R.I.P. Torphin Hill Golf Club

Martin Dempster with the sad news of Torphin Hill Golf Club's closing.

Dating to 1895, the hilly course will be developed by an equestrian company.

“We are here to say goodbye to a dear old friend, one that has given us so much pleasure over the years,” said Christopher Davies, the club secretary. “Torphin Hill does not rank as a prestigious club, but it ranks in the Super League when it comes to people – their emotional loyalty to the club is exceptional.”

Ticking along nicely when it had close to 500 members in 2006, the total had fallen to just over 320 last June, when the ‘ordinary’ membership, the figure that really matters, was only 124. Described by one member as a club that had been “limping along in difficult and horrible times”, annual running costs were slashed from just over £200,000 to under £130,000. But, despite the introduction of an “affordable golf” concept, it simply proved to be a losing battle.