By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
The Scottish golf club where Old Tom Morris designed his last course is hoping to stave off the same outcome as Hirsel Golf Club following its sudden closure earlier this week.
Kirkcaldy Golf Club, which is often referred to locally as Balwearie, has been rumoured to be facing financial difficulties, leading club officials to come up with survival plans.
The Scotsman understands that one option had been the possibility of the club becoming part of Fife Golf Trust, which already operates seven courses, including Dunnikier Park in Kirkcaldy, but that is now off the table.
This week’s news about the Hirsel in Coldstream being closed with immediate effect is a stark reality of the position numerous clubs in Scotland seem to be facing due to a combination of operating costs rising and the spike in membership during the Covid pandemic now starting to wear off.
However, Kirkcaldy, where Old Tom Morris laid out the course in 1904 after either designing or remodelling more than 70 in the British Isles, is not prepared to throw in the towel without putting up a fight, which is being led by club captain Brian Laing.
He told The Scotsman: “Like many clubs across the country, Kirkcaldy Golf Club is having to deal with significant rises in our operational costs, both across our course and within our clubhouse.
“We are proactively working with our membership to agree and implement changes in our operating model which will help us adapt and navigate through this period of significant rises.
“We are incredibly proud of both our course and membership and are working with the sole focus of moving the club forward and preserving a part of the Old Tom Morris heritage within Fife.”
In a move that came as a huge shock within the Scottish golf community, the decision to close the Hirsel overnight was taken at an annual general meeting at the Borders club on Wednesday night.
It was founded in 1948 and, contrary to what had been believed, it seems as though the membership had remained static in recent years, which, if true, raises questions about why it has been closed.
“We were saddened to see the news of the Hirsel closing this week and can definitely relate to the pressures being placed on clubs across the country,” added Laing, though, of other financial factors committees are having to deal with.
Earlier this year, Dalmuir in Clydebank and Hollandbush in Lanarkshire were both saved from threatened closure by local councils, as was Caird Park in Dundee. However, fears are growing that the Hirsel will be the first of many Scottish clubs to be forced out of business in the coming few years.
“It is incredibly disappointing news to hear that Hirsel Golf Club has taken the difficult decision to close,” said Robbie Clyde, who, since taking over as Scottish Golf’s CEO last year, has re-implemented a team of regional development managers around the country.
“We were only made aware of the current situation in the last few days, and we have been in contact to offer Scottish Golf's support to the club and members as they go through this challenging process.”
