Membership:
When the original limited company was established before the First World War the classes of membership were:

• Ordinary
• Ladies
• Juvenile
• Yearly
• Artisan

The class of 'Yearly' membership was soon dropped and during the late 1930s and early 1940s 'Artisan' membership was discouraged.

When the constitution of the new Club was drawn-up in 1966, in order to maximise income from the proposed new Clubhouse, which was a very substantial and speculative investment at the time 100 social members were allowed in.

It is interesting that Artisan membership, which allowed golf facilities but not the use of the Clubhouse, died out and that social membership, which allowed all facilities except the playing of golf, grew.

Soon after the establishment of the Club, it became policy to grant life membership to anyone who had continuous full membership for 50 years.

In the late 1930s temporary medical officers at PRI were admitted free, and in 1938 Honorary membership was granted to 'Colonial Visitors' for the following year.

In 1971 it was decided that on attaining the age of 65, a member's subscription would remain at that level for the duration of his subsequent membership.  This was discontinued in the late 1970s.

For many years, starting in the 1950s a membership was granted to whoever was the resident commanding officer at RN Stores, Almondbank.  This concession was designed to get round the considerable waiting time for member­ship when the C.O. only served two to three years.  This fell into disuse when a C.O. was appointed with no interest in golf and who declined to 'carry the torch'.

In the 1930s the Craigie Hill golfing season closed down almost completely with the end of the competitive season on 30th September and with the exception of a Christmas Day and a New Years Day competition, no competitive golf was played prior to the opening of the new season in April of the following year.

By now golf had emerged as a major artisan sport within Scotland.  Club-making was a booming industry with the names of companies like Forgan, Morris, Auchterlonie and Nicol setting the standards.  The youth of the country were encouraged to take the game up and join Golf Clubs and it was not uncommon for golfers to talk of the Carnoustie swing or the St. Andrews swing, each being peculiar to its own locality.  The young Craigie Hill players were no exception and such was their enthusiasm and desire to compete that the winter recess, particularly in open periods of weather, became an irritation which was resolved when a young member, Willie Fleming, came up with the idea of a close season competition taking the form of a league.

Significantly, although the Club committee gave its blessing to the proposal, the league was and indeed continues to be run outwith the province of the appointed committee and it was the inspiration and commitment of dedicated members which produced the unique Winter League competition as we know it.

The concept of the league was that each player should return scores, under the rules for medal play, throughout the winter season and the aggregate of the lowest eight net scores created the league.  The player with the lowest aggregate total being the winner.  In addition each player compiled an eclectic round representing the lowest scratch score at each hole attained throughout the season, the winner being the player with the lowest eclectic score over the eighteen holes.

Statistically it is interesting to note that from a tentative beginner in 1932 when 34 members played one round each week on a Saturday the league attracteds up to 193 playing members in 1986, each of whom returning two cards weekly on nominated days including Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Such extensive and intensive usage could have had a disastrous effect on the fairways of the course, had the problem not been confronted. The foreshortening of each hole by the introduction of a winter tee created a new dropping zone and the preferred lie rule applied ensured a satisfactory reduction in the wear and tear of the fairways and boosted the ego of the player who appeared to hit the ball much further in the winter season.

The winter league is synonymous with one person on Craigie Hill, the name Eric Raitt.  Here was a man whose love for the game and his enthusiasm for Craigie Hill were such that single handedly he ran the league for a period of 51 years.  His records were meticulously presented with such accuracy that never at any time was there even a shadow of doubt reflected in the final league placings.  How appropriate it was that in 1982! he was honoured by the Club and that trophies bearing his name were presented for annual competition.

The popularity of the Winter League blossomed and enquiries both local and national were received seeking information on how the competition was run.  By 1986 many Clubs had adopted the league concept, a competition unique to Craigie Hill, the brain-child of Willie Fleming, nurtured to manhood by Eric Raitt.