Why Municipal Golf Courses Are So Important

We keep being told by successive governments that it is a time for financial prudence, that it is necessary to keep a tight rein on spending. 

One of the impacts of all of this is that our local councils have had their budgets cut, and that means they constantly have to review the services they supply and look for ways to save money.

I learnt to play my golf in Glasgow and was spoilt for choice when it came to municipal courses. They were where I took my first faltering steps in this incredible sport.

There were two within walking distance of my home - a nine-hole course called Kings Park and an 18-holer known as Linn Park. 

Or I could jump on a bus and get to Littlehill, a course where Sandy Lyle’s father was once the professional, and Lethamhill.

The green fees were as cheap as chips and at all three courses other than Kings Park we ALWAYS had to queue up for an age before we could tee off. You would put your ball in a chute and wait until it eventually reached the head of the queue - there are occasions when we would have to wait for at least two hours before we could head for the first tee.

This was long before the days of online booking. We often wondered why we couldn’t phone the club and reserve times but that was a practice that simply wasn’t considered at the time.

It also has to be said that the condition of these courses was a bit hit-and-miss to say the very least but that was hardly surprising since so many people played on them.

There was also another hazard. They were all located within or close to council housing estates. 

There was a par five at Linn Park where you had to hit a blind shot over a hill - more often than not you would arrive at where your ball should have been, only to find absolutely no sign of it. A few holes later a young scallywag would appear with either a bucket or a bag full of balls and attempt to sell them. And sure enough, your missing ball would be among them.

It wasn’t ideal but it was something we accepted as being part and parcel of the game.

I despair that all of these courses have now been closed. Linn Park wasn’t much of a layout, but both Lethamhill and Littlehill were outstanding courses that offered a proper challenge.

I have also played council-run courses in Leicester, Worksop and Nottingham. And they all had a couple of things in common - they represented tremendous value for money and they were always busy.

Sadly, Western Park, an outstanding council-run course on the outskirts of Leicester, closed in 2015 after 105 years in existence. Leicester City Council took the strange decision to instead invest in Humberstone Heights, a course that couldn’t hold a candle to Western Park. To get a Saturday tee-time one of our group had to be on the phone to the club by no later than 7am on a Friday to have any chance at all of getting a decent tee-time the following day.

So it breaks my heart to see so many of these fine facilities being closed for good as hard-pressed local authorities attempt to save money. It is not easy to see a course you have loved disappearing forever and being turned into a housing estate.

(The North Inch Municipal Course, Perth, Scotland)

Municipal courses have been a valuable starting ground for millions of golfers and a vital lifeline for the sport for those people who simply cannot afford to join a members’ golf club - or simply don’t want to. They were courses where people of all ages could learn the game and get themselves a handicap. One of my abiding memories of the public courses in Glasgow was the sheer number of teenagers they attracted - from all social backgrounds.

The atmosphere in the clubhouses at these courses was ALWAYS warm and friendly and the food and drink was both decent and cheap. 

It may sound like stating the bleedin’ obvious but when these courses are gone, they are gone for good.

We have seen swimming pools close, we have seen playing fields and tennis courts being sold off. It has been shown that sport is beneficial for our mental wellbeing, which makes all of this seem pretty short-sighted.

It seems certain that we will lose more municipal courses in the months and years ahead. I would urge local authorities to think again before they take such decisions. They get people out of the house and away from keyboards and mobile phones - and many of Europe’s best golfers took their first faltering steps on council-run courses.

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