Popular Scots golf course ‘on a knife edge’ after going to war with own members

A POPULAR Scottish golf course situated just a short drive from the birthplace of The Open is under serious threat of closing for good.

Prestwick St Cuthbert Golf Club is embroiled in a bitter legal battle with its own members after it tried to impose annual subscription fees on certain individuals who were previously exempt.

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The course lies a mile south of the historic Prestwick Golf Club, where the first ever Open Championship was played.

A tree-lined par 70 track, it has a reputation as one of Scotland‘s finest parkland courses and the history of the club goes back to 1899.

Due to its location on the Ayrshire coast it often attracts visitors from the rest of the country and beyond, particularly when The Open as being held at Royal Troon.

But the ongoing membership saga has led to legal costs that have spiralled out of control, and the club revealing to its members that it is in deep financial peril.

The situation is so dire at St Cuthbert that it now faces a £60,000 shortfall over the next few months.

A planned Special General Meeting for last night (Tuesday December 3) was cancelled 24 hours before it was due to take place, with the club saying it is “preparing to enter into mediation” with the affected members.

The club was subject to a legal challenge by one of its members after a controversial proposal was passed at its AGM in February year.

After the Court of Session carried out a judicial review, the club conceded that the vote should be set aside because not all members were not given due notice of the proposal.

At February’s AGM, a question was taken from the floor that related to the certain membership categories who, as per the club’s constitution, were not required to pay annual fees.

It has been proposed by the club’s council that a minimum of fee of 65 percent of the annual subscription would apply to all members going forward.

This would include those playing under senior membership, five-day membership, youth membership and junior memberships, among others.

The club used to offer life membership but this was scrapped in 2011, and they stopped accepting new life members – but all those who had that status at the time were allowed to retain it.

February’s vote was an outrage for the 60 life members in particular because many of them had previously paid a lump sum worth thousands of pounds (five times the annual membership cost) to secure their place as a member for the rest of their lives.

And as per the club’s constitution, that lump sum would make them exempt from future annual membership fees.

After February’s AGM, some of the life members chose to pay the subscription regardless of the controversy so that they could keep their playing rights. Others gave up their memberships as a result.

Alasdair Malcolm, who has been a member at Prestwick St Cuthbert for since 1976 when he was 11-years-old, was one of the affected life members.

At the time he purchased his life membership the lump sum worked out at around £2,600.

Mr Malcolm, a retired police officer, has been leading the case against the club on behalf of the life members who were in opposition to the motion, alleging that many of them feel there is a personal agenda against life members.

He told The Scottish Sun: “The upshot was that the route we went down was a submission for a judicial review on the decision made at the AGM.

PRESTWICK ST CUTHBERT – A HISTORY

Prestwick St Cuthbert Golf Club, located in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland, has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1899. It was established to cater to the growing popularity of golf in the region, which is renowned for its historic courses. The club originally had a 9-hole course, which was later expanded to 18 holes to offer a full golfing experience.

Throughout its history, Prestwick St Cuthbert Golf Club has undergone various enhancements and redesigns to improve the course and facilities. The club has a reputation for being welcoming and inclusive, promoting the sport among local players and visitors alike. It has hosted numerous local and regional tournaments, fostering a strong community spirit and a love for golf.

The club’s course is known for its well-maintained fairways, challenging layout, and picturesque scenery, making it a favourite among golfers of all skill levels. Prestwick St Cuthbert Golf Club continues to uphold its traditions while embracing modern advancements, ensuring a high-quality experience for all who visit.

“We had four points that we were allowed to go ahead to present to the court of session for a review of this decision.

“One that it was illegal because because they hadn’t they hadn’t been pre-notified and so on as per the constitution.

“The second one was it was unfair, it was just unfair that the life members because of that hadn’t been given the opportunity to defend their position if you like.

“The third one was a conflict of interest with the lawyers which was a minor thing.

“And the fourth point which to me was the most important one was that basically the club don’t have the authority to change the terms of that contract unilaterally without agreement.

“It’s like going to a shop and buying a set of golf clubs and then 10 years later that shop going back and saying ‘The golf clubs you bought off us ten years ago, we’re short of money now, so you’re going to have to rent them from us.'”

Mr Malcolm also told the Scottish Sun that his daughter, who was also affected by the increase in membership payments, has been forced to join another club.

His wife, who was club champion 25 times over the years, has also left because of the feud.

