All eyes on Cannon to ensure she gets the most out of public debate
Thedateforamuch-needed debate on the “future direction for golf in Scotland” may have been set, but the question which now needs to be asked is: should Eleanor Cannon, the chair of Scottish Golf, be the person in charge of that particular task?
She may have decided to take up the reins in the wake of Blane Dodds, the man she appointed as chief executive 16 months ago, jumping ship to take up the same post at Tennis Scotland, but Cannon appears to have few friends or allies in the trenches.
That’s a pity because, based on her CV, she appeared to be a good choice to lead the governing body at the start of an exciting new era following the amalgamation of the Scottish Golf Union and the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association.
Starting out with a clean slate, Cannon had a golden opportunity to repair some of the divisions within the Scottish scene that had cropped up on the lengthy journey towards amalgamation. Yet, somehow, the situation now feels even worse.
You’d have to have been on the moon the last few weeks to think that things are tickety-boo in Scottish Golf right now and, by the sounds of things, simply extending a consultation period for a proposed new strategy is not going to make much difference.
Yes, Dodds deserves some flak for rolling out that new strategy only to then announce a few weeks later that he’s defecting to tennis, but he wasn’t the person who ripped up the old strategy.
That was Cannon and, in the words of someone who has a strong handle on what has been going on in the background over the past two years, “she has used up all her credibility due to her demeanour and lack of consultation”.
That, I’m afraid, is an accusation that has been made quite a lot against Scottish Golf in general over the past few weeks, which is why what had originally been planned as a special general meeting in Stirling on 2 December has now become a debate on the sport’s future in this country. It is a switch that should be applauded.
Not that the governing body is likely to be told anything different to what has been coming across loud and clear over the past few weeks, namely that the proposed strategy is not what the clubs and, in particular, the club members want.
Opposition has been fierce to a big hike in the affiliation fee paid by them while plans to introduce both a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and international licence fee both seem dead in the water.
Which makes it worrying that Cannon appeared to have been given encouragement by Stewart Harris, sportscotland’s chief executive, at a meeting last week. “We are supportive of the governing body’s direction of travel, which is inherently consistent with our governance framework,” he said.
By that, he obviously means Scottish Golf being more self-supportive than it has been in the past and not becoming over-reliant on sportscotland funding that has now been slashed. All well and good, but what do the governing body really expect to hear in Stirling that is going to make the difference in terms of this new strategy?
At best, it could be backing for an increase a lot less dramatic than the affiliation fee going up from £11.25 to £24. Given that a social media survey with a suggested level of £15 only just got the thumbs up, even that is by no means certain.
At the same time, this public debate could well be one of the best things that has ever happened in the Scottish game, and that’s exactly why one of the leading officials in the country has highlighted the importance of everyone heading into that with a view that “we all work together for the benefit of Scottish Golf ”.
It’s no secret, of course, that the governing body would love to do away with the Area and County Associations around the country because that would leave Scottish Golf feeling they are free to virtually do as they want. That ain’t going to happen, though, and please don’t be fooled into thinking the Area and County Associations are stirring any conspiracy pot on this one. A lot more than was ever the case with the aforementioned amalgamation, it is the clubs and members who are making noises on this particular issue. To the extent, in fact, that “anarchy” has even been mentioned if this situation continues to go pear-shaped.
Now is the time for chair Cannon to step up to the plate and show that she is indeed the right person to map out that bright future but only if it is a) realistic b) achievable and c) not forced through by strong-arm tactics. It’s over to you.