Niall’s teed-up for director of golf role
Pitlochry to recover from the COVID-19 fall-out
A Highland Perthshire golf club has teed-up an ambitious postpandemic recovery plan.
Pitlochry Golf Club has been boosted by attracting 30 new members over the last few weeks.
And well-known Big County professional Niall McGill - who headsup Perth’s Noah’s Ark Golf Centre – will assume the director of golf role this weekend.
These are challenging times for Scottish golf and Pitlochry relies heavily on visitor income for its break-even financial model.
But Niall, who takes over the reins from retiring general manager Mike Winton, and pro Gary Casey have been encouraged by the support from 350 members and visitors who are bookingup tee times again at the scenic course in the shadow of Ben Vrackie.
Stephen Carruthers, Pitlochry Golf director, admitted the financial model had been shredded by the pandemic.
But he is confident 112-yearold Pitlochry will recover from the COVID-19 fall-out.
He said: “In some ways it has brought everyone together because membership is up 10 per cent - which is excellent for a town this size – and members have been rallying round to carry out essential maintenance since our course manager Stuart Griffiths was hospitalised by a serious accident.
“For a small town, proportionately the number of new members committing to at least the next 18-months is impressive. Numbers in our intermediate category, up to age 40, are also encouraging.
“It has been a tough time because 60 per cent of our annual income is down to visitors. We are looking at a six-figure hit between Pitlochry and Blair Atholl.
“We would have expected visitors from mid-March and we had none until things opened up over the last few weeks. So it has been catastrophic.
“We did get a £25,000 grant and furloughed staff, which has helped.
“And on a positive note, it has brought the club closer, nurturing a real sense of community.
“We are looking to the future now and hoping the surge in visiting party bookings continues.
“We are well-placed geographically here in Highland Perthshire and there is plenty of accommodation on our doorstep. It’s a challenging time but we have the right man in Niall McGill as director of golf.
“He’s surely one of the leading figures in the Scottish golf industry, given his superb track record in reviving the fortunes of the council’s North Inch golf course in Perth over the last few years.
“We might have been tempted to muddle along but I am confident Niall and Gary will do a brilliant job and lead the bounce back.”
Niall, a well-known face in golfing circles who has helped breathe new life into the historic North Inch course, is excited about the opportunity.
“It is a great opportunity for us and Gary,” he said. “We are looking forward to driving Pitlochry forward.
“Between us we have around 60 years’ experience in golf, although, like everyone else, we’ve never faced anything remotely like the last few months.
“But we are looking forward to the rest of the season now. We have a great golf course here. It has been hailed the world’s best course under 6000 yards.
“It is a fantastic course with fabulous practice facilities – including a par three course - a tie-up with nearby Blair Atholl and excellent catering. Visitors love the overall experience we offer.
“I see similarities from my experience of working on the Algarve because Pitlochry is a resort for nine months of the year.
“Often visitors are golfers but not necessarily here on a specific golfing break. We are aiming to tap into this market, with brand new sets of TaylorMade and Titleist clubs available for hire.
“For both new and more experienced golfers, Pitlochry offers an excellent product for our members.
“And we have launched reciprocal driving range memberships at Pitlochry and Noah’s Ark, which will appeal to members over the winter.”