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Scottish Golf has outlined its strategic plan to address the downturns in participation, commercial income and public funding to help re-establish the game at all levels.

At the forefront of the proposal, which will be put to stakeholders at a Special General Meeting (SGM) on December 2 in Stirling, is an increase of the current adult affiliation fee from £11.25 to £24.

This, the governing body says, will enable it to:

• Provide FREE personal liability insurance of up to £1m for all members;

• Provide an integrated national tee-booking system to all clubs by 2020;

• Invest in a new online Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that will enhance the golfing experience and attract new commercial income via new sponsorship and partnership opportunities by 2019;
• Create a Development Fund for investment in clubs and facilities from 2018;

• Create a National Greenkeeping Fund and Club Buying Group for all clubs to access cost-efficient resources and equipment from 2018.

Scottish Golf

Scottish Golf will be able to clearly track multiple memberships via the new National Club CRM, allowing the governing body to identify those members to ensure they pay the new affiliation fee only once per annum.

Junior memberships will remain free of an affiliation fee.

The CRM and national tee-booking system, meanwhile, would enable Scottish Golf to generate additional revenue from nomadic golfers and international visitors, ensuring all participants contribute to growing the game in Scotland.

Blane Dodds, Scottish Golf chief executive, has urged stakeholders to vote for the proposal, saying: “For the equivalent of an additional £1 per month, every golfer in the country can help play a significant role in the rejuvenation of our game. This is an impassioned request for a small additional contribution per head to make a huge difference to the future of golf in Scotland that all can benefit from.

Blane Dodds 4Ef9F3D60E48F60Baa5813F356Ceb776

“I reiterate that the status quo is not an option. It would lead to a budget cut in the region of £400,000 for next year, the consequences of which would lead to significant cuts to development programmes and our overall investment in the game.

“At a time when we strive to increase participation in our sport and financial support to all our members, this would represent a major blow to our abilities to implement our future strategy.

“These proposals are about providing a springboard to sustainability. They would enable us to grow participation through greater accessibility, to support our clubs administratively and in terms of infrastructure, to increase coach development and to empower our Areas and Counties to be the beating heart of our game.

 “All of this is for the benefit of the game as a whole and we urge everyone with golf’s prosperity at heart to vote yes to a brighter future at our SGM in December.”

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