But theres a difference between our place and a council golf course.

 

[Jacko_G]

Read somewhere that kids just don't play golf. Couldn't be further from the truth. Our club is very pro active re kids and golf. Especially during holidays. Our place will be rammed. But theres a difference between our place and a council golf course.

Councils just don't have the resources now. That is probably the biggest reason in the demise.

 

[briannn]

There is a meeting on the 8th of August in milnbank housing association to discuss the closures. The same people who saved Whitehill swimming pool are involved I'm sure

 

[Jacko_G]

Letham Grange looking like it could be next to go which is a shame as it was fantastic for a while. A really great test of golf with some tremendous golf holes, really good golf holes.

 

[CliveW]

Letham Grange looking like it could be next to go which is a shame as it was fantastic for a while. A really great test of golf with some tremendous golf holes, really good golf holes.

I agree. "The Agusta of the North" used to be a great place. Camperdown is another lovely course scheduled for closure. ☹

 

[Humpy]

Council run courses or not, I can't help thinking that someone needs to think outside the box with regard to golf and how to attract people to it. For example, why does a course have to have 18 holes? Why not make it 10. Cuts down the time it takes to play (which I think is a big reason why people are put off to take up golf, the thought of 5 hour+ rounds) and also the amount of land needed.

Mix and match the holes. Could have a few 'proper' holes (i.e. par 3, par 4 and par 5) but why not include a couple of pitch and putt holes. And how about a few crazy golf holes. This, to me, seems to be one area of golf that is growing.

And how about huts between each hole where you can get something to eat and drink. These could also include live golf streaming from the European and/or PGA Tour. And could also include Playstations/XBoxs where people can have a few holes of virtual golf.

Will be a brave person/company to try it though.

 

[Robster59]

I think there are too many courses in Scotland now for the number of people playing. I know when I started a lot of people played at Municipals simply because it was not possible to join clubs at the time. Nowadays very few clubs have waiting lists and many are desperate for new members so you find that people who have only previously played at municipals are now joining clubs. But even with that golf club membership is declining in Scotland and if people aren't playing at the municipals it is an indication of just how much the demand has declined.
A number of members clubs have closed recently because they can't afford to continue, I can't see why it would be different for public courses.
I'm not saying it's a good thing, just a fact of the times.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I agree. "The Agusta of the North" used to be a great place. Camperdown is another lovely course scheduled for closure. ☹

I played LG not long after it had opened. Must have played it around 1987/88 on a visit back home after emigrating to Bristol.

The holes in the fields were very immature but the holes built through mature woodland were brilliant. And having a beer in the spectacular orangery was rather splendid. What a shame for - yes - the Augusta of the North as it was marketed as.

 

[Andy]

Council run courses or not, I can't help thinking that someone needs to think outside the box with regard to golf and how to attract people to it. For example, why does a course have to have 18 holes? Why not make it 10. Cuts down the time it takes to play (which I think is a big reason why people are put off to take up golf, the thought of 5 hour+ rounds) and also the amount of land needed.

Mix and match the holes. Could have a few 'proper' holes (i.e. par 3, par 4 and par 5) but why not include a couple of pitch and putt holes. And how about a few crazy golf holes. This, to me, seems to be one area of golf that is growing.

And how about huts between each hole where you can get something to eat and drink. These could also include live golf streaming from the European and/or PGA Tour. And could also include Playstations/XBoxs where people can have a few holes of virtual golf.

Will be a brave person/company to try it though.

By the time you do all this extra crap you'd be better playing the full 18

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Well - we have plenty of 9 hole golf courses so not sure what the extra hole would add. And plenty of courses around where there are a mix of long and very short holes. though in truth pver 9 holes I don;t see much time being saved playing a couple of 90 yd par 3s compared with 150yd par 3s.

And on the huts between holes. It is hard enough justifying, establishing, provisioning and manning a single 'halfway' hut - then making it financially viable. Having one between each hole....don't think so. if you want to watch live or recorded streaming of golf - then just make buggies with AV streaming available for thise who want it. Can watch as you go along. And have a food and drink buggy driving around supplying the needs of the players.

 

[Humpy]

My suggestions were merely that. With so many courses going under I just think maybe the time has come for some entrepreneur to look at what people like about golf, what people don't and go from there. Let's face it, I don't think many of us could foresee foot golf becoming a thing but it has.

Something else to add into the mix - include some sort of target golf like Top Golf.

In order to survive golf has to look at itself and evolve. Let's face it, the European Tour are trying initiatives like the Shot Clock, mixed events, etc.

 

[bradleywedge]

There is a lovely municipal course in Blackpool, Stanley Park where I have played on numerous occasions, which is also in danger of closure. Well, they are trying to reduce it from 18 holes to 9, which I suppose isn't as bad. The problem is there are 3 courses within a few miles radius so I suppose the council took this into account. Will still be a shame to see it reduced.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-49512872

 

[Jacko_G]

Letham Grange confirmed as gone now. Wound up last night and they'll stop tending the course at some date in November.

Real shame.

 

[Grant85]

I feel there is a case for a bit more joined up thinking - not just in Glasgow - but in most local authorities with similar issues.

As has been said, many of these courses are not well maintained and probably have skeleton green staff operating at a number of sites and doing the bare minimum to keep them playable. There is probably nothing / very little in the way of forward planning or specialist works to improve the quality of the grass and greens.

My plan would be to reduce the number of sites, raise some capital by selling or leasing the other sites and spend a bit of money on the remaining sites to get them up to standard, to the point a regular golfer would be happy making this their every day course. With a basic clubhouse for drinks and snacks and getting changed.

Allow or support a golf club to form or get off the ground and have a number of memberships at affordable rates to locals for maybe 200 or so members only. Members pay a season ticket for the course and a fee to the club.
Once the club is up and running they are responsible for it operating and get say 1 weekend day and 1 midweek day for specific competitions (max every 2nd tee time booked in advance so that non-members can still get a chance of a game).
Council continue to maintain the course.

200 members will mean decent revenue stream in every year (not just when it is good weather) and some visitor income for the course. It will also give the incentive to green keepers to keep the course in good nick and focus a programme around a club schedule as opposed to just keeping it playable most of the time.
It is also a relatively modest number so plenty of tee times for non-members.
And it will also mean regular members in the area talking about the course and giving it some free word of mouth advertising.

The problem with the current model is with no members or people being attached, there is no buzz about the place, no one feels a sense of belonging and in weeks of poor weather the place will have virtually no turnover. The courses are heavily reliant on getting decent weather at the weekends as well as probably 3 or 4 holidays in terms of Easter, 2 x May and 2 x August holidays. If these days are wet, turnover will be massively impacted.

 

[jamiet7682]

I think the Mearns Castle model is really good, doesnt have the stuffiness associated with traditional Golf clubs but has all the facilities. People can pay as they play on every aspect of the club, driving range, practice area or course, or you can become a member and have unlimited access to the practice area and course and half price balls for the range. Membership is reasonably priced and no ridiculous joining fee. It really works for folk just dipping their toe into the world of golf.

I have just taken up the Winter Membership (£150) and will more than likely extend that to full membership in April (£300), so that is 18 months membership for £450, by far the best deal in the area. I only need to play one round a month to get my moneys worth. already played 5 in my first two weeks as member.