This is the last UK golf course that still hasn’t reopened

A popular and historic short hole golf club in Edinburgh has still not reopened following the first Covid lockdown in 2020, despite the boom in participation of golf.

It is hoped that it will finally fully reopen in the next few days.

The 36-hole, 131-year-old Bruntsfield Short Hole Golf Club says the local council has said it only plans to initially reopen nine of its 36 holes, claiming the decision is partly due to the pressure on greenkeepers because of Covid-related absence.

Jimmy Robertson, vice captain of Bruntsfield Short Hole Golf Club, said: “The 36 holes at the links have, understandably, been closed since April 2020 due to the government / Scottish Golf restrictions on all golf courses ‘not to touch the flagsticks / pins.

“However, just when we expected to reach the end of the long tunnel, with the government / Scottish Golf agreeing that all golfers nationwide can once again handle the flagsticks / pins, the reopening of the 36 holes on the links has hit a brick wall, courtesy of the city’s senior council officials.

“Their derisory intention is to open only nine holes. This week, next week, sometime? It’s now the only golf course in Scotland / UK that still remains closed and for non-Covid reasons.

“It’s been a difficult protracted couple of weeks with emails back and forth in the hope that good old common sense would eventually prevail.

Bruntsfield Short Hole Golf Club. Image from Facebook

“No such luck, I’m afraid, despite full reopening messages of support sent to the council officials from councillors Cameron Rose and Denis Dixon, for which the club is extremely grateful, but still to no avail unfortunately.

“After 131 years, the future of this unique 36-hole short hole golf course on historic Bruntsfield Links is now at stake!”

Bruntsfield Short Hole Golf Club is believed to the last remaining club to not reopen following the first lockdown last year. Pewit Golf Course in Derbyshire didn’t reopen in 2020 but did in June 2021, and Camperdown Golf Course in Dundee, a venue that its council agreed in 2019 to close down in April 2020, is set to reopen. Its lack of golf also comes as shorter versions of golf have boomed in the last 15 months.

“It is not unfair to claim that the origins of the oldest golf clubs in the Lothians today were spawned from Bruntsfield Links,” added Robertson.

“This heritage must be continued for the sake of our future generations, through the continuing existence of this historic course that is unique in world golf.”

According to the council, a solution to the full re-opening of the course has now been found and the aim is for that to happen in the next few days.

A spokesperson said: “Within our greenspace team, staff have to rotate across the city and service to ensure all the various pressures are dealt with, such as staff absences.

“We, like many other organisations, have a number of staff self-isolating. A solution was to have a guaranteed nine holes and open the rest when we could.

“However, with staff numbers improving, the team is working to have the course open from early next week.”