Popular Scottish golf course to be taken over by members

Cherished municipal golf courses across the UK are facing precarious futures right now. 

Just last week, golfers in Dundee discovered that the city’s last remaining public golf courses are to be closed, with the council shutting the 18-hole and 9-hole tracks at Caird Park.

Now, however, the members of one popular venue in East Lothian have decided to take matters into their own hands.

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Members at Winterfield Golf Club are set to be offered the chance to run the business themselves after striking a deal to take control of the course from the East Lothian Council.

As reported by the East Lothian Courier, the council stated hopes in its February budget for the golf club to take on responsibility for its day-to-day operations.

And Winterfield is now set to sign a 40-year lease to seize control of the course and its clubhouse, which is owned by Dunbar Common Good Fund.

It is understood that an overwhelming majority of members – 321 against only eight – decided they want to take on the running of the golf club.

Councillors have also backed the proposal, which will now go out to public consultation and could come into effect as early as April 2025.

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East Lothian councillor Colin McGinn said: “The golf club members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the lease, and we have every confidence in their ability to ensure this wonderful course is an asset for the community for years to come.”

Winterfield, a challenging links with stunning views, was established in the 1930s and has long been a popular layout in Dunbar. The par-68 course can be played at a budget green fee compared to the other gems on the East Lothian coast.

bunkered.co.uk has reached out to Winterfield Golf Club for comment on the proposed takeover of the course.

Picture credit: uniquecourses via Instagram

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.