The year ended with clubs relocating and others revealing they are experiencing mixed post-pandemic fortunes. 

It was another month of concern in Scotland

After a period of a few weeks in which several Scottish clubs revealed they were struggling, and two closed, the last month has seen more bad news as Caird Park Golf Course in Dundee announced it will close down in April. Nearby Broughty Castle’s future remains in the balance while Prestwick St Cuthbert Golf Club in Ayrshire has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise £70,000.

As former golf club ‘Manager of the Year’, Kevin Fish, says, resignations have returned to their pre-pandemic average run rate of about 6.5 percent, and clubs in the middle tier are under the most pressure.

“The typical club is not making enough surplus to replace the assets when they diminish. They are just about breaking even, or just about making a profit, but when the clubhouse roof blows off, there has been no preparation. That’s where the big problem is,” he said.

Several clubs are still thriving though

Some golf clubs in the UK are reporting that they are still feeling the benefits of the pandemic participation boom.

For example, The Manor House Golf Club in Wiltshire said 80 members joined in 2024 and 95 percent of its members renewed for another year.

The golf club manager there is still describing what’s happening as a “boom”, and the club is reinvesting £75,000 of the revenue it has gained back into its golf course this winter, as it moves ahead with several major improvement projects.

Two clubs have announced they are relocating

Two UK golf clubs both announced they are relocating in early December.

Balmoral Golf Club in Northern Ireland has agreed to sell its land for housing and relocate to a new 149-acre location golf course, which will be designed by Paul McGinley, about four miles away.

Meanwhile, Maidenhead Golf Club in Berkshire has said it will relocate to, and merge with, Flackwell Heath Golf Club in Buckinghamshire. Its current land will also be sold for housing and the new club should go live in early 2026.

“The decision made by the membership secures the future of Balmoral Golf Club for generations to come,” said Balmoral’s captain, Michael Ewings.

“We are delighted to have found a new home for our members,” said Maidenhead’s captain, Brian Aldridge.