Former Lothians president makes final plea over affiliation fee

A bid to raise that charge, which is paid by club members, from £11.25 to £15 was rejected by stakeholders in March. But a group calling itself “The Requisionists” is behind a fresh proposal of £14.50, which will be put to a vote tonight at an extraordinary general meeting in Stirling.

“During the lead up to the decision to submit the call for a meeting, I received over 70 comments from clubs, Areas, Counties and individuals which gave a very good insight into what people were thinking,” said Shaw, the group’s secretary.

“There was a fair amount of support, some very strong opposition and some who were asking questions before they made up their minds.

“We felt that the accompanying statement (issued by Scottish Golf when tonight’s meeting was called) answered a lot of the concerns and hope that will influence final decisions. We are still seeing questions about what the ordinary club member gets from SGL apart from a handicap.

“But I am afraid this is a poor reflection on all of us as experienced golf administrators in that we do not seem to have got the message across yet about all the other benefits of having a national golfing body. Personally, I do not think that £14.50 is very much to pay to support amateur golf at national level.”