150-year-old golf club could PERMANENTLY CLOSE as result of Covid-19 pandemic
Edinburgh Thistle Golf Club started a GoFundMe page in order to stay alive.
A 150-year-old golf club in Scotland is on the brink of closure after being heavily hit by a lack of membership and financial strains from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Edinburgh Thistle Golf Club, part of the Lothians Golf Association, could be forced to close soon if they cannot raise enough funds to survive.
The course is part of a group of four sites that use the Braids Hill Course. But due to a lack of younger membership interest and closure during lockdown, the club is struggling financially.
Edinburgh Thistle is steeped in history. Three-time major champion Tommy Armour was a member of the course and used to be a frequent visitor, having been born in the city. James Braid was also a member and a club champion too.
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Committee member Thomas Walker, who is the youngest member of the club at the age of 27, is one of many to begin fundraising strategies. He has started a GoFundMe page which has helped to build finances towards keeping the club afloat.
Walker admitted that he and his friend Keith have been forced to run the club's social media platforms as they cannot afford to pay employees.
As well as the GoFundMe page, Walker also holds breakfast clubs where members can go to socialise and all of the proceeds go towards saving the club's facilities.
"The big motivation behind doing the GoFundMe is of course because lockdown has hit us really hard. We don’t have the biggest membership on planet earth and in recent years we have seen numbers fall," said Walker.
"A lot of the members have young families and aren’t able to get up and play. It’s been a bit of a climb to get people to join but that’s what we’re trying to do at the moment. We sat down a few weeks ago and basically said time has run out.
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"We’re trying to secure the golf club for the next generation but we also want to safeguard our heritage.
"It has the absolute best views in the city up there and it would be a shame for us to just disappear off the face of the earth."
To do your bit and help Edinburgh Thistle Golf Club stay open, please visit their GoFundMe page through this link.
