Scottish amateur golf’s prolonged battle to amalgamate into one body regardless of gender will finally be completed later this year after the final hurdle was crossed yesterday.
An extraordinary general meeting of the Scottish Golf Union (SGU), the men’s governing body, in Stirling yesterday produced a unanimous vote by the 16 Area Golf Associations for the proposal to form Scottish Golf Limited, a merged organisation with the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association (SLGA).
The new body will be inaugurated on October 1, ending the anomaly of golf being the only governing body of a major sport in Scotland that was split by gender.
The Men’s Areas vote followed the 204-0 vote by the SLGA AGM in February that confirmed the approval of the women’s game, and the publication of an independent poll commissioned by the SGU of affiliate clubs and societies which overhwlemingly backed the merger proposals to the tune of 97 per cent.
However the Men’s Areas were reckoned as a potential stumbling block having voted 10-6 to reject the original proposals tabled four years ago at a previous EGM, after the women had unanimously approved.
The Areas at that time harboured serious misgivings about the direction and structure of the new amalgamated body, feeling that the new board proposed to run the merged game in Scotland was not accountable enough.
That sent an embarrassed SGU and SLGA back to the drawing board, but a widespread consultation lasting three years painstaking piloted by SGU chairman Tom Craig and the SLGA’s Beth Paterson brought second proposal which has now been widely accepted across Scottish golf.
The revised plan was hammered out by a working group chaired by Sheriff Alastair Thornton which attempted to alleviate the concerns raised in the first proposal.
“This is an historic day for Scottish amateur golf,” said Craig. “I thank the SGU’s Area Golf Associations for their support in unanimously backing the Proposal and our affiliated clubs for showing confidence in the Proposal.
“I’d also like to thank Sheriff Alastair Thornton and all the other members of the Amalgamation Joint Working Group for their hard work.”
Amalgamation was seen as crucial to the future development of the amateur game in Scotland. All the other major sports have unified governing bodies and only a handful of national golf associations worldwide are split by gender.
Scottish golf as a whole stood to lose out on crucial development backing with increasing pressure from government bodies and sponsors to speak with one voice.
“We have enjoyed a close working relationship with the SLGA for many years and now look forward to working together as one organisation,” continued Craig. “The reality is that the SGU and SLGA are already working more closely than ever before so the transition to a single unified governing body should be fairly seamless.
“We can look to the future with excitement and optimism at the potential benefits amalgamation will bring, including providing greater leadership to our clubs and players, projecting golf as a modern, inclusive sport with a positive image to attract more players and attracting more resources into the sport from commercial sponsorship and government.”
Craig admitted that it had been a lengthy process to reach amalgamation, but stressed it was vital to take as much time as necessary to get it right.
“It has been a long journey to reach this stage, but it was important that everyone had the chance to contribute to the amalgamation debate, so we could come forward with a good structure for the future of golf in Scotland,” he continued.
“Our game faces many challenges. There’s a lot to do, but we now have the opportunity to build a positive future for golf and golf clubs in Scotland.”
Beth Paterson, the SLGA Chairman, added: “We are delighted that both organisations have given their overwhelming support for amalgamation.
“This is a positive day for golf and a vital step forward for the game. Scottish Golf will now be able to focus on the main issues facing the game and take it positively into a new era.”