Scottish golf club votes to change 18-hole course into two loops of 9

A long-established Scottish golf course has voted overwhelmingly in favour of changing its layout from an 18-hole venue to two distinct loops of nine holes.

Haddington Golf Club, a parkland course in East Lothian, has told Golf Business how it's “adapting to the changing face of golf”.

According to the report, close to 80% of the golf club's members voted in favour of changing the setup of the course.

The golf club has already rung the changes, with a four-week trial last month changing the route of the course to feature two new loops of nine holes.

This provided Haddington with the option of selling nine-hole tickets, competitions and generally hosting shorter forms of the game.

"We feel it’s vitally important to explore new ways of attracting more people to the game," Haddington’s professional and general manager Scott Thomson told Golf Business.

"We must adapt to show that people can still enjoy golf despite having less free time than ever before. There is a very positive feeling about Haddington Golf Club right now and we want as many as possible to get involved.

"The management team and I are delighted to have the support of the membership with this proposed change. We look forward to an exciting season ahead which will include some events based around the new layout. I encourage all golfers, especially those new to the sport to come and try it out and I look forward to meeting them."

While still possible to play a normal 18-hole round of golf, Haddington is one of a number of golf clubs in the UK looking at different ways to introduce shorter forms of golf in 2019.

It is anticipated that encouraging more nine-hole options is more appropriate for older golfers, physically less able golfers, juniors learning the game, golfers with less time available to them and golfers who prefer to play nine holes only.

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