Belle Robertson endures in game of great longevity

By Nick RodgerGolf Correspondent - The Glasgow Herald 20th March

Belle Robertson has played just one round of golf this year. She’ll double that tally with another today.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemonium, the isolated tranquillity of life in Kintyre has its benefits.

“I’ve not heard of anyone coming down with anything just yet and maybe it’s one of the advantages of living out here,” said one of Scotland’s most decorated golfers. “I have a two-ball arranged for Friday at Machrihanish. I’ve not played since January so here we go again.”    --- 

(Hopefully you got that game Belle before the course shut down)

By her own admission, Robertson is now a “fair weather golfer” and given that the weather in recent weeks has been about as uplifting as peering at a COVID-19 infection rate chart, it’s hardly surprising her outings are now few and far between.

As club golfers the world over try to muddle on as best they can and keep playing in some form or another against a backdrop of woe, worry and wearying uncertainty, Robertson doesn’t need to be reminded about the lasting lure of this grand game. Old habits die hard.

“Golf is part of my life,” said the multiple Scottish Women’s champion and Curtis Cup mainstay.

“When it’s a nice day you look out and you think a walk would be nice.

“But a walk on the golf course and a game gives that walk more purpose. There’s an excitement to it … and some frustration too. There are all sorts of emotions involved. And that keeps you going.”

Robertson’s longevity is well renowned. She won the first of her seven Scottish titles in 1965 and the last of them at the age of 50 in 1986.

As something of a trailblazer in terms of exercise and stretching regimes while in her pomp, Robertson remains a sprightly specimen as she “closes in on 84”.

The golfing mind, meanwhile, remains as sharp as a Dunaverty wind. The passing of the years, though, bring their own little vexations for this great competitor.

“When I’m golfing now I keep saying ‘I used to be away up there when I was playing my second shot’,” she said with a wry chortle. “That’s the frustrating thing about golf now; not having the power. The will is still there.

“The one thing, at least, is that I’ve been lucky with my putting.”

Robertson remains a keen observer of golf at all levels. “But what will we do without The Masters?,” she said of the demise of golf’s rite of spring on a savaged schedule.

The rise of more events where men and women compete side by side, meanwhile, has certainly received the Robertson seal of approval.

“It’s a great thing,” she declared with gusto. “I can remember they did quite a bit of this in Sweden with medals together.

“They thought we were crazy the way we played golf over here. It can only help the game, certainly the amateur game.”

It’s 60 years now since Robertson made the first of seven playing appearances for GB&I in the Curtis Cup.

She lost 8&7 to US great Judy Bell in the singles. “But we’ve been best friends ever since,” noted the Scot.

The camaraderie of golf endures. And in these turbulent times, we need that camaraderie more than ever.

Link up with an Open champion aids Clare-Marie Macaulay's golf drive

By Nick Rodger Golf Correspondent - The Glasgow Herald -24th March

In this country, where the dank, grim days of winter are as short as a resigned sigh, the onset of some decent, dry spring weather doesn’t half raise the morale. Well, it would if the coronaviruswasn’t lurking all over the parish.

While nothing is more important than the health of all and sundry, the timing of the Covid-19 assault for those in the golfing industry has been as wonky as high handicapper’s swing.

Clare-Marie Macaulay’s admirable endeavours in spreading the game’s gospel into schools has been, temporarily, plunged into the rough but her enthusiasm for getting a new generation playing and, most of all, enjoying golf knows no bounds.

The grassroots work she performed in tandem with her PGA qualified brother, Andy Carlton, at Paisley Golf Club certainly made people sit up and take notice. One such person was a certain Open champion.

“Paul Lawrie approached me to see if I’d be interested in taking on a role in his Foundation,” said Macaulay of the 1999 Claret Jug winner’s advance. “It was an easy decision to make.

“It’s great to have Paul there as a figurehead. Some of the teachers in the schools we go to may not be golfers but they know of Paul.

“Even if the young kids don’t know him, it’s a nice, inspiring tale to tell about his rise, his Open win and what he does for golf. Paul wants the best for golf in Scotland, we all do and we need to keep driving it forward.”

