A member for more than 40 years, David Carmichael took over as captain at Cardross Golf Club at the start of the 2023 season.
Located on undulating land and surrounded by large deciduous trees, the course looks down over the village of Cardross to the River Clyde and beyond. The club was founded in 1895 with the course having initially been designed by 1883 Open champion Willie Fernie.
Here, Mr Carmichael talks about the club's passion for supporting young players as well as the growth in corporate affiliations that has resulted in sponsorship for both its historic 18-hole course and its new 9-hole track.
What should we know about Cardross Golf Club?
The current course is viewed as one of the west of Scotland’s leading parkland golf courses, having benefitted from design changes recommended by Open champion golfer and renowned course architect James Braid in 1921.
Offering a test to even the most talented of players, the "Open champion" pedigree has carried through the years with the club hosting the 1992 Scottish Professional Championship won by future Open champion Paul Lawrie.
The test on offer at Cardross meant former Walker Cup legend Charlie Green was a regular on the club’s fairways for many years, having lived next to the 18th tee. Many distinguished male and female internationalists have honed their skills here, with one of the club's proudest moments when local lad Keith MacIntosh won the Scottish Amateur Championship in 1979.
Tell us about your courses and associated facilities.
As one of the west of Scotland’s leading parkland courses, Cardross tends to play longer than many people expect. Measuring 6,370 yards for medal play with a slope rating of 71.4, only the very best golfers will break par.
The club's land borders miles of farmland and the former St Peters Seminary at Kilmahew, which is classified as a modernist building of world significance.
How many members do you have, and how many visitors do you host each year?
The club has 550 adult playing members with 25% being female, a statistic that is twice the national average. There are about 50 junior members benefitting from free membership when they have a related adult member within the club.
Corporate affiliations are an area of growth for the club with 2024 bringing sponsorship of the main course in the form of CVH Spirits and their Deanston Single Malt brand, as well as new sponsorship of the Ardardan 9-hole course supported by another business relationship.
The club hosts more than 3,000 visitors from all over the UK and abroad each year, with a high percentage of repeat bookings year-on-year.
What’s new this year at Cardross GC?
Having hosted the Scottish Golf Girls' U16/U14 Open Championship in 2023, the club enjoys the classification of a "Scottish Golf Championship venue". Watching first-hand exceptionally talented young players at Cardross re-energised the club's golf committee to commit additional time and resource to the junior golf section, carrying out a review of a much-valued part of the club that for many years had suffered a concerning dip in participants.
A new dedicated junior convenor was appointed and with a combination of member donations and a new corporate sponsorship arrangement with our friends and neighbours at Ardardan Estate and Monty’s Farm Park, the club launched a new 9-hole course within our existing footprint in 2024.
Measuring 1,719 yards with a gent’s course rating of 28.9 and 30.7 for ladies, the new course has enabled the club to host regular junior development events. We have also been able to accommodate golfers new to the game, as well as members who are a bit older and prefer the shorter course option.
What makes Cardross GC special?
We are a close-knit club where being a member is for many a lifelong commitment. Located in a commuter village to Glasgow and with major employers like Faslane naval base nearby, the club also enjoys a regular influx of new faces, providing an eclectic mix of people all passionate about the shared goal of enjoying the game of golf.
This camaraderie has been evident at Cardross for generations as the club faced many challenges from the Great War, where 30 members perished, to WW2 where the course was bombed by German aircraft and the clubhouse destroyed. In more recent years we supported the village community through Covid by offering space and tranquillity to local residents.
The club has a successful social calendar and a social membership option for non-golfers and the membership is committed to charity fundraising with a recent MND charity weekend raising £13,200 through the hard work and support of the club’s members.
What events at Cardross GC are you most looking forward to in the upcoming 2025 season?
We intend to continue the development of junior events and utilising our 9-hole Ardardan course to attract more new golfers from our home area.
This theme will continue during the summer when we host one of the main Ping Scottish Open Series events in conjunction with Scottish Golf. This is an inclusive event for golfers of varying standards to enjoy competitive golf, and the club is delighted to take part in supporting more people into the game through organised national events.
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