Edinburgh Leisure secures financial boost for key project that's aiming to be 'social and cultural touchstone'
The project is looking to make a big impact and a cash boost will aid its objective
A £500 grant has been clinched by Edinburgh Leisure from the Sporting Heritage Grants Programme.
The sum of cash has been made a reality through the players of the National Lottery and Heritage Fund, celebrating the city's major golfing legacy. It’s a project that will shine a bright light on Edinburgh's six golf courses which are rich in history, tracing golf’s roots all the way back from its 15th-century origins at Leith Links.
It will go through to the prestigious Dispatch Trophy, which is going to celebrate the 125th anniversary of being played. Silverknowes Golf Course is set to play host to an exhibition bringing together “a collection of golfing treasures”.
It is expected that visitors can discover historical artefacts from local clubs and glaze over archival photographs and documents. There will also be stories with a personal touch of club members that have helped mould the golfing community over many generations.
As part of Sporting Heritage's UK-wide programme celebrating local sporting history, it is poised to be an exciting venture for golf enthusiasts and history buffs alike. The exhibition will “complement Edinburgh Leisure’s Edinburgh 900 exhibition, coming soon, which will be displayed at the Braids Golf Course for the 125th year of the Dispatch Trophy in May 2025.”
Rohan Craig, Golf Supervisor at Edinburgh Leisure said: “Our golf heritage exhibition will be looking to transcend traditional sporting narratives by uncovering overlooked community stories and creating inclusive pathways to engagement.
“By positioning golf as more than a sport – but a social and cultural touchstone – we’re hoping to attract non-traditional audiences.
“We’ll be reaching out to the various clubs that use our courses, in the hope that they can contribute physical memorabilia and archival materials, historical object and photographs and encourage anyone with interesting memorabilia to get in touch.”