In a joint venture which can only be beneficial for the young ’uns, Lawrie’s Foundation and the Foundation run by Stephen Gallacher have teamed up with the Junior Flag Challenge, an initiative Macaulay helped run, to form a nationwide under-12s development platform that is also backed by Scottish Golf.

“It’s the right thing to do,” she said of this combined fleet. “We’re getting a more joined-up approach now and that can only be good.

“Before I joined up with Paul people may have thought we were in competition with what he was doing and what Stevie was doing. That wasn’t the case at all.We just all wanted the same thing and that was to get more kids playing golf and give them more opportunities. Working together will help to do that.

“When I was a junior at Fereneze, I never struggled for a game in the juniors. We need to get the numbers back up. The Scottish Junior Flag Championship gives young players a bit more incentive. They don’t need a handicap and it’s a chance for them to represent their clubs through a local qualifier and then onto a regional event.

“The clubs across the country get involved too and there are a lot of very active people trying to do their bit for junior golf.”

Of course, the wild spread of the coronavirus continues to put a spanner in all manner of works. “Obviously now, I can’t go into the schools,” said Macaulay, the wife of former European Tour player Callum.

"This couldn’t have arrived at a worse time. But we just need to get on with it. It’s a shame as there was some real momentum building with the school programme.”

Her momentum may have been halted by this perilous pandemic but Macaulay’s eagerness remains undiminished. “There is huge potential to get golf into schools,” she added. “All the teachers seem very keen. It’s a bit different to other standard sports.

“I do ask the kids if they’ve ever touched a club and a lot haven’t. I’ll also ask them, ‘be honest, did you think golf was boring?’. But they love it and say it’s better than they thought.

“It’s aimed at primary five, six and seven and a few kids have been involved in the five week course at school and have gone on to do coaching at their local clubs.

“Ralston Golf Club, for example, started some junior coaching and six of them from the school programme went along which was encouraging. They were keen to keep going.

“A lot of the time with golf, kids have parents or grandparents who are into it but going into schools gives everybody a chance. It opens it up to all.”

WEST OF SCOTLAND COUNTIES CORONAVIRUS NOTIFICATIONS

All the West Of Scotland County Captains have announced to their members over the last couple of weeks the initial decisions with regards their County Championships and Inter-County Foursomes qualifiers.  

AYRSHIRE (24th March)
Since I last wrote to you the situation with the Coronavirus has got much worse and therefore it will probably come as no surprise to you that, it is with great disappointment and regret, the Committee and I have decided to cancel the County Championship in April and the Foursomes in May
We had hoped that it may have been possible to keep these competitions going by adhering to social distancing and not using club house facilities. However, following the Prime Ministers announcement yesterday and for the safety and well being of our members and their families this will not be possible. These are very sad and unprecedented times.
Being an optimist, hopefully we will all get back to our golf in June.
Thank you for your continued understanding.
Take care and stay safe.

Joanne Sharp - Ayrshire County Captain

D&A (19th March)
In the current situation it has been reluctantly decided to cancel/postpone the County Championship and the Intercounty Foursomes/Commonwealth Spoons (qualifying rounds). The final of the Winter Foursomes scheduled for 28th March has also been postponed until later in the year. The committee will keep the situation under review and further updates will be posted.
Jean Lietch - D&A Captain

LANARKSHIRE (24th March)

Due to the ongoing situation with the Coronavirus, the committee and I have regrettably decided to cancel our County Championship at Drumpellier from 27-29th April. With the current government advice there was no option but to do this. I will keep you informed in due course about other fixtures. It's a sad decision to make but we have to be mindful of everyone's health. 

Hopefully we will be back on the fairways soon. Take care everyone.

Fiona Norris - Lanarkshire County Captain

RENFREWSHIRE (19th March)
It's with a heavy heart that Vice Captain Donna (Jackson), Honorary President Pearl (Orr), the Committee and I have decided to postpone both the County Foursomes (at Elderslie GC on 27th April) and the County Championship (at Ranfurly Castle GC between 6 - 8th May) but we feel the health and well-being of our members has to be our priority.

