A MEMBERS' group opposing a proposed multi-million-pound investment proposal at Glen Golf Club has launched a new strategy ahead of next week’s key vote on whether plans should progress.
The 'Save the Glen' group, formed by long-standing members including former captains, is calling on fellow players to reject a motion to continue talks and due diligence discussions with The Ancient Links Golf Company (TALGC), which has proposed to take over the day-to-day running of the club under a 125-year lease deal.
The website, launched on Monday, sets out the club’s current financial position and outlines other potential avenues to strengthen its future and secure improvements.
Members can now vote online or by post, with the ballot remaining open until a special general meeting on Wednesday, where in-person voting will be taking place.
A spokesperson for the group said: "We are anxious to ensure that as many of our members can obtain information on the TALGC proposal and the alternative of retaining the control of the club and its finances.
"Voting is open now and it is a real concern that members have not been made aware of the cost of due diligence in advance were the motion passed."
It is said that the deal would see the private firm invest about £5 million in the course, clubhouse and facilities, and grow visitor income through higher visitor green fees and an increase in annual visitors from about 7,000 to about 10,000.
Save the Glen argues that the club does not need external investment to thrive, instead believing it can fund future improvements independently through structured debt and existing surpluses.
They highlight record membership figures, including a three-year wait-list for new admissions, growing visitor numbers and revenues.
A key part of their argument is a financial model, published on the website and reviewed by an independent consultant, which they say demonstrates the club’s ability to generate future surpluses to support major upgrades.
According to the model, the club could reach revenues of £1.89 million by 2031, with a projected surplus before tax of £252,000.
The group believes these figures show the club can invest in improvements over the next five years and beyond while remaining under member control and linked to "social aims and objectives, and commitment to [the] local community".
They have also called for changes to the club’s management, including consulting members next year on whether to become a company limited by guarantee and putting a "more robust management structure" in place.
Since the TALGC proposal was revealed to members, it has become increasingly controversial, with many members voicing frustrations over the process leading up to next week’s vote.
Jonathan Gordon, a charted surveyor and also member of the Glen, raised concerns that progressing with negotiations would leave members in "an open-ended discussion without transparency", arguing that the investment strategy had been introduced in a "back-to-front" way.
Mr Gordon said: "I've asked for documents that they're not giving us.
"We could be ending up with a vote on the basis of a sales proposal without any scrutiny of it.
"The committee says further legal fees would run into tens of thousands of pounds but the eventual total is unknown with no spending cap, deadline or requirement for regular updates.”
Instead, he added, the club should first "properly cost" the necessary works and investigate how members could fund them before looking to external investors.
He said: "I would be happy to invest alongside others if we had a clear, properly costed plan, and I’m sure other members would too.
"That should have been the beginning stage that should have been discussed.
"We should establish what we want before spending more money negotiating this particular deal."
Golfers have also expressed confusion about whether the course sits on North Berwick Common Good land.
Former Lothian MSP Andy Wightman was among those seeking clarification, taking to social media platform X in recent days to examine centuries-old maps to establish whether the club’s land forms part of the common good fund.
However, East Lothian Council confirmed that the course was not on Common Good land but was council-owned.
No-one from TALGC has responded to requests for a comment and the Glen Golf Club's secretary has been unavailable.
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