Golfers boost course revival
Perth’s North Inch Golf Course continues to go from strength to strength after witnessing continued growth in membership.
Papers presented to councillors at a committee meeting this week got it wrong, stating that season ticket holder numbers had declined, where in fact they had increased.
But statistics backing that up were not available to the environment committee members.
Perth and Kinross Council is now proposing to increase some of the charges for playing the riverside course, which has added a number of golf-related spin-offs such as footgolf to its service.
Adult season tickets would increase from £279 to £289, with discounts for other age groups. Fees for family membership are among those to remain unchanged.
Footgolf fees would range from £4 to £30 depending on a player’s age, size of playing group or number of holes played.
A six-year plan for the golf course, Niall McGill demonstrates footgolf
run by the council, was agreed in 2016. During 2014 the local authority assessed the golf course, said to be one of Scotland’s oldest, as it moved to make savings on maintenance.
After bringing on board golf expert
A golfer gets in some early morning practice on the North Inch Niall McGill the club’s fortunes have turned around, and in the immediate term after the review 121 new season ticket holders had signed up, with increases of about 72% noted in day play and a 43% uplift in season ticket income.
Over the course of two years the turnaround has been put down to the implementation of the North Inch Golf Course business plan which was approved by the environment committee in March 2016. Payper-play customers have increased significantly over the past two seasons.
The papers stated that the current level of subsidy per member is £376 per annum and £42 per visitor round.
The council is proposing to introduce new charges in respect of footgolf and summer six-hole and nine-hole rounds and also increase existing charges in line with the approved business plan with the aim of achieving full cost recovery by 2021/22.
Cllr Grant Laing asked about the level of subsidy, requesting that a comparison with other years was provided to confirm the “direction of travel” for subsidies up to 2021-22.