If possible we will try and re-arrange both these events later in the season but, at the moment, we can give no guarantees.

Unfortunately, other competitions may also be affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic and its associated restrictions but we will keep you advised as we go along.

Sadly 2020 hasn't been kind to us so far, firstly with the horrendous wet weather and now the coronavirus but let's stay positive and hope we'll be back to normal real soon.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and continued support.

Sandra Littlejohn - RLCGA Captain

SCOTTISH GOLF - NO GOLF STAY AT HOME

The message to all of us is clear, we must stay home and play our part in containing the spread of COVID-19. 

With this in mind, Scottish Golf asks that all golfers in Scotland refrain from golfing until further notice. 

Read more 👉 bit.ly/SGCOVID19Update

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WEST OF SCOTLAND GREENLEES MATCHES CANCELLED FOR 2020

Greenlees Trophies

After considering all the options and taking on board the Government’s directives, I regretfully feel that the Greenlees League matches should be cancelled this year.

As our clubhouses are closing down, we might have considered playing our games with no hospitality but this could become impractical if various players became ill at different times. 

This could easily lead to you not being able to field a team.

At the moment there is not an end in sight so any thoughts about playing later in the season do not seem sensible.

However, as you are aware, it is the League’s 80^thAnniversary this year. We have made plans for this celebration to be held at East Renfrewshire G. C. on Tuesday, 1^st September.

I would like you to keep this date in your diaries with the great hope that things will greatly improve and we can enjoy the celebrations. Obviously, details cannot be finalised till later.

If things do improve later in the summer, perhaps you could consider playing some of your fixtures as ‘friendlies’ 

Please keep in touch if there is anything you would like to discuss or any news you would like to pass on.

Hopefully you will all stay safe and healthy.

Maureen Mitchell (West of Scotland Greenlees Secretary)

COVID-19 RELATED GUIDANCE ON THE RULES OF GOLF

FROM THE SCOTTISH GOLF WEBSITE

The R&A has received a number of enquiries from organisers of golf competitions seeking guidance on the Rules of Golf in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. The purpose of this communication is to provide some guidance on the Rules of Golf.

After consulting with CONGU, the official handicapping authority for all golf governing bodies in Great Britain and Ireland, Scottish Golf would like to inform its members that all recommendations listed by The R&A below can adopted and count for handicapping purposes in Scotland with immediate effect.

Scorecards 

In view of concerns around handling and exchanging scorecards (which may be in paper or electronic form as already provided in the Rules), on a temporary basis, Committees may choose to allow methods of scoring in stroke play that do not strictly comply with Rule 3.3b, or do not comply with the normal methods used under Rule 3.3b.

For example:

• Players may enter their own hole scores on the scorecard (it is not necessary for a marker to do it).
• It is not necessary to have a marker physically certify the player’s hole scores, but some form of verbal certification should take place.
• It is not necessary to physically return a scorecard to the Committee provided the Committee can accept the scores in another way.

Flagsticks

Committees may choose to adopt the following policies on a temporary basis:

• Requiring that players leave the flagstick in the hole at all times. It is a matter for the Committee to decide whether it establishes this policy by way of a Code of Conduct or Local Rule, and whether it provides a penalty under the Code of Conduct or for a breach of the Local Rule.
• Not have flagsticks at all. 

Hole

No modifications to the Definition of Hole are offered, but if a Committee chooses not to follow the requirements in the Definition of Hole, which may also have an impact on the Definition of “Holed”, the Committee should consult its national association for guidance on whether scores submitted in such circumstances are acceptable for handicapping purposes.

The following will be deemed acceptable for use in qualifying competitions: 

Clubs can invert the cup so that there is only a shallow cup allowing players to remove the ball without touching the flag please see photo below.

Bunkers

If rakes have been removed from the course, or if the Committee has requested that rakes not be used, it is recognised that bunkers may not be smoothed as well as when there are rakes on the course. But it is recommended that no modification is made to the Rules of Golf in such circumstances, and that players are requested to smooth bunkers using their feet or a club. 

