By Martin Dempster
Mount Ellen in Gartcosh is set to become the latest Scottish golf club to close its doors due to dwindling membership.
Founded in 1904, the shutters will be brought down at the Lanarkshire club on Sunday due to financial problems.
A club spokesman said: “Unfortunately, Mount Ellen Golf Club is closing its doors on Sunday.
“We’ve had the same problem as a number of golf clubs. Membership numbers have fallen over the years and it has come harder and harder.
“Basically, we are not bringing in enough money to cover our costs to be able to continue.
“In total, the membership was round about 300, but, out of that, we only had 196 paying full fees.
“We had seniors, juniors, associates and flexible memberships as well. If we had 300 full paying members, I think it would be a different story.”
Sandy Jones served on the Mount Ellen committee before becoming PGA in Scotland secretary then going on to serve as PGA chief executive at The Belfry.
Peter Lloyd, who was one of Jones’s successors in the PGA in Scotland post, was also a long-time member at the club.
“Listen, I am in the golf club today and it’s like being at a funeral,” added the spokesman. “The place is really busy and everybody is in a state of shock.
“It’s only 10 years since Paul Lawrie opened our new clubhouse. It has just happened so quickly and we are devastated, absolutely devastated.
“We’ve got a visiting party here on Sunday and, if the weather is good, I am sure members will be out for a game. But most of the members have already been up to clean out their lockers.”
The news comes hot on the heels of an announcement earlier this week that Camperdown in Dundee is set to be closed.
Earlier this year, Eastwood on the outskirts of Glasgow also went out of business while other Scottish clubs to close down over the past few years have included Carrick Knowe in Edinburgh and Brunston Castle in Ayrshire.
