Members step up so golf club can survive
Volunteers to form committee after closure threat
Callander’s golf club looks to have secured its immediate future after members stepped forward to help keep it afloat.
Last week, the Observer told how the club was in jeopardy after club chiefs wrote to members telling them an offer from Heritage Homes to acquire the clubhouse was pulled – saying the future of the club was “entirely dependant” on members.
Writing to members last week, the club’s General Purposes Committee Convenor, Frank Trzebiatowski, said: “The future of Callander Golf Club is now entirely dependant on the willingness of the membership to rise to the challenge of managing the club’s affairs going forward. The current General Purposes Committee (GPC) will be standing down at the forthcoming AGM in November.”
At least four volunteers were needed at the AGM to complete the GPC.
The Observer now understands that, following the letter to members, several people have put their names forward and the club should have a full General Purposes Committee in place in time for the upcoming AGM.
Mr Trzebiatowski this week wrote to members saying: “I would like to thank all of the above members, on your behalf, for agreeing to form the club’s management committee and for their belief in the future of CGC. We have also received offers to assist the GPC from other members, both now and in the future and these details will be passed on to the new committee.”
The club is now hopeful of concluding missives on the sale of the old clubhouse “very soon”.
Mr Trzebiatowski added: “Additionally, our lawyers are responding to the various matters being raised by the developer who is planning to build a new care home on the upper car park.
“CGC are now seeking the approval of Stirling Council to build our new clubhouse on land we lease from them which is currently used as the practise area. All of these matters are in accordance with the terms of our lease.
“I would like to thank all the members who have offered to assist the club by volunteering and also to thank those members who have written to me personally in support of the work done to date by the GPC.”
The club was formed in 1889 and moved to its current location in 1892. The nine-hole course layout was designed by the famous Scottish golfer Old Tom Morris and served the community and visitors well until 1914.
In May of that year, Callander
Town Council purchased the existing course and adjacent land to create an 18-hole course. Willie Fernie, a Scottish golf course designer from Troon, was engaged to make the required changes.