Genesis Scottish Open
Spotlight on Dullatur at the Genesis Scottish Open
Last week, I had the honour—and if I’m honest, a bit of fear—to be invited to join a Q&A panel on Golf Club Leadership in Healthy, Sustainable Communities at the Sustainability Symposium at the Genesis Scottish Open.
It was an incredible opportunity to showcase the positive work happening here at Dullatur, and to connect with others who are leading the charge to make golf more sustainable and community-focused.
During the panel, I spoke about the evolution of our clubhouse and how we’re becoming known as more of a sporting and community hub rather than just a golf club. This shift has been instrumental in attracting new members—particularly our Intermediate category, which has grown by 55% in the last 12 months.
I also shared the strides we’ve made in our Junior section. We’ve been actively working to break down barriers for young people getting into golf. One initiative I highlighted was our Golf Bag Design Competition, where six local schoolchildren have won a free junior membership, including eight lessons. We’ve also taken part in the Scottish Golf Club Hire Scheme, purchasing five half-sets of junior clubs for free use—removing the cost barrier for parents of competition winners. Many of these children had never considered trying golf before, and they’re now actively engaged in lessons and our Junior Skills Challenge, which is running throughout the summer holidays.
Another key talking point was what Scottish Golf called a “bold move”: in 2024, we removed the offer of free junior membership with an adult membership and replaced it with a paid junior membership that includes lessons. Before this change, we had 123 junior members on paper—but only 20% were actively playing. This made it difficult even to form a team for the JJ McCarry. After the change, 55% of juniors resigned and 19% moved up to our Intermediate category, leaving us with just 35 junior members.
Fast forward 16 months, and we now have 122 active juniors. We’ve won the JJ McCarry League, are competing in the Junior 6s, 9s, and Flag competitions, and are running weekly Skills Challenges every Wednesday during the holidays. The growth and engagement have been incredible.
Beyond Dullatur, it was also inspiring to hear from other panelists, including representatives from SEPA and NatureScot, who spoke about managing golf courses in a changing climate. I’ve come away with a number of short- and long-term actions we can take to further improve sustainability and biodiversity at our club.
To top it all off, I was invited by Scottish Golf to attend the Open on Saturday as their guest in the hospitality suite at the 18th green. While travelling there by train, I had a reflective moment—on one side of the station, crowds were heading to a music festival in Glasgow, while I was off to the Scottish Open. Twenty years ago, I would never have imagined this moment and would have been at the other side of the station :)
This was my first Open event, and it was incredible to walk the course and watch some of the best golfers in the world in action. I was in great company, too—spending the day with other club managers, sharing experiences, ideas, and insights. It was the perfect setting to exchange knowledge, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
Kirsty Hamilton
General Manager
It was an incredible opportunity to showcase the positive work happening here at Dullatur, and to connect with others who are leading the charge to make golf more sustainable and community-focused.
During the panel, I spoke about the evolution of our clubhouse and how we’re becoming known as more of a sporting and community hub rather than just a golf club. This shift has been instrumental in attracting new members—particularly our Intermediate category, which has grown by 55% in the last 12 months.
I also shared the strides we’ve made in our Junior section. We’ve been actively working to break down barriers for young people getting into golf. One initiative I highlighted was our Golf Bag Design Competition, where six local schoolchildren have won a free junior membership, including eight lessons. We’ve also taken part in the Scottish Golf Club Hire Scheme, purchasing five half-sets of junior clubs for free use—removing the cost barrier for parents of competition winners. Many of these children had never considered trying golf before, and they’re now actively engaged in lessons and our Junior Skills Challenge, which is running throughout the summer holidays.
Another key talking point was what Scottish Golf called a “bold move”: in 2024, we removed the offer of free junior membership with an adult membership and replaced it with a paid junior membership that includes lessons. Before this change, we had 123 junior members on paper—but only 20% were actively playing. This made it difficult even to form a team for the JJ McCarry. After the change, 55% of juniors resigned and 19% moved up to our Intermediate category, leaving us with just 35 junior members.
Fast forward 16 months, and we now have 122 active juniors. We’ve won the JJ McCarry League, are competing in the Junior 6s, 9s, and Flag competitions, and are running weekly Skills Challenges every Wednesday during the holidays. The growth and engagement have been incredible.
Beyond Dullatur, it was also inspiring to hear from other panelists, including representatives from SEPA and NatureScot, who spoke about managing golf courses in a changing climate. I’ve come away with a number of short- and long-term actions we can take to further improve sustainability and biodiversity at our club.
To top it all off, I was invited by Scottish Golf to attend the Open on Saturday as their guest in the hospitality suite at the 18th green. While travelling there by train, I had a reflective moment—on one side of the station, crowds were heading to a music festival in Glasgow, while I was off to the Scottish Open. Twenty years ago, I would never have imagined this moment and would have been at the other side of the station :)
This was my first Open event, and it was incredible to walk the course and watch some of the best golfers in the world in action. I was in great company, too—spending the day with other club managers, sharing experiences, ideas, and insights. It was the perfect setting to exchange knowledge, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
Kirsty Hamilton
General Manager