As the ‘birthplace of golf’ faces losing its public game, campaigners warn of a “dangerous precedent” for grassroots sports, says bunkered.
Symbolising the impact of public golf course closures, Lost Golfers were seen fruitlessly searching for a home on the streets of Dundee and Glasgow. Highlighting the human cost of losing public facilities, the Lost Golfer represents everyone affected by these closures - people who may be lost to the sport forever, the publisher continued.
bunkered explains that current data indicates ‘a steady decline of almost 10%’ since 2020, with courses “constantly under threat.” Notable closures since 2020 include:
- Caird Park (2025) in Dundee, where the axe fell to plug a £500k deficit at the council, leaving residents of the city without any means to join a private golf club and without the ability to play golf at an affordable rate, after Camperdown closed in 2020. These sites are the closest to St Andrews and are considered the ‘home of golf’ in Scotland.
- Ruchill, Linn Park, and Alexandra Park (Glasgow) have all closed, meaning only Knightswood and Littlehill golf courses remain open to the public today. bunkered warns that these courses that once bustled with golfers “now lie rotting in plain sight, overgrown and hazardous, adding nothing to their communities”.
At a time when local authorities face unprecedented financial pressure, bunkered says its Public Golf Counts campaign highlights how public golf courses, often the first to face cuts, are at risk of what campaigners describe as “managed decline”: where reduced maintenance and investment lead to hazardous disrepair, falling participation, and eventual closure.
Michael McEwan, head of content, bunkered, explained: "Golf courses run by councils and local authorities are never going to host The Open or the Ryder Cup, nor are they likely to feature on many people’s ‘bucket lists’. But that is not their purpose. They exist to provide opportunities to participate for people who want to learn to play the game in a more relaxed, informal environment, or who perhaps cannot afford the fees required by private members’ clubs.”
“If you take them away, you risk making golf something that so many people are trying so very hard to prevent it from becoming: the exclusive preserve of those who can afford to play. Not only is that unacceptable, it will unquestionably shrink the game – an unthinkable prospect, particularly here in Scotland, the birthplace of the sport.”
As part of the campaign, bunkered says it has made a 10-point public pledge to support, celebrate and sustain public golf, including:
- Forming a taskforce of experts to create a best-practice blueprint for councils managing public golf.
- Using public venues for equipment reviews and tournaments and playing every public golf course in Scotland by August 2026
- Sponsoring the Public / Community-Owned Golf Course of the Year at the 2026 Scottish Golf Tourism Awards.
- Holding decision-makers accountable, urging political and governing body support for the preservation of public golf.
Craig Connelly echoes that sentiment. One of the game’s most successful caddies, Connelly currently works for two-time major champion and former world No.1 Martin Kaymer, and has previously been on the bag of Scottish golf great Colin Montgomerie and Ryder Cup star Paul Casey.
Craig Connelly, veteran tour caddie, commented: “My first experience of golf was playing the Dalmuir Municipal course in Clydebank, near Glasgow, where I grew up. I have no doubt that, without it, I wouldn’t have gone on to make my living from the game, travelling the world, meeting new people, and caddying for players as they won major championships, played in Ryder Cups and climbed to the top of the world rankings.
“Public golf is the lifeblood of the sport and that’s why I’m supporting bunkered’s new campaign. If they are run correctly and given a fighting chance, these courses can be hugely additive, not just to the game of golf, but to the communities in which they operate. There has never been a better time to raise their profile.”
How can Local Authorities engage with the issue to save courses?
The campaign highlights that Hollandbush (South Lanarkshire) and Dalmuir (West Dunbartonshire) municipal courses were saved by what’s known as Community Asset Transfers, the latter backed by MP Douglas McAllister, where ownership is given to the community by the council.
However, these processes are often lengthy and can be difficult to sustain and safeguard long term, continued bunkered.
The campaign warns that the loss of these facilities risks deepening inequality in who gets to play the sport, which is something “no golfer wants to see.”
To join the campaign, visit bunkered.co.uk/publicgolfcounts or share your thoughts using at #PublicGolfCounts.
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