Scottish memberships continue to fall

Figures reveal that number of adult male memberships fell again in 2012

The Scottish Golf Union has reported a 1.76% drop in adult male memberships across its affiliated clubs for 2012.

Figures published in the organisation’s annual report show that this figure has fallen to 177,500. Combined with the number of female adult memberships reported by the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, the total number of adults in Scotland who are members of a golf club is now 210,898 – down more than 20,000 on the 2006 peak of 232,000.

“Against a backdrop of declining membership over the past six years, our goal of having more members is a particularly challenging one,” said Hamish Grey, the chief executive of the Scottish Golf Union.

“We believe the weather has been a significant contributing factor in the reduction in members, with the wettest summer in living memory limiting the number of days available to play golf in many parts of Scotland and further highlighting the cost per round equation that many golfers now consider when paying their membership subscriptions.”

It is not all doom and gloom, however. Some 34% of SGU affiliated clubs have bucked the national trend and recorded increases in their membership numbers.

“Although the migration of members between clubs is now higher as a result of fewer clubs with joining fees, we can take heart from our case studies demonstrating success in recruiting members,” added Grey.

Nobody could accuse the SGU and SLGA of not doing their bit to help grow the game and reverse the current membership trends. Together, and with financial support from The R&A, they invested £50,000 in a national membership marketing campaign last year, aimed at raising awareness of membership vacancies and breaking down perceptions of the wider public that golf clubs are ‘closed shops’.

“With few waiting lists, reduced joining fees, more flexible membership payments, new categories and a more customer-friendly environment, we believe there has never been a better time for the new generation of golfer to join a golf club,” continued Grey.

Whilst adult membership retention remains an ongoing battle, junior golf participation in Scotland continues to thrive.

ClubGolf, the national junior golf initiative, introduced 40,234 primary school children to the game in 2012, a figure which represents 81% of all P5 pupils in Scotland and which is the highest number reported since ClubGolf was launched in 2003.

The success of the scheme is also starting to be felt at the elite end of the amateur game with 23% of this year’s Scottish Golf Academy in-take having been developed through the ClubGolf programme.

It is hoped that the implementation of new schemes, such as the ‘Pitch Up & Play’ initiative that has been piloted in Grampian and the Highlands, will help ClubGolf continue to attract not just children but also adult-beginners to the game for the foreseeable future.

The SGU itself is also in good health, with the latest financial reports showing an 13.8% increase in turnover to £2.7m. This has left the organisation with a surplus (before Special Projects) of around £11,000.

Tom Craig, the SGU chairman, commented: “The Scottish Golf Union is currently in a very stable position and, on the whole, we would have to say we are pretty satisfied with our financial performance.”

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