Three of the oldest golf clubs in Aberdeen are to merge in a historic move that has finally won the backing of a majority of members amid misgivings from traditionalists.
The Northern, Bon Accord and Caledonian clubs plan to amalgamate and form a new organisation, tentatively named the Aberdeen Links Golf Club.
Merger proposals have been mooted for the past 15 years, but previous attempts to bring the clubs together failed.
A number of members remain unhappy about the move, with some expected to relinquish their memberships in protest.
The Bon Accord club was founded in 1872, the Caledonian in 1899 and the Northern, it is understood, in 1897. The aim is to have the new club established by April next year.
All three use the same municipal course, Kings Links, and currently have three separate, neighbouring clubhouses within about 100 yards of each other on Golf Road.
Bon Accord club captain Sean Murray and Northern captain Derek Johnstone yesterday told the Press and Journal that the intention would be to sell the three existing properties.
The clubs are eyeing council-owned land across the road, the former Broadhill Bar, as a potential site for a new clubhouse development.
Mr Murray admitted the merger may prove unpalatable for some.
It would also spell the end for the hotly-contested annual Aberdeen Links Championship between the three clubs, with the winner securing bragging rights over their neighbours.
He said: “There is always going to be, especially for the initial period, a three club mentality, that is not going to disappear. We are going to lose members, we have already.”
There are a number of issues driving the amalgamation plans, including falling membership and the declining condition of the clubhouse buildings.
Aberdeen FC’s stated intention to move from Pittodrie by 2017 would also put pressure on the finances of the three clubs, which take in a significant income on match days as Dons fans stop for a drink before and after the game.
Planning permission is also in place to build about 350 houses on the Pittodrie site, which could drive down the price of the golf clubs on Golf Road, also likely to be converted into housing.
But one of the major issues for all three clubs has been the number of members who are now choosing to play elsewhere.
The Kings Links course, maintained by Sport Aberdeen on behalf of the city council, has deteriorated to such an extent that players are paying to play on other, inland courses.
Mr Murray said: “Our members are not using the clubs because of the condition of the course, they are not turning up in the numbers that they used to on open or medal days.”
Mr Johnstone said the membership at Northern was also falling because of the state of the course.
He said: “Certainly for the last 10-12 years, there has been a huge under-investment in the course.
“At the same time, the biggest problem is the greens, nobody would complain if they sorted the greens.”
A Sport Aberdeen spokeswoman did not respond to a call seeking comment yesterday.
The old Broadhill Bar site is owned by Aberdeen City Council. The local authority’s property sub-committee meets on November 18, with the future of the Broadhill site on the agenda.
City finance convener Willie Young said: “There are many people who have expressed an interest in that site. It will come in front of the sub-committee, which will determine its position.”
It is understood that the clubhouse plans have the support of owners of the neighbouring Kings Links Golf Centre.
Mr Murray added: “This will be a community-based club, it is for the community and for the local area.”