Scottish Golf postpones affiliation fee rise

Scottish Golf is postponing its plan to increase affiliation fees by six months in order for there to be more consultation on it.

The national governing body for golf in Scotland is proposing to raise the levy paid by every member of an affiliated Scottish golf club from £14.50 to £15.75.

At the Scottish Golf annual general meeting, held in Queensferry, chairman Martin Gilbert announced before starting official proceedings, that the resolution surrounding the proposed affiliation fee increase would be withdrawn, pending a further period of consultation with the membership.

He said: “We have postponed the levy until September because it’s quite clear that we need to do a bit more consultation. Our members want to understand what it’s going to be used for, so Fraser Thornton (interim CEO) is going to work on that for the next six months, and then we’ll go back to the membership with the overall strategy and thinking on the levy.“

There will now follow a period of consultation, where the proposed affiliation increase, as well as article amendments, will be put out to consultation and the membership will be given a chance to feedback and respond.

Meanwhile, the meeting revealed that the overall playing membership in 2022 at Scottish golf clubs was 209,884 compared to 207,899 the year before, with adult male membership increasing from 188,277 to 188,523.

Adult female membership at the clubs affiliated to the governing body dropped from 22,430 in 2021 to 22,250 last year – a fall of 0.8 percent. But junior female membership over the same period rose by 18.1 percent as the figure went from 3,169 to 3,740.

The total number of junior members climbed from 19,622 in 2021 to 21,360 last year, a rise of nearly nine percent, with 195 clubs reporting an increase in the junior membership and 24 doubling their number in that category.

Members also voted in three new non-executive directors. Robert Cook, former CEO of both Virgin Active UK and Hostmore, which operates the TGI Fridays restaurant brand, joins the board alongside Iain Smith, head of corporate relations for Diageo in Scotland, and Alan Grant, senior golf manager with Visit Scotland.

Alan Grant said: “I’m delighted, and hugely motivated, to be given the opportunity to join Scottish Golf as non-executive director to work with the board, and all the team, to support the delivery of the new strategy. It’s a real privilege, and I’m looking forward to engaging and making a positive contribution as we strive to build on recent success.”

Starting her presidential term with Scottish Golf is Lynne Terry, who has a long-standing relationship with Scottish Golf as a volunteer, and has served on the CONGU Board and The R&A rules committee. The departure of Eliz Munro as president sees Paul Gibson assume the role of president, and Derek Paton becomes senior vice president. Presidents are ambassadorial roles awarded through nominations to those who have made a significant contribution to the game.