Huge surge of 300 golf memberships in month for Braes club

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon teed up the return for golf last month and that prompted a huge surge in interest from sport-starved players.

Inside a month 273 new members – including the club’s first juniors – added to the existing 88 players to turn the fortunes of the former Polmont golf club around. Indeed lockdown couldn’t have come at a worse time for the club which was slowly re-building after being 48 hours away from closing permanently last autumn.

Richard Mcluckie, General Manager at Braes, said: “When lockdown was introduced across the country it meant that most sporting activities were out of the question.

“However, we’re delighted to see there has been a marked improvement in memberships – especially with the younger generation – as people look to take advantage of the extended guidelines on exercise in Scotland.”

The Polmont course was rescued by Steve Matthews, managing director of the Caledonian Group, with only 88 members – none were under the age 30 but membership slowly grew with 20-30 new golfers signing on before March.

But absence makes the heart grow fonder and a ten-fold increase in monthly memberships have taken up the chance to play the greens and fairways of Manuel Rigg, Maddiston.

Speaking to our sister title The Scotsman, Richard added: “It is a great story. Not just for the Braes but every golf club in the surrounding area.

“If we get kids and women playing, they might not stay at the Braes, but they will go somewhere else. Other golf clubs in the area may benefit from us having lots of ladies and juniors playing golf as that’s where the future of the game lies.

“When Steve spoke to me and his vision for the place was brilliant, I thought this could be something completely different.

“The chance to be part of the rebirth was too good to turn down. I had to have a go.”

A new nine-hole par-3 course is planned and Braes is also one of the first clubs to adopt the Scottish Golf’s Venue Management System (VMS) - an online tool that enables clubs to manage their venue online.

The system, which is part of the association fee with Scottish Golf, means members can book tee times, enter competitions and complete digital scoring through the Scottish Golf App.

Karin Sharp, Scottish Golf chief operating officer, said: “It has been without a doubt a trying time for people over the last few months in lockdown. But as we progress with the implementation of Phase 2, we are delighted to see local golf clubs such as Braes Golf Centre experiencing a surge in new members.”

She continued: “With the Venue Management System, clubs who are already configured are benefitting from a streamlined service and we recognise that this is imperative for clubs as we continue to encourage everyone to adhere to the Government’s social distancing guidelines.”

And the news for golfers keeps coming as Falkirk Golf Club returned to competitive action last weekend at the Carmuirs course.