Another Scottish golf club closes

[Robster59]

Sad to read another Scottish golf club is to close this weekend. There really does seem to be a problem in Scotland in terms of membership but I saw another stat that shows England has about 4 times as many courses as Scotland but 10 times the population. So it may be there are just too many to be supported by the relatively small population. With one closing down the road from us a few months ago, no club can afford to be lax in the way it is run. It's a buyers market out there these days.
Mount Ellen Golf Club to close

 

[CliveW]

More to follow I'm afraid. Dundee Council are proposing the closure of Camperdown which I think is one of the best local authority courses I know, and another privately owned course in this area is also in the frame.
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/new...ng-vows-dundee-council-leader-john-alexander/

 

[Parsaregood]

Survival of the fittest as they say, golf isnt an attractive game in the computer age. I'm a fairly young golfer in my late 20's and I'm not really sure much can be done to encourage more participation, I think the main issues are mainly with the game itself and also the expense of it. Golf just doesn't look exciting for a non-golfer, watching it wouldn't make you want to try it, you cant play it in school. As much as golfers find it hard to believe, it's an incredibly boring sport from an outside perspective

 

[Backache]

Survival of the fittest as they say, golf isnt an attractive game in the computer age. I'm a fairly young golfer in my late 20's and I'm not really sure much can be done to encourage more participation, I think the main issues are mainly with the game itself and also the expense of it. Golf just doesn't look exciting for a non-golfer, watching it wouldn't make you want to try it, you cant play it in school. As much as golfers find it hard to believe, it's an incredibly boring sport from an outside perspective

I wonder, I started playing golf in the 80's it still had a slightly stuffy exclusive image but was becoming very popular , there were reports saying that many new golf courses had to be built , most courses had long waiting lists for membership and many were closed altogether to applicants.
At the same time football was decreasing dramatically in popularity violence was rife and English clubs were banned from Europe , everyone said it was shrinking. Cycling had become a sport for a tiny minority and a past time for a few. Nowadays cycling is booming the sport is far more tedious to watch for the uninitiated than golf and the cost of a decent road bike can be far more expensive than clubs. A season ticket at a premier league club will set you back more than many subs for golf courses.

Non of this is to say that golf will become more popular but I think it may be premature to write it off.. Get a couple of glamorous young successful golfers and I think it could easily take off again.

 

[IanM]

Heck, Scots not playing golf? What is the world coming to?

 

[HankMarvin]

Mount Ellon is no great loss to be honest. On the plus side the new course in Fife is soon to be open and it looks a belter, so not all bad news up here

 

[Jacko_G]

Mount Ellon is no great loss to be honest. On the plus side the new course in Fife is soon to be open and it looks a belter, so not all bad news up here

£280 a round!

 

[HankMarvin]

£280 a round!

yep but there are deals on the go and from what I have seen its a belter of a course so probably worth it if you want to play it

 

[Jacko_G]

yep but there are deals on the go and from what I have seen its a belter of a course so probably worth it if you want to play it

Not at that price. I'll pass.

 

[HankMarvin]

Not at that price. I'll pass.

your loss, I will be all over it as soon as it's open, it's going to be something special for sure

 

[Jacko_G]

your loss, I will be all over it as soon as it's open, it's going to be something special for sure

Hardly think it's a loss when I can get Dornoch a lot cheaper, Trump for £90, etc etc.

£280 for a course still bedding in. Hope you enjoy.

 

[Crow]

Mount Ellon is no great loss to be honest. On the plus side the new course in Fife is soon to be open and it looks a belter, so not all bad news up here

£280 a round!

Looking at it from another angle, which of these two courses is the more likely to attract new golfers to the game?

(Thinking about it the answer is the new course in Fife as Mount Ellen is closing but you know what I mean)

 

[popeye]

£280 a round!!!!!
It's no mystery why young people don't take up the game with prices like that!

 

[ger147]

Mount Ellon is no great loss to be honest...

It is for the people who have been members there for many decades. A golf club is more than just the course...

 

[HankMarvin]

It is for the people who have been members there for many decades. A golf club is more than just the course...

Agreed but said members need to accept that they voted or had the chance to for for the comittee who sold the land and built a clubhouse that was way over the top and ended up putting the club down.

 

[Jacko_G]

It won't be the last to go.

More will follow.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

your loss, I will be all over it as soon as it's open, it's going to be something special for sure

I expect it will be full of Americans each day - the course does look spectacular, going to be like Kingsbarn it seems , just expensive pay and play but discount for locals

 

[HankMarvin]

Yep it's going to be a belter and just like Kingsbarns did for the first 5 years or so it gave discounts to Fife residents, these course have a place in golf and more so in The Home Of Golf

 

[JGolfer]

Survival of the fittest as they say, golf isnt an attractive game in the computer age. I'm a fairly young golfer in my late 20's and I'm not really sure much can be done to encourage more participation, I think the main issues are mainly with the game itself and also the expense of it. Golf just doesn't look exciting for a non-golfer, watching it wouldn't make you want to try it, you cant play it in school. As much as golfers find it hard to believe, it's an incredibly boring sport from an outside perspective

Couldn't agree more. I am in my early 20s and I actually made a post on here to see why people got into golf. Can't remembering seeing a response "Because I saw it on tv" the most common was injury or family.

People rather play video games than get out for a few hours. If only they knew the joy you get when you strike it pure and it goes exactly where you want.