Due to low usage and a substantial annual deficit, the Glasgow City Council in Scotland is currently seeking views on the city’s six golf courses.
The city has three 18-hole and three 9-hole courses. Options being considered include reducing fees, restricting opening hours or scrapping the courses altogether. Councillor David McDonald said a golf working group had been set up to consider a range of issues, including health benefits and maintenance costs.
“There’s no point in having a consultation and then seeking to pre-empt it. What we are doing is seeking to establish as wide a range of views on the future of golf in Glasgow as possible. One of the challenges we face as a city is the cost of subsidising golf, there is a very wide ranging spectrum of subsidies in place.
“We subsidise golf in Knightswood to the cost of GBP 17.30 while at Ruchill we subsidise golf to the tune of GBP 458.95. It’s clear that level of subsidy per course is unsustainable, based on the overall cost and the income the council receives from golf.
“We also have to note the declining figures of golf, not just in Scotland but across Europe,” he said.
He added that figures show Scotland has lost the greatest number of golfers among European countries. Scotland has over 500 golf courses while its population stands at almost 5,5 million people.