Blane Dodds, the Chief Executive of Scottish Golf, has resigned from the governing body to fulfil the same role at Tennis Scotland.
Eleanor Cannon, Chair of Scottish Golf, will assume an executive leadership position on an interim basis with immediate effect, with Dodds assisting handover over the coming weeks.
Additional short-term support to the Board will also be sought and the recruitment process for a new Chief Executive will begin immediately. A Special General Meeting (SGM), principally to address a funding gap, will go ahead on 2 December with consultation ongoing.
Eleanor Cannon, Scottish Golf Chair, said: “We are disappointed that Blane is leaving Scottish Golf and thank him for his efforts in leading our modernisation programme. We wish him well for the future.
“The timing of this decision is unfortunate, but we acknowledge Blane’s long association with tennis in Scotland and the emotional pull it has on a former internationalist.
“However, the Board of Scottish Golf remains unanimously committed to its core strategic objective, which is to deliver significant investment to the game and provide a sustainable future for it – at a time when the Government is significantly reducing its contribution to the game.
“We will continue to engage with and listen carefully to golfers and clubs over the coming weeks, to underline our belief that by making a relatively small personal investment in the game, golfers can help strengthen the foundations of this great sport and better serve future generations of golfers and visitors to Scotland.
“We acknowledge the concerns of some people and clubs around the detail of our proposals and will obviously reflect carefully on all of the views we are hearing prior to finalising what goes to the SGM by the start of November. Our desire is to continue to consult and build as much consensus as we can around the future of golf in Scotland.”
Blane Dodds said: “I would like to thank the Board and staff for their dedication and unwavering support during my time with Scottish Golf. I leave with a heavy heart after the progress made to date on our modernisation programme and especially given the significant work under way to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for the game via the four-year strategic plan.
“However, the opportunity to lead Tennis Scotland as a former player was the one job that I could not turn down.”
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