Scottish golf clubs invited to apply for COVID-19 financial support

Scottish Golf has announced that £685,000 will be made available to affiliated clubs who have been affected financially by COVID-19 as part of a club support package funded by the R&A.

Announced in May, the £7million R&A COVID-19 Relief Fund is designed, in part, to help the body’s affiliated national associations support the clubs and facilities who have been hit hardest by the pandemic.

In a statement issued today, Scottish Golf revealed that it would be making some of its share of the money available via two separate allocations; the COVID-19 Fixed Costs Grant and the Club Relief Fund. 

Applications are welcomed from all affiliated clubs.

The Covid-19 Fixed Costs Grant will enable every affiliated club in Scotland to apply for a maximum of £500 for fixed costs specifically associated with preparing for safe play and club/course management following the COVID-19 lockdown in early March 2020. 

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These can include but are not exhaustive of sanitation products, COVID-19 related health and safety equipment, professional fees, signage, training, video conferencing licence (e.g. zoom) and any other COVID-19 related spend. 

The application process for grant opens today and will close on Friday, July 24. All grants will be paid to clubs within ten working days of notification of a successful application. 

In the event that any club elects not to claim the COVID-19 Fixed Costs Grant, or claims less than the maximum £500, Scottish Golf will transfer the unclaimed money to the Club Relief Fund on Monday 27th July. 

The Club Relief Fund, meanwhile, has been created to provide financial support to clubs who have been impacted by the pandemic. This fund is concentrated on enabling clubs to reinstate or to increase expenditure in key areas to either improve member experience or boost income generation potential. 

With the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the golfing landscape still unknown, this fund is aimed at helping clubs take the first steps to recovery and look to thrive again in the future. 

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It has a total value of £400,000 and clubs can apply for up to £5,000 each.

Clubs who do apply will be required to complete a four-stage application to ensure the Review Committee have the correct information available to allocate funds. 

The information required includes: 

• Standard Club Criteria and Agreement 
• Commitment to Growing the Game 
•  Financial Information 
• Impact of Funding 
  

As with the Covid-19 Fixed Costs Grant, applications are open from today until Friday, July 24.

For more information, log-on to scottishgolf.org