A Perth golf course, which is said to be one of the oldest on the globe, has been given a funding lifeline.
The future of the North Inch Golf Course had been uncertain, with the local authority subsidising its memberships and rounds of golf due to its decreasing popularity with users.
However the course which dates back to the 1500s, when King James IV was said to have played on the parklands has received a reprieve in the form of a £50,000 grant from Perth and Kinross Council to fund maintenance and improvements over the next two years.
The funding was agreed by an executive sub-committee of the environment committee earlier this week, after councillors heard that the “climate” was not right for Live Active Leisure (LAL) to take over the running of the club.
The money will cover dredging of the burn on the course, replacement of artificial tees and improvements to the entrance and path to the golf starter’s hut.
It was also agreed that a marketing plan to encourage more use of the course and a revised pricing schedule for golfers will be introduced.
In the last three years, the council has begun to examine the future of the North Inch course, with a range of options considered.
Earlier this week, councillors heard that the drive to reach a conclusion to that process has been influenced by the 2014 Ryder Cup being held at Gleneagles in September.
Environment committee convener Alan Grant told members: “With the Ryder Cup taking place at Gleneagles, this will be a big year for Perthshire golf.
“We have agreed to move forward with the North Inch Golf Course. The council’s decision provides a greater degree of certainty about the golf course’s future in the medium-term, which I am sure will be welcomed by current users.
“This, together with the planned investment for 2014-15 and 2015-16 that was agreed in the council budget in February, should provide a real opportunity to assess and determine the longer-term approach to the course.”
Vice-convener Mike Williamson, a member of Aberfeldy Golf Club, claimed that many clubs in Scotland were “close to saturation”.
“There are 597 individual golf courses in Scotland but in 2011 around 49% did not make an operating profit,” he said.
“The next few months should see us moving forward with the North Inch Golf Course.”
A local leisure needs analysis suggested that the North Inch Golf Course should be retained.
A report compiled by Bruce Reekie, the council’s waste services and community greenspace manager, said that, following a report to the LAL board in December last year, it was determined that, in light of “current and potentially future” financial pressures and challenges being faced by the leisure facilities company, the directors felt unable to commit the enterprise to taking on further risk exposure.
“Realistically, the retention of the golf course by the council is the only feasible option at the moment,” his report on the situation concluded.
“The impetus to reach a conclusion on the future of the North Inch Golf Course is influenced by the Ryder Cup being held at Gleneagles in September.”
Mr Reekie told councillors that LAL felt the “climate was not right” at the moment for them to run the golf course.