Paul Murphy’s ambition for Fife Golf Trust is forthright and unequivocal. “It’s to provide affordable and easy access to quality golf courses that have a broad appeal to locals and visitors, existing and new golfers,” says the chief executive officer of the Trust. It’s certainly one that should disabuse anyone of that idea that playing in the Kingdom of Fife, the home of golf, is merely a pastime for the affluent and (dare one say it) slightly older constituency.
“Our mantra is that we are going to be affordable. Access for all is extremely important for us,” he says, adding that this experience is founded on the principles of sustainable environmental management. Paul Murphy In 2017 the Trust became the first multi-site municipal set-up to be awarded internationally-recognised Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) certification – a recognition that was achieved again in 2022.
CEO of Fife Council, Ken Gourlay says: “I am delighted to see how far the Fife Golf Trust has come in terms of developing our facilities across Fife and how it has managed to open up opportunities for golf to be an inclusive sport for all. The Trust has done a fantastic job in developing and promoting golf across Fife. It’s a game to which Murphy has been enthusiastically committed all his adult life.
He began greenkeeping with Dundee Council at Caird Park when he was 17, became head greenkeeper at 22 before moving on to become course manager at Downfield Golf Club, birthplace of the S.
