Golf club membership is down by 20% in Scotland and almost as much in England and Wales. Clubs have expensive land and club houses to maintain and some are struggling as memberships fall.

I realise that this suggestion would cause the average golf club committee member to go into catatonic shock but why not build a nice smooth but undulating tarmac training or even race circuit around the outside of the course along with a parallel off-road track, complete with features? I guess the capital outlay would be the death-knell for many clubs but for those with cash in the bank, I bet a member who owned a building or similar company could be persuaded to do the job at low cost. Club houses would be fuller and the facility would appeal especially to families with kids who want to enjoy a couple of miles of traffic-free riding on a nice surface.

Not sure how they’d deal with the problem of cyclists being hit on the noggin by a flying golf ball though… maybe two days a week of only cycling, to start with?

I don’t fancy cycling around a golf course while ham fisted amateurs are launching errant hooks and slices in my general direction

Most golf clubs seem to have enough of a problem with public footpaths that have been in use for centuries, let alone adding new rights of way.

At whittington heath near lichfield the outside edge is kinda an unofficial MTB trail. Its going to have HS2 run through the middle of it any how.

In fact theres quite a few bridleways / paths I can think of going past the edge of golf course already.

Don’t you mean footpaths have problems with golf courses.
I’m pretty sure that most of the time the paths were there before the golf course.
I can think of nothing more dull than riding round some greens.

iolo – Member
I can think of nothing more dull than riding round some greens.

They could build some blues and reds.

A lot of golf clubs have problems admitting women and you think they are going to admit families!

Bunkers make awesome kickers! The amount of trouble I got into finding this out was hugely amusing

Don’t you mean footpaths have problems with golf courses.
I’m pretty sure that most of the time the paths were there before the golf course.
I can think of nothing more dull than riding round some greens.

Come to Selkirk. Loads of paths all around/over/through and some fun MTB routes as well.

Search ‘Outrun the Golfers’ on Strava 🙂

I did once skin up to the top and then ski down my local course when it snowed.

I lived next to a golf course as a kid/teen. We loved razzing about on our bikes when they had all gone home. The course is on a common with bridleways and fp all over it (Painswick beacon) not a private job.

We used to ride on the golf course on Cannock Chase, got shouted at a few times. They put a big fence up but you can still ride across it via the BW to Castle Ring. I don’t condone environmental damage in any way but have no issues with doing big skids on golf courses as they are a total waste of space, full of pesticides* etc.

*patrons/ insects whatever

I read that there is more of South East England outside the m25 that is golf course than is urban.

I have no idea if this fact is true, though.

Could you imagine their faces as their about to sink a birdie ad you hoon past with your ProII buzzing away…

Come to Selkirk. Loads of paths all around/over/through and some fun MTB routes as well.

Selkirk Golf Course is more mountain bike than golf course – it’s just golfers got there first! We used to holiday near there when I was a kid and the ‘ungolfcourseness’ of it always tickled me.

Maybe the reason they are failing clubs is that they aren’t very good at maximising revenue 🙂

There’s one in Edinburgh doing this on the edge of the Pentlands. Ummm. Forget the name…

wessex cx league run a race across the old eastleigh course. it’s great.

BoardinBob – Member

I don’t fancy cycling around a golf course while ham fisted amateurs are launching errant hooks and slices in my general direction

🙄

Spoil it why don’t you.

I’d consider golf if there were brightly coloured moving targets involved 😀

Swanston Farm (was Lothianburn Golf Course)