Six South Lanarkshire Council golf courses "may not open this Friday"

This Friday, May 29 is the expected date members will be able to play at Scottish clubs again, but the Carluke and Lanark Gazette can reveal that the six South Lanarkshire Council courses at Hollandbush, Biggar, Langlands, Torrance House, Larkhall and Strathclyde Park may NOT open on that date.

Hollandbush GC manager Mags Cathcart said: “The courses are looking good but the council have indicated a date of June 8 for reopening which is obviously after everybody else.

"I got this information from South Lanarkshire Leisure (which manages sport on behalf of SLC). They said they can't open until the council tells them the course is fit to be open.

"They won't release any pricing until they've been given a date.

“I thought it would have been better trying to open on Monday, June 1 because that would have covered everyone’s season ticket. If it starts on June 1 then you're getting the full value of your season ticket, but if it's June 8 there's a week off it.

"The green staff could have had our course open by June 1. I don't understand why it's not opening then.

"A picture I saw of Larkhall yesterday showed it was looking absolutely minted. I've been speaking to a guy from Langlands and he couldn't understand June 8 being quoted either.

"I'm relieved that all the courses will be opening but once again the council are dragging their feet and doing their own wee thing instead of what everybody else is doing."

However, General Manager of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture David Booth responded by saying: “We are working on plans to reopen our courses as soon as we can.

“This will happen on a phased basis and we will share the details, including when individual courses will reopen, as soon as we can. Everyone should be clear that golf courses remain closed until we advise otherwise.”