If, as a result of there being no rakes, the Committee decides to introduce a Local Rule relating to bunkers, scores submitted under the following Local Rules acceptable for use in qualifying competitions:

Preferred lies in bunkers within 6 inches to allow players to get out of un-raked areas or bunkers marked as GUR.

If you have any further queries relating to Handicapping and qualifying competitions, please email handicapping@scottishgolf.org

WEST VETS SPRING, AND SUMMER MEETING ARE CANCELLED

In light of the recent directive from the UK Government to avoid non-essential social contact, we have taken the decision to cancel/postpone the Spring Meeting at Lanark, the Summer Meeting at Cathkin Braes along with the Championship at Renfrew.

To read more go to the West Vets Website

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES FROM SCOTTISH GOLF

Scottish Golf Coronavirus Updates - DAILY UPDATES

EAST RENFREWSHIRE GOLF CLUB LADIES FASHION SHOW IS POSTPONED

CLICK TO ENLARGE

 Based on the new advice issued on Monday, that we should all avoid ‘gatherings’, the above Fashion Show will be postponed. 

At the moment we are unable to set a new date. If you have bought a ticket, please contact the person you bought it from for a refund. Any ticket money not refunded will be donated to the Glasgow Care Foundation charity.

Thank you all for your support in the planning of this event. I’m disappointed that we will not be able to run what was shaping up to be a really fun evening. However, it is not to be.

Carole Spy

Lady Captain

Martin Dempster: Why a golf course is one of safest places at the moment

By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman 

Enjoy your game”, said a nice man as myself and a friend left the first tee at Aberdour on Sunday afternoon. I’d never seen him before in my life, but, of all the days for someone to say that out of the blue, it was actually quite comforting.

Given everything going on at the moment due to the coronavirus, I had a feeling that someone could actually
have been waiting on that first tee to say we shouldn’t be going out to play golf.

If truth be told, I’d been put on edge slightly by someone highlighting on social media earlier in the day about the dilemma of having to pull out the pin or rake a bunker without touching them.

As a result of that, from start to finish I paid a lot more attention than normal to what I was doing on my way around the golf course. But, hand on heart, there was hardly anything that has left me with cause for concern about continuing to play over the weeks and months ahead.

I accessed the clubhouse with a swipe card and retrieved my clubs and golf shoes from my locker, feeling very comfortable about that. The only time, in fact, that I felt someone could have picked up on anything before actually getting out on the course was that I had 
to push a button to exit the locker-room.

As for those aforementioned concerns about pins, bunker rakes and also picking the ball out of the hole, they actually proved easy to overcome bearing in mind, of course, that golf is a game that, for most people anyway, already involves wearing a glove.

As is now permitted in the game, even in competitions, we left the pin in all the time. I normally take my glove off when I’m putting, but I didn’t on this occasion and had no worries whatsoever dipping my gloved hand into the hole. I also used that hand to pick up a rake on a couple of 
occasions.

Once or twice, I had thoughts going through my head – when placing a tee in the mat, for instance – but, honestly, there was absolutely nothing that left me thinking that golf should not be encouraged in the current situation.

It has built-in “social distancing”. Rarely do you ever find yourself crowded or with someone in your face on the golf course. And, of course, the maximum number of players you can have in a group is four.

To me, it has to be one of the safest places anyone could be at the moment and, by the sounds of things, the medical experts are of the same opinion. “You’re not in contact with a whole lot of other people,” Dr Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston told golfdigest.com.

“Sunlight and other environmental conditions can kill viruses like this, so it is probable that that is true for this novel coronavirus, as well. So I would say in the actual 
playing of golf, you’re not at much risk.”

Yes, of course, adjustments need to be made around the actual playing part and that, unfortunately, is probably going to see clubhouses a lot emptier than they would normally be, especially with some better weather hopefully just around the corner.

However, at a time when an antidote is badly needed, golf can be just that. As that friendly man in the group behind us at Aberdour on Sunday would say, keep enjoying your game!

Scottish Golf Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update - March 16th

Scottish Golf is taking the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) extremely seriously. Our number one priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our community of golfers, clubs, volunteers and staff, ensuring that everyone is able to enjoy our great sport in a safe environment.  

