Business may fall 25% at golf clubs

GOLF COURSES around the country are beginning to feel the chill of the current economic climate, with some anticipating a downturn of up to 25 per cent on last year’s business. Some courses are putting staff on short-time or laying them off.

Those on the west coast and those heavily reliant on tourism are suffering most, while courses relying more heavily on club members are faring better.

Meanwhile, membership of clubs, which had risen from just under 95,000 countrywide in 1987 to over 200,000 in 2007, decreased by over 2,000 last year, according to the Golfing Union of Ireland. There are also 17,000 vacancies in clubs around the country.

The general manager of Killarney golf club, Maurice O’Meara, said US tourists have not returned to the West. They would normally make up 14 per cent of the club’s visitors, but that figure was expected to be down to 5 per cent this year.

He said the 46 staff at the club were working a three-day week, and there were ongoing talks for further reductions.

Carne golf links in Co Mayo is anticipating a drop of 10 per cent in business this year, following on from a 15 per cent drop last year, according to manager Eamon Mangan.

He said forward bookings were down, and although it has so far avoided laying off staff it may have to consider a decrease in green staff in the winter.

Dooks golf club in Kerry was “proactively promoting” package deals with local hotels, its general manager, Brian Hurley, said. The club was also willing to negotiate on green fees.

The secretary of Ballybunion golf club, John Egelson, said it were usually booked out by now for August and September, yet there was still availability. It was forecasting a 25 per cent dip in business. “If courses like Ballybunion are not full, I don’t know how some of the clubs are surviving.”

On the east coast, courses are not faring quite so badly.

The manager of the Royal Dublin golf club at Dollymount, Dublin, Paul Muldowney, said its big membership was so far protecting it from the worst of the downturn.

The honorary secretary of the Golfing Union of Ireland, Albert Lee, said he was aware of some clubs laying off staff or putting them on shorter weeks. Clubs with family membership would fare better and newer clubs were likely to find it more difficult.