One of Edinburgh’s leading golf clubs "has withdrawn its support for a merger between the game’s two governing bodies in Scotland" after claiming it is a "facade" due to the proposal not introducing proportional representation, according to Martin Dempster of the SCOTSMAN. Acting on behalf of Duddingston GC, Alan Grosset, a past captain, wrote "to the Scottish Golf Union outlining why it no longer supports the planned amalgamation with the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association." While "strongly in favor" of the principle of the two bodies coming under the one umbrella and set to have a woman captain next year for the first time in the club’s history, the Duddingston board believes that "it is a mistake that the proposal has not addressed the current voting structure for the 16 men’s Area Associations." Under it, Clackmannanshire, with just six clubs, "has the same number of votes" -- 10 -- as the likes of the Lothians, with around 70, and the North East, which has more than 50. Duddingston captain Bill Lothian said, "We were initially in favor of the amalgamation proposal, but then Alan Grosset, who has been following it for us from day one, said, 'Whoa, wait a minute, do you realize this about the voting structure?' We are not against it per se, no way, but it’s the way it is being set up that concerns us." In his letter, Grosset, a former chairman of the Scottish Sports Association, claims the voting clause is "undemocratic" and accuses SGU Chair Tom Craig of "ignoring" questions at a roadshow held at Turnhouse GC toward the end of last year (SCOTSMAN, 2/25).
