Golfers' fury over state of golf course

Members of Barshaw Golf Club claim Renfrewshire Council needs to pitch in with some serious investment to get the municipal course up to scratch.

Golfers (L-R) George Diamond, John McLaughlin, Tom Watson and Ian Kennedy upset at lack of investment in facilities and the course

They have raised concerns about flooded fairways, patchy greens and a poor clubhouse changing facilities.

Tom Watson, who sits on the greens committee of the club, has called on Renfrewshire Council bosses to bring the below-par facility back to the required level or face losing members.

He told the Paisley Daily Express: "The general standard of the course is well below what it should be.

"We are using twigs and sticks from trees instead of flag poles, that's how bad it is."

"The drainage down the sides of the course is terrible."

"There is a lot of standing water. I think drains might have been damaged during works to upgrade the park and it is causing real problems."

"Our greens are quite badly damaged because they haven't been sprayed, so when the bugs come up, the birds peck away at them."

"The greenkeeper knows what he is doing, but everything needs to go through his bosses, which means things don't always get done."

"We want some investment. We want the club to be able to say, we need this, this and this, and for Renfrewshire Council to see what they can do."

"At the moment, the decisions are taken by them and we are just told what is to happen."

Former club president Tom, 75, who has been a member of the club for 40 years, says a once booming membership is slowly dwindling.

"We had a couple walk up to the first tee recently, and when they looked at the first hole, they just about turned."

"There used to be queues at the first hole here. Now there are very few people who want to play, which is a real shame."

"Recently we ran out of toilet roll and paper towels in the clubhouse, which is just no good."

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: "We work closely with colleagues in Renfrewshire Leisure to ensure everyone can enjoy high-quality sport and leisure facilities across Renfrewshire.

"Work was undertaken at Barshaw over the winter to prepare the tees and greens, with sand spread and fertiliser applied, as well as hedge pruning and branch trimming around the course."

"Additional works in the park next to the first hole will enable water to disperse more quickly and insecticide will be sprayed on the greens as weather permits."

"While the recent extreme weather conditions and high levels of rainfall has naturally taken its toll, it is anticipated the move into warmer weather and seasonal growth will see the full benefits of this work."

"We recognise the great work greenkeepers do and have invested in the state-of-the-art TORO greenkeeping machine to ensure Barshaw is well maintained as the golfing season gets under way."

You can read the original article from the Daily Record HERE