Ryder Cup heroes join fight to spare Scottish golf course from closure

Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose and Luke Donald are among the Ryder Cup heroes joining the fight to spare Dalmuir Golf Course from closure.

Despite being saved by campaigners barely 12 months ago, Dalmuir, the popular municipal in Clydebank near Glasgow, has been placed under threat once more.

After it emerged that the West Dunbartonshire council was putting the course on the chopping block for a second time, a petition has been started by Clydebank resident Gerald Smith and is quickly gaining momentum.

It had appeared the first campaign had spared Dalmuir last year, after over 7,000 signed the first petition, including the Scottish midfielder John McGinn.

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But now efforts are being made for Dalmuir to be reprieved again from the council’s cost-cutting plans.

“For nearly a century, Dalmuir Golf Course has been an integral part of our community,” the petition reads. “As long-standing residents and frequent visitors, we have found solace, companionship, and an affordable golfing experience on its well-maintained greens, which rank among the finest in the UK’s municipal golf courses.

“Our beloved golf course serves not just as a venue for enjoying a round or two of golf, but as a therapeutic space that aids in improving physical and mental wellbeing.

“Nevertheless, our cherished source of deep community ties and wellbeing is under threat due to the proposed closure by the West Dunbartonshire Council.

“This alarming proposition fails to consider the blow it inflicts on our community and the loyal members who consider its existence pivotal to their daily lives. Not to mention, the closure undermines the municipal golfing culture in the UK and sets a precedent for other public facilities to face similar fates.”

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The support has flooded in from Ryder Cup heroes.

“How do we keep the course open?” world No.16 MacIntyre asked, later confirming he had signed the petition and agreeing to a fundraising round with fellow professional Conor O’Neil.

Donald, Rose, Paul McGinley and Stephen Gallacher also provided their backing to the cause on social media.

Martin Kaymer’s caddie Craig Connelly is a resident at Clydebank and called the decline in facilities an “utter disgrace.”

“Really don’t know what to say,” Connelly wrote on X in response to the closure threat. “I drive/walk past the facility they have there in the park every day and it is an utter disgrace that @WDCouncil have left it to rot away. Two bowling greens… gone. Two tennis courts… gone. A cafe that has lay derelict for years.”

You can sign the petition in the bid to save Dalmuir here.

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.