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It’s not just the cost-of-living crisis threatening the existence of our golf courses.  

Mother Nature has a role to play, too.  

When we spoke to Chris Spencer of the Scottish Golf & Club Managers Association, he sent out a stark warning that clubs will close if they struggle to make ends meet financially. And while his Welsh counterpart, Ray Chilten, agrees, there is another factor with which to contend.

And the numbers are alarming. 

“The weather is a major, major concern at the moment,” he tells bunkered.co.uk. “For all golf courses.  

“We feel that the season has changed. We normally get a wet April and a nice October, but this year it started raining halfway through September. 

“Up until, I would say, five years ago, the course would only shut four or five times a year. Last year it was shut around 40 to 50 times.” 

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Chilten, who as well as being the secretary of GCMA Wales is a member of Newport, says this has caused apprehension in many of the club’s departments.  

“It’s a major problem for the PGA professional,” Chilten explains. “He’s franchised, he’s got his shop, and he relies on passing trade. And while the course is closed, that passing trade is not going through.  

“He’s concerned because he’s got staff to keep employed, but it will get tight if the weather continues the way it the way it is.” 

Out on the course, the grounds staff have concerns of their own. 

“The head greenkeeper is worried sick about carrying out winter maintenance,” Chilten continues.  

“He can’t get heavy machinery out on the course, and he’s got bunker maintenance to do, so they’re having to physically go out there with shovels to do the work instead of being able to use any equipment. That’s going to delay things.” 

And even when the course can be open, it limits the number of people who can actually come and play. On the day we’re chatting, the adverse conditions have forced Newport staff to put a no-trollies rule in place.  

“Through the week, the majority of people playing golf are retired,” Chilten explains. “And not everybody can carry, so they either need a trolley or a buggy to put their clubs in.  

“As we talk, I’m at the club and there must be half a dozen cars in the car park. Normally, at this time of day, it would be full.  

“So you’ve got the pro shop struggling with someone keeping it open despite no passing trade, then you’ve got the chef and the bar staff and there’s only two or three people in the clubhouse having a coffee. It’s not sustainable. 

“We’re extremely fortunate because we’ve got no loans. We own all our land and our property. We can afford to ride it out, as far as the bad weather is concerned, but there’s a typical club up the road where they’re paying 80 to 90,000 pounds leasing the land before they even get going.” 

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Chilten, though, is worried it could all come to a head with clubs and members clashing.  

“A lot of golf clubs are putting fees up by eight to 10 per cent, and that’s caused a lot of kick-backs from the members who are saying, ‘Hang on a minute, we’ve got a cost-of-living crisis and you’re still ramping the fees up.’ And then they’re saying, ‘Well, we should get a refund because we haven’t been able to play golf.’  

“And the reaction to them is, ‘Hang on a minute, you’re a member of the golf club, you’re a part owner, you have to make sure that you know that the bills are paid.’ They say, ‘Oh, all right, OK.’ But for the proprietary clubs, where they have few members and only really have corporate visitors coming in, it’s a real problem for them. 

“It’s a double-edged sword.” 

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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

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