First and foremost, I want to send our best wishes to each and every one of you, our members, from the team here at Scottish Golf. This is the most difficult time we have all had to face in a generation, both personally and professionally. All of us have been affected by COVID-19 either directly or indirectly.
For now, it is a time to pull together. As a community we represent so much more than golf. Together, locally, we represent camaraderie, friendship, and support. We are all pulling together in the golf clubs that we love, reaching out to each other, making sure that our golfing friends who are on their own and vulnerable are being looked after and feel supported by their club and their fellow members.
I recognise that, for each of our 575 affiliated clubs, our committees, employees and members, it is a time of uncertainty and stress. Tough decisions are being taken by your management teams so that your clubs can re-open their doors in as strong a position as is possible. Clubs need their members more than ever to support them financially so that they can survive the lockdown in an already tough market, and so that we each have our club to come back to.
Scottish Golf, like its member clubs, is having to make some tough decisions in light of a significant delay in our member income, so that we can continue to support our clubs as we come through these difficult times. To this end we have furloughed the majority of our employees and made the necessary decisions as regards our season’s calendar of events.
We have taken the decision to cancel all our events and our performance programmes for the remainder of the 2020 season.
There is important work that we will continue to deliver to ensure we are in a positive position when our clubs and their courses reopen.
I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you more about this work now.
Scottish Golf are continuing the development of our Hive eLearning platform. This will allow clubs to access self-learning tools to manage various aspects of the club, including assistance with educating members on WHS.
Secondly, the work continues on the development and testing of VMS. We know that many clubs are using the current down time to learn the new system and we have retained team members to support you in this.
We are also in the final stages of completing the build of our WHS system, which will allow golfers to see what their new WHS handicap index will become.
Scottish Golf want to support you and your clubs during these challenging times. As each of the skeletal team is working remotely, the very best way to seek support on specific issues is to email: info@scottishgolf.org
We continue to liaise with sportscotland and the Government and we will ensure that we communicate with you as and when decisions about the game are made.
In time we will all get back out there onto our courses. For now, we must look after each other and the communities that our clubs serve. Once we can start playing the game we love again, we will all work together to re-establish golf as the life blood of our communities.
Thank you for the commitment you have shown us. We look forward to working with you all both now and in the future.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a peaceful Easter weekend. I urge you all to continue to follow the Government guidelines to stay at home.
With very best wishes,
Eleanor Cannon
Chair
Eleanor Cannon
Chair
