City golf club’s no pub pledge
Change to licence granted by board
Stirling Golf Club has been granted a change to its licence after assurances were given it would not result in the premises being operated like a pub.
The club’s application for a variation of its premises licence was granted by Stirling District Licensing Board last week under the condition that an expected “tweak” of the club’s constitution in coming weeks did not conflict with the board’s expressed views.
The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 contains provisions for members’ clubs - generally defined as not-for-profit premises with a written constitution with specific provisions, particularly regarding admission of members of the public.
The variation means the club will no longer fall under the definition in licensing terms.
The club’s agent, Alistair Macdonald of Macdonald Licensing, said the move was aimed at simplifying the operation of the club and avoiding alleged breaches of regulations which required non-members to be “signed in”.
He added: “I have been involved across the country in a large number of similar applications for golf clubs, bowling clubs, miners welfare clubs etc. Throughout the country there have been perceived breaches particularly of the signing in procedure. It’s quite common, for example, at a funeral on such premises that not everyone will be asked to sign in, so strictly speaking these are breaches of the legislation. This application allows them to amend their constitution so it’s not essential for everyone to be signed in.
“I understand on one or two occasions there were comments to committee members that the signing in procedure had not been followed 100 per cent.
“It also gives a bit of flexibility. An example came up where a golfer had bought a day ticket. He came back the next morning to have breakfast and was told he couldn’t get in because the day ticket had expired.
“Most of the functions at the moment are related to members or members’ relatives and that is not envisaged to change. At the moment if a member has a 50th birthday party, whether he has 100 or just one or two guests they all have to be signed in.”
Mr Macdonald said “first and foremost” the club was a golf course provided for its members and the intention was not to give the public rights which would affect club membership.
“It does not mean if granted, someone could walk in and order a pint at the bar - unless they were a member of course. There is no change in the day to day operation, the hours, nothing. The whole point is to say to members you won’t notice this but for functions it takes some of the responsibility away from the committee.
“It also takes away the monitoring aspect so licensing standards officers don’t have to go in and check that procedure has been followed when there’s a function. Sometimes there are difficulties in finding one person to deal with or getting different people on different days.”
Board members said while they had no concerns about the current operation of Stirling Golf Club they were concerned that granting the application could open the club up to being operated differently in the future, particularly as a pub.
However Mr McDonald said: “I am sympathetic to such comments because they are comments which have been made by members of the golf club. They don’t want it to be a pub.
“The safeguard to that is the constitution. It might not be a breach of the licence but it would be a breach of the constitution. The club has a golf club membership and a social membership. Members were concerned the social membership would be reduced and the committee was clear it would not result in that.”
The application was granted unanimously, however acting board chair Councillor Jim Thomson added: “Should the club’s amended constitution conflict with any of the views members have expressed today this will have to come back.”