Beith Golf Club To Close

[Doon frae Troon]

Sad news of a long established golf club
Sign of the times

http://ayrshiregolf.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/beith-golf-club-to-close-egm-decides-to.html

 

[Robster59]

Sad to hear of any club having to close. Membership in Scotland is declining and there are some people looking at the SGU and asking just exactly what they are doing to help the clubs to survive and grow memberships.
Scotland loses 6000 club members in a year

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Sad to hear of any club having to close. Membership in Scotland is declining and there are some people looking at the SGU and asking just exactly what they are doing to help the clubs to survive and grow memberships.
Scotland loses 6000 club members in a year

Had a chat with my daughter last night.
She is playing Turnberry today in a club group. Nice day for it.
One of the group is a member of four clubs three others are members of three clubs.

Scottish Golf want to double the cost of affiliation from £24. The member of four clubs will now have to pay £192 to be a Scottish Golf member.
Sounds to me like SG have lost the plot.
Not heard any positive stuff about them since the amalgamated.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Had a chat with my daughter last night.
She is playing Turnberry today in a club group. Nice day for it.
One of the group is a member of four clubs three others are members of three clubs.

Scottish Golf want to double the cost of affiliation from £24. The member of four clubs will now have to pay £192 to be a Scottish Golf member.
Sounds to me like SG have lost the plot.
Not heard any positive stuff about them since the amalgamated.

They claim that members of multiple clubs will only have to pay one affiliation fee. However, reading between the lines, it appears they won’t be able to track multiple memberships until their new CRM system is implemented, which looks like a couple of years away at best.

To give something positive, I’d say the SG events I’ve played in, like the Scottish women’s, Helen holm and county finals have been very well organised and run. Although probably not noticeably better than under the SLGA.

 

[User62651]

Always sad.
I suppose there's a large amount of golf choices in Ayrshire including great links so maybe just too many courses?

Noticed on bing maps a huge quarry just opposite - maybe they'll be digging up the golf course in time?

In terms of other possible future uses I notice it's very hilly ground - possible dry ski slope or offroading centre? Maybe just reclaimed for farmland or turned to forestry? Does the club own or lease the land?

 

[Robster59]

By all accounts SGU are getting some real negative comments on social media. There has to be an issue where the Home of Golf is one of the countries with the largest percentage decline in membership.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Thumbs up for the new 'Robert the Bruce' course at Turnberry from the best golfer in the family.

Only the middle section changed from the old Kintyre course but quite stunning new holes, I'm told.

 

[Robster59]

It looks like Beith are going to try to make a go of it by reverting back to their original 9 hole course.
Beith announcement

 

[Doon frae Troon]

It looks like Beith are going to try to make a go of it by reverting back to their original 9 hole course.
Beith announcement

Good news.
Hope they succeed.

 

[Robster59]

Good news.
Hope they succeed.

We can only hope. It's always sad to see a club in demise. At least there are 80 members who are willing to give it a go.

 

[patricks148]

i think realistically there are too many small community courses, that once upon a time had a lot of members who maybe only played a few times a year, as the fee's have gone up these guys have stopped being members. Of course there are other factors but small towns with maybe only small populations its isn't sustainable any longer.

its a shame, but more and more are going to go in the future.

 

[AMcC]

Apparently there are further complications about buildings the club would use being on different land from what is going to be the retained 9 holes. But hope they can sort it out.

 

[HankMarvin]

Had a chat with my daughter last night.
She is playing Turnberry today in a club group. Nice day for it.
One of the group is a member of four clubs three others are members of three clubs.

Scottish Golf want to double the cost of affiliation from £24. The member of four clubs will now have to pay £192 to be a Scottish Golf member.
Sounds to me like SG have lost the plot.
Not heard any positive stuff about them since the amalgamated.

not sure where you are getting your info from but the current cost is only about 12 quid not 24.

and yes they were looking to double it but it has been put on hold for now.

 

[Foxholer]

Had a chat with my daughter last night.
She is playing Turnberry today in a club group. Nice day for it.
One of the group is a member of four clubs three others are members of three clubs.

Scottish Golf want to double the cost of affiliation from £24. The member of four clubs will now have to pay £192 to be a Scottish Golf member.
Sounds to me like SG have lost the plot.
Not heard any positive stuff about them since the amalgamated.

If someone is a member of 4 clubs, then - extremely good membership deals notwithstanding - an extra £24 per club on top of the membership fees doesn't seem a huge additional burden! Obviously, it would be far better if there was some automated way to eliminate the fee (only 1 sub per CDH - and that from Home Club seems simple enough, but not without issues!) but having been in the same position - and also both in the same position, in another sport, and of having to explain to others - that it simply wasn't cost-effective to resolve, I can sympathise with the SGU.

My view is that a 'paper based' system, where it's the member of multiple clubs that does the donkey work of getting non-home clubs to confirm and claiming 'extra' fees from the SGU is the simplest and cheapest way all round - until an automated system can be put in place!