Now Caird Park courses look set for reprieve in latest boost for Scottish muni golf

Caird Park in Dundee boasts two golf courses - one an 18-holer and the other a nine-holer.

Dundee City Council set to dip into reserves to keep layouts open for the time being

Hot on the heels of Hollandbush in Lanarkshire being saved and also positive noises being made by local councillors about the future of Dalmuir in Clydebank, two municipal courses in Dundee have now been handed a welcome boost as well.

According to a report, Dundee City Council will keep the Caird Park courses - one is an 18-holer and the other a nine-holer - open through dipping into reserves of more than £6 million. It might just be a temporary reprieve, though, because the facilities will be be kept open in the meantime as “consultation on various service proposals takes place”.

Speaking to The Courier, John Alexander, the Scottish National Party’s leader in Dundee, said: “The budget is only for the year 2024/25 as we only receive year-to-year funding from Scottish Government so to be fair, that is always the case.

“We don’t know what the budget position will be in 12 months’ time and with the added uncertainty of the general election, it’s all up in the air. I can’t guarantee anything budget-wise because 83 per cent is decided at a national level.

“However, I’m confident that through the work we’ve asked officers to do to maximise usage, look at sponsorship and alternative funding, alternative delivery models etc, that we can avoid closure. Closure should always be the absolutely last resort and plugging the gap for the year ahead gives us the space to work on the problem.”

A week ago, South Lanarkshire Council handed Hollandbush Golf Club a reprieve after it had been earmarked for possible closure. An extra £800,000 has been put into a Community Fightback Fund, which will be used to keep the club and course running this year as the committee look to come up with a model to take over it going forward.

Meanwhile, it is believed that a proposal to either shorten or close Dalmuir will also be rejected by West Dunbartonshire Council when it meets next week after a petition was signed by more than 5,000 people in the space of a few days.