Survey suggests support for reducing Scottish Golf expenditure on ‘elite golf’
By Alistair Dunsmuir
A survey commissioned by Scottish Golf has found that nearly three quarters of Scottish golf clubs feel that the body should only have a limited role in developing elite level golfers.
The ‘insights’ survey seeking feedback about Scottish Golf conducted by Sports Marketing Surveys polled golf club members as well as clubs, and finds that more than one-fifth of them did not know that their £14.50 affiliation fee, included in their annual subscription, funds the organisation.
Golf clubs rated the current support and service provided by Scottish Golf at 5.8 out of 10.
The clubs involved said the area they would like most assistance was membership recruitment and retention, closely followed by junior development.
New Scottish Golf chair Martin Gilbert
On the events front, the survey showed that only 20 percent of the golfers regularly enter any of the national championships organised by Scottish Golf.
On the questions of elite golf, 73 percent of golf clubs feel that Scottish Golf should only have “little, quite a bit or no involvement” in developing elite level golfers.
When golf clubs were also asked how Scottish Golf should invest their money, they felt that less money should be spent on elite golf than it currently does.
“We will be incorporating their findings into our future plans to ensure they meet the needs of our affiliated golf clubs,” said the governing body.
This comes as The Scotsman has revealed that the costs from the 2020 roll out of a new Venue Management System (VMS) and app rose to £1.3 million from £480,000 in the previous year.
A spokesman for Scottish Golf said: “Development spending increased to £1.26m, but this was for club development not software development. Almost all the increase on the previous year due in most part to the £580,000 The R&A gave us to distribute as a Club Relief Fund and Covid-19 grant, so this money went straight from The R&A to the clubs via Scottish Golf. The increase was not due to VMS.”
By Alistair Dunsmuir
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I am a mere hacker who loves golf. At elite level, almost all the players are equally capable in their game. For some of them to play magically, must mean that there is something in their psyche that pushes them forward to attain greatness.
My feeling is that money from National Golf Organizations would be better spent hiring a team of sport psychologists who can help their players achieve a mental capacity to succeed and win.