Golfing Union of Ireland remains cautious on membership question

The jury is still out on whether golf club membership numbers for Irish men have bottomed out but the powers that be at the Golfing Union of Ireland are confident that does not necessarily mean those people have turned their backs on the game.

Golf industry figures around the world spend much of their time debating the best way for golf to continue being a relevant pastime in a world in which the demands on people’s time — and the variety of leisure choices available for those precious free hours — have never been higher.

Certainly golf clubs in Ireland are never likely to reach the height of membership numbers that peaked at 177,000 at the apex of the Celtic Tiger in 2007.