Scottish Golf set to increase affiliation fee to cover costs

Four years on from freezing affiliation fees for Scottish golf club members, Scottish Golf is set to propose an increase at its AGM next month.

In 2018, members agreed to increase the affiliation fee to £14.50 but with the agreement that it would not increase again for a further four years. That time is up, and the organisation now says rising costs have to be met head on.

In a statement, Scottish Golf said it faces “the same economic and financial realities of all organisations at this time”, citing costs of £400,000 per annum. It said the Board and management team were “continually reviewing all major areas of spend” to try and mitigate the rise in costs.

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But it seems the last port of call is to get club golfers to stump up.

Noticeably, in its statement, the orgnisation hinted that the affiliation fee should actually be increased beyond the 8% being suggested in order to cover costs.

The fee will move from £14.50 to £15.75.

The statement said: “This increase of £1.25 per capita, assuming club membership numbers remain stable year on year, will generate incremental revenue of £225,000. While insufficient to cover the increased cost base, our ambition is to bridge the shortfall with increased commercial revenue streams.”

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The announcement comes as confusion remains over the position of Chief Operating Officer Karin Sharp following the introduction of an interim CEO in Fraser Thornton. Sources have told bunkered.co.uk that Sharp, as of now, remains in her position.

Sharp, working alongside Chief Commercial Officer, Iain Forsyth, has put Scottish Golf on a steadier path in recent times, delivering a number of successful initiatives in the digital age. 

These successes were outlined in the statement and include the introduction of OpenPlay, which Scottish Golf now says has 2,000 golfers signed up, contributing £78,000 in revenue. It also said the introduction of the Venue Management System (VMS) as a free-of-charge digital resource to golf clubs was a huge success, saying it has a 30% share in what is a hugely competitive market.

bunkered.co.uk has learned that both Sharp and Forsyth were in agreement on a new structure at the helm of Scottish Golf, though it appears the Board disagreed on how to go forward with that strategic change of leadership.

New interim CEO Thornton joined the Scottish Golf board in early 2021 and is a chartered accountant with background in the distillery industry.