Castleisland Golf Club 'no longer a viable enterprise'
Castleisland Members Golf Club has made a last-ditch appeal to avoid permanent closure after claiming it is no longer a viable enterprise, the has learned.
The parkland course in North Kerry opened in 2002 but with membership having fallen considerably since the 2008 recession and planned fundraising opportunities abandoned due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, it is feared the club will not reopen once the current restrictions have been lifted.
Having once boasted more than 650 members, the club’s steering committee sent a letter to its 125 remaining members on Monday informing them that Castleisland GC will be wound up next Monday, April 6, unless a rescue plan can be formulated.
“Recent years have been very challenging for golf clubs with the huge fall off in membership,” the letter stated.
Our own club is no exception. We consider that our club is no longer a viable enterprise.
“Following Government advice the golf course closed on March 24 due to COVID-19. We do not expect it to reopen.”
Planned revenue from three fundraising events, green fees, sponsorship and society days have meant an estimated blow of €40,000 to exacerbate a perilous financial situation arising from three months of bad weather and now the current public health emergency, which has seen membership renewals halved from 2019.
If Castleisland is wound up it will become the second Kerry golf club to close its doors permanently in the last fortnight following the closure of Killorglin GC nine days ago. The latest club crisis came as golf’s governing bodies on the island of Ireland issued a statement reiterating its plans to lobby government departments and agencies in the Republic and Northern Ireland to support golf clubs experiencing financial hardship in the current emergency.
“We are planning to outline the financial impact of the current crisis on our member clubs to government departments and agencies,” said a joint statement from the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golf Union issued on Tuesday.
“A survey has been circulated to all golf clubs which aims to capture the economic impact for clubs. It is our intention to collate the data and prepare a high-level paper for both governments to consider.
“The Unions will continue to make a compelling case for state-funded supports to help our clubs recover as soon as possible.”
Any response from the Irish Government may come too late for Castleisland, however.
The club’s letter to members continued: “Unfortunately, we have not enough members to run a golf club. Therefore, it is with huge sadness that we recommend to our members that Castleisland Members Golf Club should be wound up on April 6, 2020.”