In relation to public gatherings, please click here to access the latest Scottish Government advice which Scottish Golf has received today. 

We have been asked by clubs about potential financial assistance from Government in light of announcements made last week. At present, the Government have asked that you click here to access the latest support and advice. Scottish Golf remains committed to ensuring the appropriate representations take place to ensure the concerns of our golf clubs are heard. 

In our update issued on Friday 13 March, we took the decision to cancel a number of our National Championships in April and we will continue to monitor our events calendar on an ongoing basis as matters develop.

In addition to these events, and given this evening’s update from the UK Government, we have taken the decision to cancel all non-essential face-to-face meetings involving Scottish Golf staff. This cancellation will be effective from this evening until end of April. This will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and where we are able to, we will look at ways to communicate using technology. 

Following last nights UK Government briefing, we are being encouraged to work from home where we can. Scottish Golf intends to implement this for all of our staff as soon as possible and is in line with our disaster recovery plans. If you need to get in touch with a member of the Scottish Golf team, we would encourage you to fill out our Contact Us form here and we will be in touch.

We are aware of clubs looking to put in place specific changes to their business operations as part of their response to COVID-19. In this regard, we would welcome clubs to share their best practice with Scottish Golf which will allow us to share it with the wider golfing community in Scotland.

Scottish Golf are aware that this is a difficult and concerning time for everyone involved in our game and we are committed to communicating with you in a timely manner regarding the latest developments relating to COVID-19. 

To support everyone during this period, we have set up a new designated area on the Scottish Golf website to ensure updates are clear and accessible to all. Click here to access all of our COVID-19 updates. 

2020 Scottish Golf Annual General Meeting

2019 Scottish Golf Annual Review Dear Club, County and Area representative, Following the decision to postpone the 2020 Scottish Golf AGM on Sunday, we would like to provide everyone with access to the 2019 Scottish Golf Annual Review which has been produced digitally.  To access the 2019 Scottish Golf Annual Review, please click here. Scottish Golf is currently working to re-format all planned presentation slides that were due to be presented at Sunday's meeting and we aim to distribute these to all representatives within two weeks. In addition, as previously intimated we will provide an opportunity for questions to be asked and these will all be published together with the answers to those questions.  We would like to thank you all for your understanding during this very challenging, unprecedented and fast moving situation we find ourselves in. For the latest Golf Industry Guidelines to Coronavirus (COVID-19), please click here.

KELSEY MACDONALD FINISHES TIED 4TH IN THE SA WOMEN'S OPEN

Alice Hewson’s professional career couldn’t have started any better.

The 22-year-old from Hemel Hempstead in England won the Investec South African Women’s Open on her first start as a rookie member of the Ladies European Tour at Westlake Golf Club on Saturday, coming from three strokes behind the overnight leader, Olivia Cowan, to win by a shot on 5 under par 

 CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REPORT

Kelsey Macdonald had a closing round of 73 to be the leading Scot and to finish T4

SCOTS SCORES:

-3 Kelsey Macdonald 70,70,73 T4

+2 Hannah McCook, Jane Turner T22

+8 Michele Thomson T46

+9 Alison Muirhead T57

FINAL SCOREBOARD

THE MARY MCKENNA PERPETUAL TROPHY MATCH IS POSTPONED

Annual SVLGA team v Irish Senior Ladies team for the Mary McKenna Perpetual Trophy:

I suspect that it will come as no surprise that the decision has been made to postpone the above match which was due to take place on 28 and 29 March in Dublin. We are currently in discussions with our Irish friends to decide when the next match will be played.

This is such a disappointment for all concerned but it is clear the current situation will not improve  in the next two weeks and this is the only course of action which could be taken. 

In the meantime, we do hope that all our members stay fit and well and manage to get out on the golf course to reap the benefits of playing this great game. 

