Will the imminent cut to winter fuel payment freeze British golf?

This decision – which was suddenly announced in July, raising great clamour – will force many households to quickly adjust their spending habits this year and may well affect the golf world. 

As recently revealed by the PGA’s Golf for All study, over 65s make up the second largest demographic group of golf players in the United Kingdom, accounting for 17 percent of the total. 

A change in spending habits within this critical category is bound to impact the whole industry; the question is just how profound this impact will be. 

Will it mean that golf-loving pensioners stop playing this winter? And how should course managers react to minimise the negative consequences of the fuel payment cut?

Let’s make a few predictions. 

A cold winter for golf

In the winter of 2023–24, the fuel payment for eligible individuals ranged between £200 and £300, depending on the circumstances. 

Under the new bill, only low-income pensioners receiving Pension Credit or similar benefits will be offered financial aid.

With rising energy bills and rampant inflation, it’s safe to assume that many people will be forced to make pragmatic choices. 

The precise impact is hard to calculate, but clubs can expect the revenue coming from green fees to shrink this year, as a portion of non members will likely reduce their frequency of play. If even a small fraction of the millions affected by payment cuts give up a few games this winter, golf clubs will experience significant losses. 

But what about members? Could the missing £200–300 bonus affect their will to renew their memberships? It’s hard to say for sure. However, with an average cost of £900 per year, memberships tend to be purchased by individuals with higher disposable income, who are unlikely to be too affected by the fuel payment cut. 

For this reason, we believe that losses caused by dwindling memberships will be limited. 

The path to resilience

The key business goal will be minimising expenses while leaving the quality of operations unaffected, to make up for missed profits without driving players away with a subpar golfing experience. 

There are some general tactics you can adopt around the golf course to achieve this target and follow BIGGA’s top tips:

• Optimise energy usage within the clubhouse and maintenance facility
• Reduce water temperatures wherever possible 
• Find new ways to minimise mowing and associated fuel costs
• Make irrigation more efficient throughout the year

Another strategy involves using highly efficient equipment that will enable you to do more with less without compromises. And what’s good is that there are solutions that are cost effective and easy to make. An update to your sprinklers for example can deliver up to 35 percent savings in water consumption; you can even replace the riser, leaving the body in there, bringing performance improvements without disruption with digging up.

When it comes to machinery, if you’re using Toro you’re well over half way there – it is known for its efficiency, longevity, quality and productivity, delivering you a far superior total cost of ownership than other brands. 

Discover how Toro’s technology could benefit your course by calling distributor Reesink at 01480 226800, emailing info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visiting reesinkturfcare.co.uk.