The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Cupar’s future uncertain as golf stays bunkered
As the lockdown continues, clubs in Fife speak to Michael Alexander about the impact of these rough times and why, for some, redundancies cannot be ruled out
Cupar Golf Club head greenkeeper and lifelong member Gary Douglas is no stranger to ensuring that the fairways and greens of the world’s oldest ninehole golf club are kept in pristine condition.
But the 35-year-old former Bell Baxter High School pupil, who recently returned to the club from furlough, admits it’s “very frustrating” to be cutting the grass with no knowledge of when the course will be played again.
Like all UK golf courses, Cupar closed immediately after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s coronavirus lockdown statement on March 23.
But with English courses now back open under restrictions and Wales set to follow suit this week, uncertainty remains as to when and how the Scottish golf course lockdown will end and what the long-term economic consequences for golf clubs might be.
“It is very frustrating not knowing what’s going to happen,” said Gary, who is a former deputy head greenkeeper at Piperdam, near Dundee, and also works as a retained firefighter in Cupar.
“It’s more frustrating now that there’s golf down south and there’s no golf here.
“But I understand why that is. I understand what’s being said by Nicola (Sturgeon). I don’t want Scotland to do anything too soon that could lead to a second wave of cases.
“We are following R&A guidelines and have a plan in place to be ready.
“We’ll have pipe lagging around the bottom of the pins to prevent the ball going right into the hole, and things like bins, yardage boards and benches have been removed to minimise contact.
“Hopefully, we’ll hear more soon about when we can reopen.”
Gary would ordinarily be helped on the course by an inmate from Castle Huntly open prison near Dundee.
However, with that facility also in lockdown, he has been assisted in grass cutting duties by Cupar Golf Club captain and retired Perth and Kinross Council HR manager Keith Ridley.
Mr Ridley said it is hoped Scottish courses will be allowed to reopen for casual golf on a similar basis to England within weeks.
He said there is no doubt clubs already struggling financially will have had their problems aggravated – and he fears some may not survive.
At Cupar, which broke even last year, 30% of the 200 members had not renewed their membership by lockdown. It is hoped they may sign up again once the future becomes clearer. There are also several new inquiries about membership.
However, as a small community club, Cupar relies heavily on room hire for income and it may be many months before this can resume. There has also been no visitor income from “nomadic” golfers and the club has also lost income from its self-employed catering franchise with no idea when that might resume.
As managing director and founder of long-established Cupar and St Andrews-based chartered accountancy firm James Hair & Co, James Hair has a professional insight into the frustrations – and prudence – of businesses during the lockdown. He fears there could be “carnage” in the local tourism sector by winter if they miss out on the summer season, and he worries about the long term overall damage to the economy.
However, as captain and treasurer of the prestigious Ladybank Golf Club, Mr Hair is also concerned about the potential impact on the sport.
While Ladybank had no net debt at the start of the year and was “extraordinarily lucky” to bank its 900 subscription fees during February, the club could potentially lose £230,000 in visitor revenue.
With the clubhouse closed and the course being run on a care and maintenance basis, the club furloughed bar, greenkeeping and administration staff.
However, while some greenkeeping staff have since returned to prepare for a potential reopening, Mr Hair said some members remained “frustrated” they had to stop playing in the first place.
While conscious of the “balancing act” required to keep people safe, he said there was a feeling that daily exercise by golfers could have been carried out safely on the course throughout lockdown.
Realistically, he does not expect the clubhouse to open until next year due to the constraints of social distancing. Older members with health concerns would be reluctant to use it anyway, he said.
However, another dilemma for the club was whether to complete the final phase of a £250,000 bunker redevelopment plan started last year.
He said until a clear timetable is set out by the Scottish Government, it is difficult to plan ahead.
St Andrews-based Scottish Golf – the national governing body for golf in Scotland – said the message remained “Stay at home and save lives”.
It remains in “daily dialogue” with the Scottish Government and other golfing bodies throughout the UK to ensure that when it is deemed safe to do so in Scotland, it is ready to support golf clubs with a concise protocol for reopening.