Andrew McKinlay replaced as head of Scottish Golf

In a surprise statement released on Tuesday evening, the governing body for the sport in the country announced that Mr McKinlay had decided to step down from his role as chief executive.

It pointed to the “unprecedented times” we are currently living in, adding that all businesses were having to take difficult decisions to ensure their sustainability.

To this end, Mr McKinlay decided to step aside in order to help the organisation come through this situation, it added.

Karin Sharp, Scottish Golf’s chief operating officer, has been invited to lead the organistion with immediate effect.

“It has been a privilege to lead this fantastic organisation and, I am grateful to Eleanor (Cannon, Scottish Golf chair) and the board for the opportunity,” said Mr McKinlay.

“Above all I am indebted to the team at Scottish Golf for their commitment in implementing the objectives to take the game forward towards a sustainable and, indeed, prosperous future.”

He leaves having worked with the team on a revised structure that will be fit for purpose when we emerge from the national lockdown.

The organisation has taken a number of steps to ensure its future, including the furloughing of staff and the cancellation of all events and performance programmes as it instead focuses on supporting the organisation’s 575 affiliated clubs.

Eleanor Cannon said: “With many clubs feeling the financial strain, which in turn has had a knock-on effect on our income, we have prioritised expenditure accordingly.

“Now more than ever we need strong leadership backed up by robust actionable plans.”

Karin Sharp has held various leadership roles within RBS where her career spanned 23 years, predominately in their corporate and commercial banking division.

She joined Scottish Ladies Golfing Association in November 2013 as chief operating officer and, following the amalgamation in 2015, has ultimately continued in the same role for Scottish Golf.

She said: “In response to these unprecedented circumstances we have issued a short financial health check survey to our member clubs which seeks to gather key information, specifically around the impact of COVID-19 to golf club operations.

“This detail will directly contribute to, and significantly inform, our ongoing dialogue with Scottish Government in relation to the struggles faced by golf in Scotland. This information is crucial.”