Given his family ties to the club, Mr Malcolm said “the last thing” he wanted to happen was for Prestwick St Cuthbert to have to shut down.

He continued: “For the majority of the life members, it’s not about the money. It’s absolutely nothing about the money.

“I’ve spent as much money to join elsewhere this year that I would have forked out taking a subscription.

“It’s not about the money. It’s the simple fairness. It’s the principle of it.”

This is not necessarily the end of the battle, as the club could still look to change the constitution if its legal team deem it lawful to do so.

Mr Malcolm suggested such a ruling could affect golfers up and down the country, if clubs now know they can change their constitutions at will.

The club council say they have started the process of refunding the life members who requested their money back.

But the legal bill has put the club “on a knife edge”, combined with the other general difficulties in maintaining a golf course and club house.

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In a statement seen by The Scottish Sun, vice captain Ian Logan said: “Dear fellow members, as most of you now know, I was asked to step in as the Vice Captain after David Clelland recently stood down due to family reasons. I want to write to you all to update you on where we are at the club.

“Firstly, I should let you know that our Captain, George Grierson has taken a step back due to ill health. We wish him well and a speedy recovery.

“We have now had five resignations from the council, and I know others are considering their future. All of this has left the council not a quorum but still with a great deal of work needing to be done.

“It is my intention to stand down as Vice Captain before the start of the new golf season as I do not want to be Captain and I hope we can find a suitable member to move the club forward.

“To that end I would ask you all to consider joining the committee. It is both worthwhile and rewarding but more importantly the club cannot function without a strong working committee.

“Secondly, I think everyone should be aware that the club has a serious financial issue to contend with. I have only just started to work on the inside of the club and am really concerned about our future.

“At the start of the year the budget allowed for an increase in members, which did not come to fruition (we are net 40 full paying members under budget) and we have a much larger deficit in our catering side than we expected.

“At this stage we are projecting a cash shortage of £60,000 between January and March when subscriptions are due.

“As per the judicial decision, the council did not follow the correct procedure at the AGM in Feb 24 and even though it might have seemed the same as all other AGM’s, it is clear we did not give all categories the opportunity to fully consider their situation.

“The legal challenge has had a hugely negative impact on the club and has seriously impacted its finances and the day to day running of the club.

“We are currently about to start the process of refunding those life members who have requested a refund, and as a council we believe that the proposed SGM would only add to that legal process and so have decided that the SGM for December 10 is cancelled.

“The council are looking ways to fill this shortfall including banks loans or bank overdrafts, however, banks appear to be less keen to assist golf clubs these days and that itself is a clear indicator of the difficult times golf clubs are facing.

“We are exploring other avenues of cash support but it’s proving difficult and the council will keep you updated as things progress.
We are preparing to enter into mediation with Life Members in an attempt to find some common ground to allow us move forward positively and successfully.

“Please do not underestimate the seriousness of the club’s financial situation. We are sitting on a knife edge and we all need to pull together.

“This used to be a club that was united and friendly, we are losing that. Divisions have become evident and that is not good for the club. We need to get back to how we used to be.

“I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the Junior prize giving on Friday night and apart from being a great night, all the talk the whole night was about their expectations for their golf next season, their handicaps being cut and how far they can drive the ball! About 40 juniors (boys and girls) attended, their parents joined later for the prize giving, their future is part of our responsibility.

“There are many golf clubs all over the country that are under real pressure. Many will not survive. Please don’t let that happen to St Cuthbert.”

The Scottish Sun was originally contacted by a concerned member, who wished to remain anonymous, about the situation at St Cuthbert.

He called the club out for “mismanagement” of the facilities over much of the past decade and raised his fears that the club would be forced to close as the legal challenge threatened to escalate into a long, drawn-out war between the council and the members.

Of the other concerns raised, of particular note was the amount of money spent on irrigation and drainage, new windows for the clubhouse and solar panels and the changing of the club’s catering provider.

The in-fighting led to the member describing the atmosphere within the club as “toxic”.

He said he wouldn’t be renewing his membership next year – if there was a club to play at.

His lack of faith in the club and it’s lack of direction led to him predicting that St Cuthbert’s decline would be inevitable if something doesn’t change.

The insider told The Scottish Sun: “I don’t want to go back next year.

“It’s a toxic atmosphere. It’s very much us and them.

“The club, if we lose the case, it’ll just finish us.

“It used to be a thriving club but it’s dying now and it can die if it wants.”

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