Doomed golf course gets Union backing as fight to save Dalmuir gathers pace

The fight to save Dalmuir is going from strength to strength and the Dumbartonshire Golf Union has now backed the course’s latest bid to stave off closure.

A letter from West Dunbartonshire Council at the weekend revealed the authority is planning on either reducing the size of the course or closing it completely.

The subsequent outcry even has high-profile involvement. Veteran caddie Craig Connelly posted on X to say Dalmuir was where he “fell in love with the beautiful and wonderful game” before adding: “If it wasn’t for this place I don’t know where I’d be today.” That in turn saw John McGinn get involved. The Aston Villa and Scotland midfielder, who was raised in nearby Clydebank, posted to say he was “gutted” by the news.

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And bunkered.co.uk has since received an email from the Dumbartonshire Golf Union to say it is “disappointed to read that Dalmuir Golf Course is once again threatened with closure”.

The statement, signed by the Union‘s president Frank Gloag, added: “It is the only municipal golf course in West Dunbartonshire and is due to celebrate its centenary in 2028.

“Since its opening in 1928 it has given thousands of players their introduction to the game of golf and in the current economic climate it provides many players with an opportunity to play the game that they otherwise might not have.

“Many good golfers, who have had county and national success, have started their golfing journey at Dalmuir Golf Course. We sincerely hope that the local Council will find a way to ensure that the facility remains open to golfers in West Dunbartonshire and beyond.”

Dalmuir is one of several municipal courses facing closure in Scotland, including Hollandbush, in South Lanarkshire, as well as the two courses at Caird Park in Dundee.

A petition to save Dalmuir has been set up, and is well on its way to its target of 5,000 signatures.

Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor