The future of Dundee’s Caird Park public golf courses remains in doubt as city bosses continue to consider closure plans.
The threat comes despite a promise from the Dundee City Council back in 2019 to develop golf in the city following the closure of the other municipal course at Camperdown Park.
However, the council’s arm’s length body Leisure and Culture Dundee has approved a plan to close the 18 and nine-hole courses at Caird Park.
Leisure and Culture bosses are now blaming the Covid pandemic and rising costs for the earlier proposals not being developed.
Caird Park golf proposals
The latest proposals are part of the council’s latest budget options, which would save the organisation more than £335,000 per year.
These need to be ratified by councillors before going ahead.
Yet, in 2019, on the back of a report discussing the future of Caird Park golf courses, council leader John Alexander said: “We welcome the innovative proposal from LCD, as it shows that they are thinking about how to provide and develop the sport of golf and new participants in the future.
“The development of a driving range and the reinstatement of the nine-hole course at Caird Park would provide a first-class facility near to the Regional Performance Centre for Sport.”
He was commenting on a report by the council’s then-chief executive David Martin, while discussing the closure of Camperdown Golf Course.
The report said the council would “continue development of a strategy through a feasibility study which examines options for the future use of Caird Park.
“The proposal to develop a driving range at Caird Park should be taken forward as quickly as possible.”
Neither of these things happened.
Leisure and Culture Dundee: ‘Covid to blame’
A spokesperson for Leisure and Culture Dundee told The Courier: “The plans outlined in 2019 have not been progressed because of a number of major disruptive factors.
“These include the global pandemic and significant construction inflation, as well as reductions in funding.
“While it would not be appropriate for Leisure and Culture Dundee to comment on Dundee City Council’s budget process, no decisions have yet been taken about Caird Park Golf Course.
“Public consultation would take place before any decision on the future of the course was made.”
Labour leader: ‘I believed Caird Park courses were profitable’
Meanwhile, city golfers have condemned the move to close the Caird Park facility and are demanding a public consultation.
They say the course is regularly used by hundreds of golfers in the summer months.
Kevin Keenan, Labour group leader and local ward councillor, said: “The courses have always been busy.
“In the past people have actually complained about not getting a round because the course was fully booked.
“The Caird Park courses have always been very well used. As a result I have always believed they would be reasonably profitable.”
Mr Keenan added: “The courses are the two remaining public golf courses in Dundee and people are clearly and obviously very unhappy at the threat to them.
“This is another example of promises being broken. ”
Golf has been played at Caird Park for more than 100 years and in the 1980s it was considered the busiest public course in Europe.
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