The top trends of 2013
35. …but golf is the more popular sport in schools
The 2013 ‘HSBC Golf Roots’ programme in schools was selected by 39 out of 46 county local organising committees (LOCs) for English schools’ games’ curriculums. This makes it the second most popular sport in schools, behind athletics, but ahead of all other sports, including football.
In relation, it was also revealed this year that nearly two-thirds of all English golf clubs have links with their local schools.
34. Members of Scottish golf clubs can get a national benefits’ card
All members of golf clubs affiliated to the Scottish Golf Union (SGU) or Scottish Ladies Golf Association (SLGA) can now purchase a card for £10 that will entitle them to several benefits.
The ‘Scottish Golf Club Card’ provides holders with discounted green fees of approximately 50 per cent at more than 130 golf clubs, exclusive member competitions and special offers from partner brands.
Next year we should have a better idea of how many people have bought the card, how much it has raised for the SGU and SLGA, if other unions will bring in their own versions of the card and, most importantly, how much it has helped to boost membership retention levels at golf clubs.
33. Funding options are still available to golf clubs
There are several potential sources of funding available to golf clubs, which became clear in 2013.
Golf clubs can be beneficial to a number of people in their local community, providing social, physical and even mental benefits that can be funded via golf organisations such as county golf partnerships in England and the Scottish government, and they can often take advantage of environmental grants, such as the Renewable Heat Incentive.
The lottery also proved lucrative to Alnmouth Village Golf Club, the oldest nine-hole links course in England, which was granted about £50,000 to improve its irrigation system, and to Allendale Golf Club, also in Northumberland, which was granted more than £30,000 to upgrade the facilities at its clubhouse.
32. England Golf is facing calls to cut smaller clubs’ affiliation fees
All members of golf clubs affiliated to England Golf, which runs amateur golf in England, pay an annual levy to England Golf and to their county golf union, as part of their subscriptions. This only varies from county to county and by the number of members each club had in the previous year, rather than via the financial size of each individual golf club.
Allendale Golf Club in Northumberland, which has one employee, a band of volunteers and a few dozen members, and generates just £45,000 of income per yea, therefore called on all small golf clubs to put pressure on their county golf unions and ultimately England Golf to charge fees based on the amount members pay for their annual golf subscription.
England Golf has resisted the calls to change – but smaller clubs are unlikely to end their action.
31. The march towards using landfill to redevelop courses continues
Despite the problems, normally from local opposition, some clubs have had with using landfill to redevelop courses, the idea remains highly lucrative to venues as it can effectively involve being paid large sums to improve the look of a golf course.
Marlborough Golf Club in Wiltshire, was in 2013 awarded £50,000 because the government’s Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) agreed to allow a private waste management firm to offset a portion of the landfill tax it would otherwise be paying while working at the club.
Letchworth Golf Club (its secretary, Niki Hunter, is pictured) in Hertfordshire was also granted planning permission to build a six-hole golf course using inert soil – a material used in landfill waste.
It meant the club could convert its existing practice ground and nine-hole par three course into a ‘multi-shot’ driving range and six-hole academy course, with improved drainage.
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Energy has gone up 23% (CBI) in the last four years, and clubs still haven’t cottoned on that this is taking off their bottom line? – expect this to make the list next year! The managers therefore are still missing where savings long term can be made… something that big business looks at seriously in recession.
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