Stay fit and well everyone ⛳️🏌️‍♀️

Karen Ballantyne

SVLGA Captain

MYGOLFRANKING - DUNBARTONSHIRE/ARGYLL LADIES - WEEK 10 IN 2020

MyGolfRanking.net DUNBARTONSHIRE/ARGYLL GOLFERS of Week 2020/10 is SARAH KEMP of Helensburgh Ladies, who takes sole ownership of No 7 of the 
DUNBARTONSHIRE/ARGYLL Ladies Ranking,

LEADING PLAYERS -- 
DUNBARTONSHIRE/ARGYLL LADIES

1 Caroline King (Clober) 1217 points 
2 Ashley Duffy (Clober) 1141 
3 Katharine Hardman (Dunaverty) 1063 
4 Susan Griffin (Douglas Park) 1056 
5 Paula Galloway (Douglas Park) 1038 
6 Susan Rattray (Douglas Park) 1033 
7 Sarah Kemp (Helensburgh) 994 
8 Jill Burgess (Hilton Park) 984 
9 Gillian Morrison (Clober) 979 
10 Susan Tyre (Blairmore & Strone) 978

DUNBARTONSHIRE/ARGYLL LADIES CLUBS 

1 Clober 1035 
2 Palacerigg 871 
3 Douglas Park 861 
4 Dumbarton 845 
5 Dunaverty 836 
6 Blairmore & Strone 818 
7 Hilton Park 789 
8 Helensburgh 756 
9 Machrihanish 678 
10 Vale of Leven 630

Scottish Golf Statement on National Championship Cancellations

Scottish Golf Statement: National Championship Cancellations

Scottish Golf continues to monitor developments of the COVID-19 Virus, including the impact that this will have on events that bring together groups of people. With this in mind and following the latest Government advice, it is with regret that we have taken the decision to cancel the first three Scottish Golf National Championships of the 2020 calendar. The cancelled events are:  8 – 10 April 2020      Scottish Boys’ Open Championship (North Berwick) 8 – 10 April 2020      Scottish Girls’ Open Championship (Powfoot) 17 – 19 April 2020    Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship (Royal Troon) While golf is a sport that allows players to exercise outdoor in the fresh air where the risk of contracting COVID-19 is low, Scottish Golf’s decision has been made recognising that these events all attract international fields, to ensure the risk to competitors, officials and spectators is minimised. Scottish Golf will continue to respect government advice and work in partnership with organisations across the golf industry and more information about other National Championships will be communicated as this developing situation continues. All entrants of the impacted events will receive a full refund and Scottish Golf will issue further guidance to those affected in due course. We thank you for your understanding at this time.

SCOTTISH GOLF AGM IS POSTPONED

Scottish Golf Annual General Meeting, Sunday 15 March 2020

Dear Club, County and Area representative, As promised the team at Scottish Golf has been carefully monitoring the situation regarding Corona Virus COVID-19. Following the announcement in the past few hours regarding Scottish Football and golf worldwide, I am taking the decision to postpone the Scottish Golf AGM to a date to be clarified once the current crisis has passed. This decision is based entirely on the health and wellbeing of our volunteers and employees. I simply do not believe it reasonable to expose attendees to the unnecessary risk in both making the journey and in attending the event. For the latest Golf Industry Guidelines to Coronavirus (COVID-19), please click here. I send everyone my very best wishes at this worrying time. Stay safe. Yours Aye Eleanor Cannon Chair, Scottish Golf

SCOTTISH GOLF AGM NOTICE -- CHANGE IN TIME

Scottish Golf Annual General Meeting, Sunday 15 March 2020

Dear Club, County and Area representative, SCOTTISH GOLF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, SUNDAY 15 MARCH 2020   Against an ever changing backdrop of advice in relation to the ongoing Corona Virus - COVID 19, I thought it helpful to share an update in relation to the upcoming AGM. Based on current Scottish and UK Government and World Health Organisation advice we are currently anticipating that the meeting scheduled for Sunday 15 March will go ahead as planned.  We are aware that the advice in relation to public gatherings could change dramatically at any time.   Each of us will be reflecting on not only our own vulnerability to the virus but, in many cases, more importantly, the vulnerability of loved ones. The decision as to whether or not to attend the AGM is therefore a personal choice. The Board and Executive team at Scottish Golf are committed to ensuring that every effort is made to have the AGM take place on Sunday 15 March and that we move through proceedings in a timely manner with a view to minimising unnecessary contact time in a confined space. Please note that the meeting will now commence at 12.30pm and that registration will be open from noon. In these circumstances, so that those that wish to attend do not make the trip only to find that the meeting is not quorate, please can I ask all member organisations with voting entitlement to consider registering a proxy vote before 12.30pm on Friday 13 March. This will ensure that, should any of our currently registered attendee's choose not to travel on Sunday, the meeting remains quorate. Proxy Voting Form and instructions for completion I appreciate that these are worrying and changing times. I will ensure that prompt communication is issued to all member organisations should our position change in the coming days. Thank you and I hope to see you on Sunday. With very best regards, Eleanor Cannon (Chair Scottish Golf)

