Would You Pay More to Help Your Golf Club

If your golf club came to you and requested that you pay an immediate levy to help alleviate short-term financial concerns, would you do that? That's exactly what the members of Musselburgh Golf Club have unanimously approved, agreeing to pay £100 to solve cash flow issues at the acclaimed venue in East Lothian.

As reported by Martin Dempster in The Scotsman, the club, known as Monktonhall in the area, has previously hosted Open Championship qualifying, but there had been some anxieties surrounding the expense of works on the clubhouse, with an emergency meeting providing two options. Should action not have been taken, the club risked closure, but the £100 levy will help to secure its future for years to come.

Speaking to The Scotsman, club captain John McCusker said: "It is great news that all our members have agreed to chip in £100 because all we have at the moment is a short-term cash flow issue and that is down mainly to carrying out works to the clubhouse building.

"The building is owned by East Lothian Council, but we have a full repairing lease and we have had to re-wire it and then do a subsequent re-decoration, which hadn’t been budgeted for.

"Apart from the short-term cash flow issue, the club is not in trouble. We have a good finance committee, which is working on a budget for next year which will be finished next week.

"After our initial meeting on 23 September, members had asked for a couple of options and that’s why one of the options was do nothing and risk closure.

"The club has never been in debt, nor will it be. We haven’t operated with an overdraft or anything like that, so it is all positive."

Membership numbers at the club are robust, totalling around 800 across different categories, with members reportedly feeling optimistic after the situation was fully explained and clarified by the club leadership.

A spokesperson for Scottish Golf, which had two representatives at the meeting, commented "We were really pleased to see a positive outcome from an engaged membership. Our Club Services team will now support the club going forward with any services they need, through our new Regional Development Manager in the East. 

"We are also really looking forward to hosting our Open Series qualifier at Musselburgh Golf Club in May 2025."

Following the recent closures of The Hirsel and Torrance Park, in addition to a warning about the health of Scottish golf clubs, it's encouraging to see that this prestigious James Braid creation will remain part of the community for a significant time to come.