Reasons to be cheerful as Longmuir reflects on PGA in Scotland's year

The PGA has always been at the heart of golf. Amid the trials and tribulations of the Covid pandemic, the good men and women of The PGA helped to keep that heart beating as the game enjoyed a surge of popularity in troubled times. Every cloud, it seems, has a silver lining.

“The PGA members deserve a huge amount of credit and can be rightly proud of how they have handled everything in these challenging times,” said David Longmuir, the manager of The PGA in Scotland, as he reflected on the last 18 months or so.

“The pandemic has shown just how crucial our members are to the smooth operation of golf clubs in all manner of ways. The PGA members have been on the frontline during the most difficult times and the motto, ‘The PGA: the heart of golf’ has never been truer.”

After the strains, ravages, upheaval and uncertainty of 2020, Longmuir looks back with quiet satisfaction on a resurgent 2021 which, alongside The PGA in Scotland’s wider work for its rich and varied membership, saw the Arnold Clark Tartan Tour re-emerge with a robust schedule of competition.

“As long as the Tartan Tour is aspirational, in terms of its value, the credibility of the sponsors, the venues and the scheduling, then players will be happy,” added Longmuir, who remains grateful for the backing of enthusiastic sponsors like the Muir Group, Loch Lomond Whiskies, Kerr Investments and Arnold Clark.

“Our members are busy. The ones who play regularly form a significant portion. But we have 600 PGA members in Scotland and if 150 are regular players we still have 450 who require our support in other ways. We have to be mindful of their needs as well.

“There are some members we don’t see playing on the tour as often as we’d like but we hope there are opportunities for everyone, from social golf to Order of Merit events. I get the impression our members are proud to be part of The PGA. They have seen what we have tried to offer and deliver, whether they are a player, retailer, coach, director of golf or club manager.”

The golfing landscape continues to change and Longmuir accepts that The PGA has to change with it when it comes to mapping out a schedule of events. The Loch Lomond Whiskies Scottish PGA Championship remains a flagship, 72-hole event over four days but “short, sharp, quality events” tick plenty of boxes too.

“We have to evolve with the needs of our members,” he said. “To take four or more days out of their week and business schedules is a big ask with travel, accommodation and everything. The economics may not stack up.

"So for us, short, sharp quality events is the focus. It’s quality rather than quantity. Times have changed, the economics of the industry have changed and the financial food chain of golf is very much geared to the top end. We have to provide a bigger, broader range of support to members and we are grateful that our sponsors allow us to do that.”

As for 2022? Well, Longmuir is excited for a new campaign which will feature established favourites as well as a few to-be-announced additions that he hopes will “capture the imaginations” It’s onward and upwards.

“I’m always impressed by the quality of player we have on the tour and there are lots of good young players coming through too.

"Our job is to give all our members opportunities to develop, whether as players or in their business. At the moment, the shop window has plenty in it and we are in really good shape moving forward. Here’s hoping 2022 is even better.”

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