Dwindling memberships, tumbling revenues, declining participation?

It's an opening sentence that's about as upbeat as reading a series of sombre epitaphs on a row of crumbling tombstones.

Of course, it's not all doom and gloom. Some of Scotland's golf clubs may be struggling to stave off the grim reaper with a sharpened 5-iron but many have faced up to the myriad challenges brought on by the shifting social and financial sands of the current golfing climate . . . and the climate in general.

The boom times, when waiting lists were longer than Route 66 during resurfacing work, have come and gone in certain quarters but the testing times have forced clubs to shake off the 'it's aye been', conservative mentality and look forward. Cowglen, on the south side of Glasgow, is just one of many clubs across the land that have adapted and innovated in order to thrive. Simon Payne, the club professional and secretary who seems to be as multi-functional as a Swiss army knife, has been working away in this corner of the city for 25 years and is savouring what he calls "the good vibe about the place".

This has never been a club that has been on the bones of its backside but it still couldn't afford to rest on its laurels. A waiting list for membership that used to be five years long, for example, was no more. "It was in 2009 that there was a change in the mentality of how the club needed to be run," said Payne of a decision to revamp that some clubs are only now tentatively embracing. "We may have reacted quicker than some others and fortunately we had a committee with a bit of vision."

Key to this vision was the development of the junior scene and the club was fortunate that a sum of money, left to it by the late president Charles Mackenzie, had to be specifically used to promote this vital area. As a result, the Cowglen Academy, a six-bay covered driving range with teaching studio, was opened in the summer to complement the existing practice facilities and helped the club earn Scottish Development Centre status with the Clubgolf junior initiative.

"We have reduced junior fees dramatically," noted Payne, a highly respected PGA pro. "At its peak it was £200, with a £200 joining fee. Now it's £99. We have also recently introduced a family membership whereby an existing member can pay an extra £50 and their son, daughter, niece, nephew or grandson can effectively join for nothing.

"It's not just here where we need juniors though. We need youngsters in the game full stop."

It's this kind of flexibility and fresh thinking that the Scottish Golf Union, the governing body for the amateur game, is trying to encourage and promote as clubs attempt to maintain and bolster memberships while seeking out new avenues of revenue. Stick your head in the door at Cowglen during the week, for instance, and, amid the hammering and clattering of the sizeable clubhouse renovations, you'll find sessions taking place by masseurs and beauty therapists.

Presumably, the latter was at the behest of those older male members eager for a regrouting after a particularly rigorous Senior Open. "We may as well fill the rooms and get some rental money in," added the 41-year-old Payne. "Equally, if we have a clubhouse that's lying empty on a Friday or Saturday night we may as well fill it with functions.

"That side of the business has increased hugely. It's not affecting the members - they are not there - but it's benefitting them and the club. The more we bring in at the bar etc, the more we can keep subs down and the more we can invest in the course and the facilities. It all gives better value for money and it spirals round and round in a positive way."

In his dual role as head pro and secretary, Payne is one of a rare breed but this doubling up has its benefits. "As pros, we have a lot of time and the shop is required to be open seven days a week," he said. "We are on site at the front of house so we can react quickly. I'm dealing with members, subscriptions, visiting parties, queries and complaints but because we are right there we can act almost immediately. That all helps the smooth running of the club. There are now not as many links in the chain so things are less likely to go awry."

With an all-embracing, relaxed approach, Cowglen, like many other clubs around the country, has put in place the solid foundations upon which to build a flourishing future.

"One of the best days we have here is the kids Christmas party," Payne said. "You have 40 or 50 kids careering about and their experience of a golf club should be about that; it should be about having fun. And no, I've not dressed up as Santa yet . . . "