Readers of a certain age will remember Mr Magoo, a US cartoon character whose lack of 20/20 vision involved him in endless hilarious scrapes. I was left wondering whether he has resurfaced in Southern Europe recently after I learned of some very short-sighted decisions being made at a few golf resorts in Spain.

Without wishing to tempt fate, it would appear the COVID pandemic – which has devastated the globe during the last couple of years – is, if not in retreat, at least coming under control. This has seen something of a welcome upsurge in golf tourism, which will, inevitably, prove a boon for the traditional markets on the Iberian Peninsula. What distresses me, however, is that some resorts appear to have lost sight of the fact there is a place for both a membership and an allocation of visitor tee-times.

Indeed, I know of one destination on the Costa Blanca that has dispensed entirely with its membership and will, instead, rely wholly on visitor golf for its on-course income. If the last few years have taught us anything – and such judgments make me wonder if they have – it’s that we should not take anything for granted and to rely solely on visitor income is surely madness, when we have seen just how quickly travel plans can be disrupted.

I undertook a quick straw poll of my industry contacts and not one can see the merit in taking this step. If clubs had gone in this direction in 2019, their course would now, most likely, be earmarked for polytunnel development. With zero visitor rounds for the best part of two years, it was the membership – and the membership’s affinity with the club – that enabled many venues to survive.

The counter argument states a membership does not represent value-for-money for the resort, when they can command three figures for a green fee – a tee-time they can’t sell when a member has booked it. But the two can co-exist, as history can show us, especially as most members at clubs want to play early and most visitors – especially if they are staying onsite in a hotel – want to play later, after breakfast.

Admittedly, at this particular club, a block of tee-times may be purchased for a set amount – such as 40 for €1,800 or 60 for €2,400, for example – but this is not a membership, per se. Anybody who’s been a member knows a membership entails much more than just a fistful of green fees. This method is nothing more than the same mechanic used by the tee-time aggregators. It effectively removes the soul – and, some might argue, the very raison d’être – of the club.

It’s not just a short-sighted decision, it’s hugely disrespectful to the many members who paid for membership during 2020-2021 – many of whom may have had little or no access to the course due to restrictions – to then have their loyalty repaid in this manner. What’s more, it’s almost certainly a binary decision – there will be no grey areas.

After being treated that way would a member return in a few years’ time when Mr Magoo realises the error of his way and reinstates a membership because money and goodwill have dried up?

I doubt it.