Much has been said and written about the ongoing fight being faced by some Scottish golf clubs amid spiralling running costs and the fate of The Hirsel, in particular, after the Borders club went out of business overnight last year was a clear warning about why nothing should be taken for granted these days. At the same time, though, there are other clubs in the sport’s cradle that are bucking the membership trend at a time when the Covid pandemic boost in that respect is starting to wear off and it’s not necessarily the ones that are the most popular with golfing visitors from all over the world. Take Baberton, for example, on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The home club of Sky Sports Golf commentator Ewen Murray, it has not only reaped the benefits of building a new clubhouse but, in recent years, significant improvements have also been made to the course, the latest being the construction of a new 18th hole. The green on the current closing hole sits out of sight above the level of the clubhouse and, having been re-designed by course architect Stuart Rennie of Rennie Design and the work having been carried out by Greentech (Sports Turf) Ltd, a new challenge for both members and visitors will lie in wait from 3 May - the date of an official opening. “The old design and in particular the green of the old 18th hole had been problematic for some time, so it has been a conversation piece for many years,” Grant McCall, the course convenor and a past club captain, told Scotland on Sunday. “In 2022, the then course manager, Brian Toall, and I initiated discussions about what changes might be possible to improve the hole. “We consulted with a number of specialists who, without hesitation, asked why the green wasn’t in front of the new clubhouse, which opened in 2013. We set up a sub committee, created a requirements document and appointed a course architect to create a design proposal. We went to tender and once we had a firm grasp of the design, cost and process, put it to the members to vote on and they overwhelmingly supported our proposal to appoint Rennie Design and Greentech (Sports Turf) Ltd.” Though unwilling to disclose the actual amount, the cost of constructing the new hole involved a “significant investment” by the capital club, where Murray played his junior golf through his father, Jimmy, being the professional there. “The new hole will still be a challenging finish, but fairer, less penal and more in keeping with the rest of the course - particularly the green complex,” added McCall. “The fairway has been redesigned, two new fairway bunkers built and over 100 trees planted right and left to frame the hole. All of this was made possible by utilising the land of our old practice ground. We are excited about the finish being right in front of the clubhouse. “Additionally, the routing of the new hole further left and all the additional tree planting has the benefit of reducing the health and safety risk of any errant balls landing in the neighbouring park. We also had an internal health and safety concern over the old practice ground which has now been removed. “We are retaining the old 18th green and have built a new bunker to create a new short game practice area for members. We are also building three new practice bays. All of these are in preparation for use in the new season.” Exciting times indeed and all on top of other improvements. “Over the last four years, we have been renovating all of our bunkers changing them from open to rolling face design,” continued McCall. “This design fits well for a parkland course with better sand retention, more consistency of play and is more aesthetically pleasing. “As part of this process, we have moved and built new bunkers to fit with improvements in technology. Otherwise, our focus has been on steady improvement of the course condition and quality, led by our course manager Joe Loffelmann, which has been a huge positive for members and visitors alike.” Murray, who was made an honorary member in 2014, opened the current clubhouse, the build of which meant both the 1st and 18th holes were shortened and the 15th lengthened, with new greens being constructed in each case. “The clubhouse has been a great success and the club has gone from strength to strength, with members and visitors enjoying the facilities provided,” said McCall. “We are currently embarking on a refurb project to freshen up the main lounge area. “In 2024, we added solar panels to the roof, and, in 2023, we constructed a swing studio that sits alongside the clubhouse. It has been a huge benefit to our members and PGA professionals in the provision of lessons and custom fittings, and providing an indoor facility for practice. It has been hugely popular.” In the latest recording period, the total membership among golf clubs affiliated to Scottish Golf was determined by the governing body to be a “slight decrease”, though that has not been the case at Baberton. “Our membership numbers remain very strong,” declared McCall of a club that was founded in 1893. “We have had a waiting list over the last few seasons with increasing numbers of new members looking to join. The quality of our course offering has been a key driver in attracting these new members.”