Scottish club opens £200k community golf facility

A Scottish golf club has invested £200,000 attained through grants and sponsorship to open an indoor training centre, which staff believe will help it become the hub of the local community.

As well as being open to members, Gourock Golf Club will offer use of its state-of-the-art centre to non-members and give FREE usage to all golfers under the age of 18.

What’s more: it barely cost the club a penny. The studio was funded through £80,000 from the European Union ‘Leader’ fund, £10,000 from the National Lottery’s Awards for All Scotland scheme and the rest contributed by generous benefactors and sponsors.

Inside there are two bays, which can be used as a virtual driving range or for playing a full 18 holes, comfy leather seats, flat-screen TVs, a kitchen, hot drinks machine and an equipment area.

“It’s been an 18-month journey and already I’d say it’s exceeded our expectations,” said general manager Alan Warwick. “It’s been made all the more important by the fact that it barely cost the club any money as we were able to get grants from the Leader fund, Big Lottery and also other benefactors in sponsors totaling close to £200,000.”

Now, Warwick says, the club can push ahead with its strategy of making Gourock Golf Club a focal point for the local community and widening its revenue streams.

“We want to revitalise junior golf in the local area,” Warwick continued. “As well as that, part of our strategy is to make Gourock an appealing place for all locals – not just golfers.

“With our new studio, it’s helping the club become that hub of the community and already we’ve seen loads of families visit. We’ve even got a stag party coming soon, too!”

Established in 1896, Gourock Golf Club is a Braid/Cotton designed 6,408-yard course set on moorland towards the western side of the town with views over the River Clyde and Argyll Hills.