“Our golf club is thriving. Here are 7 ways we did it.”

It’s been a tough year for golf clubs in Scotland.

Rising costs and declining membership have forced multiple courses out of business, while others find ways to deal with mounting pressures.

Thankfully, however, there has been some good news in the Home of Golf – and it’s come out of Perthshire.

Murrayshall Country Estate Golf Club has defied worrying trends in 2024, reporting a 16% spike in membership and a 15% rise in green fee rounds played.

General Manager Gary Silcock has been at the heart of a four-year investment plan, and he’s beginning to see the fruits of his labour.

So, bunkered.co.uk caught up with him to find out how the golf club is thriving.

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1. Modernised championship course

Recent investment in the championship course at Murrayshall has made it one of the most popular in Scotland. Silcock, a former director of golf at Gleneagles, insists golfers are ‘raving’ about changes to the shape of the greens and the bunkers.

Now 30-40% smaller, Silcock admits the greens don’t need to be cut as often and the course is cheaper to maintain. Meanwhile, the greens ‘jump out’ after taking the fringe off and bringing in white sand – as seen on the PGA Centenary at Gleneagles – has made Murrayshall ‘shine’.

“We’re in the heart of Scotland, but with an American-style golf course,” Silcock says. “I know the members didn’t like it at first because they didn’t know how to play it, but it gives us a USP and from my perspective we keep improving the golf course.”

2. Improved playability

A key factor behind Murrayshall’s growth in 2024 is the playability of both the Championship Course and the nine-hole Lynedoch Course. Despite being on a hill, only two holes push golfers upwards.

That is no fluke, though. Silcock – and his team of greenkeepers – have set up the 18-hole track to navigate the landscape. The work includes cutting the rough at 45mm and ensuring the fairways are long enough to deal with run-offs.

“It’s about ways that the course can adapt, so we’re always looking at set up,” he says. “And by keeping the greens at about 9.5 to 10 (stimp rating), we’ve got nice subtle slopes and they’re competitive.”

3. Extended playing season

We all have our thoughts on winter golf – some good, some bad – but Murrayshall has adopted a maintenance schedule to tackle the course early and, in turn, extend the playing season.

Unlike most places, Murrayshall uses dry sand injections on the greens in July and August. It’s peak season, but the recovery times are ramped up and eliminates the prospect of hollow tined greens in October.

“The work we’ve done now means that the golf course is drier, and our season is getting longer,” Silcock says. The word is getting out and we’ve seen an increase at the end of year in rounds played.

Silcock is also keen to stress the importance of introducing open drains, too. “The clubs that invest in drainage now will succeed,” he adds. “We’re doing little and often, if not you’ve got a big bill coming.”

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4. Entry-level golf

“Junior and beginner golf is the future of the game,” says Silcock. That would explain why Murrayshall has rebranded the Lynedoch Course as an entry-level layout with a refined target audience.

Greenkeepers cut the rough four or five times a year to make it more playable for a membership fee of £100 and additional green fee of £10.

“We understand the players who are going to play there,” he says. “No one is going to join Gleneagles when they take up the game. The Lynedoch is cost-efficient, and you get round in an hour and 15 minutes.”

5. Casual dining

When it comes to off-course amenities, Murrayshall has devised a simple strategy. It revolves, as Silcock says, around looking at food people want to eat and bringing it to the ‘clubhouse’.

A Sri Lankan chef pulls in over 100 people a month for a curry night, while other ‘hotel-quality food’ is served in the casual dining area, called Cairns.

6. Pro shop

Since Silcock arrived at Murrayshall, the pro shop has been transformed. Members are offered a special price on hardware and can now buy and sell clubs at a greater price.

The gap between upgrading clubs has been significantly reduced, while the stock hold has tripled.

7. Night golf

You read that right, golf is even being played in the dark at Murrayshall. Headlamps replaced caps and glow up balls were swapped for Pro V1s, as members played 11 holes in around three hours.

The event will return next year, and is a direct result of member feedback, according to Silcock. “If we put ourselves in a position to hear feedback from our members, it will benefit the business,” he says. “We’re always searching for feedback.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.