Clubs consider holding back fees to Scottish Golf over ‘railroading’ claims

By Martin Dempster  - 

FROM THE SCOTSMAN NEWSPAPER

Scottish Golf is facing a potential revolt by some of its member clubs who are threatening to hold back affiliation fees because they feel they are being “railroaded” by the governing body.

The source of their discontent is a software system which is supposed to simplify golf clubs’ tee booking, competition scoring, handicapping and other administration.

But the Venue Management System (VMS) has been given the thumbs down by some clubs in the Lothians, the biggest of the 16 men’s area associations in Scotland.

The introduction of the VMS was one of the pillars of Scottish Golf’s campaign in 2018 to increase affiliation fees, with the promise that the system would eventually remove the need for clubs to have multiple software packages. Resistance to the system comes as the 
governing body prepares to hold its annual meeting in Stirling this weekend

A show of hands on the possibility of blocking the payment of affiliation fees resulted in a resounding ‘yes’ among the club delegates at the recent Lothians Golf Association agm. As a result, Lothians GA secretary David Doig has written to Scottish Golf Limited (SGL) to outline the unrest among some clubs and determine what the implications would be if affiliation fees for this year were held back.

“There is a fairly strong feeling that clubs are being railroaded by SGL in their attempts to initiate their VMS system, and there was a fairly healthy discussion on two fronts,” said Doig of the Lothians meeting at Newbattle Golf Club. “Firstly, there are concerns that the CDH (Central Database of Handicaps) system is currently not providing an adequate service for clubs with many anomalies being detected by clubs at this time.

“The second is that the SGL’s VMS system appears to be providing many difficulties for clubs who are not adopting the VMS, which restricts various operations that they previously enjoyed with the old system. The clubs are also concerned that SGL have taken decisions recently without the prior knowledge of clubs, eg the closing down of the CDH for a period, the launch of a new website etc.

“On the basis of this some clubs asked the question of what the implications would be if they chose to withhold their annual subscriptions for a period until such time SGL listen and act on what clubs want.”

The Scotsman understands one delegate at the Lothians meeting claimed that Scottish Golf was “not interested in helping” a club that had not signed up for the new VMS system while another said a club had “received next to no help with many questions”.

“What I got from the meeting is that most clubs are not happy with Scottish Golf and their methods of pushing clubs into a corner to either switch to their systems or be ignored,” said one club manager. “The mood in the room at the Lothians agm was very ‘anti-Scottish Golf’ and clubs are now seriously asking what are we getting for our affiliation fees – money that many struggling clubs could put to better use.”

Iain Forsyth, Scottish Golf’s chief commercial officer, has been leading a team delivering VMS demos around the country and said that he had been unaware of any unrest among Lothians clubs at a demo to more than 50 people in Edinburgh last month, after which clubs had actually signed up for the new system.

“Clubs are certainly not being railroaded into VMS,” he said. “Much consideration has been given in the design process to ensure that a club not using VMS is not disadvantaged in anyway.

“We recently added a newly-designed function to our website allowing clubs to upload their open competitions. This not only gives clubs exposure on the SGL website, but also all app users, iPads, and any club using a VMS website. It also makes it easy for the golfer to enter the competition through the website. This was only launched on 3 March and we already have 192 competitions uploaded, but, interestingly, more non VMS clubs have used this facility [16 non VMS clubs and 14 VMS clubs].”