  We have obtained Keck LRIS imaging and spectra for 29 globular clusters
associated with the lenticular galaxy NGC 524. Using the empirical calibration
of Brodie & Huchra we find that our spectroscopic sample spans a metallicity
range of --2.0 < [Fe/H] < 0. We have compared the composite spectrum of the
metal-poor ([Fe/H] < --1) and metal-rich clusters with stellar population
models and conclude that the clusters are generally old and coeval at the 2
sigma confidence level. To determine the mean [alpha/Fe] ratios of the globular
clusters, we have employed the Milone et al. 'alpha-enhanced' stellar
population models. We verified the reliability of these models by comparing
them with high S/N Galactic globular cluster data. We observe a weak trend of
decreasing [alpha/Fe] with increasing metallicity in the NGC 524 clusters.
Analysis of the cluster system kinematics reveals that the full sample exhibits
a rotation of 114+/-60 km/s around a position angle of 22+/-27 deg, and a
velocity dispersion of 186+/-29 km/s at a mean radius of 89 arcsec from the
galaxy centre. Subdividing the clusters into metal-poor and metal-rich
subcomponents we find that the metal-poor (17) clusters and metal-rich (11)
clusters have similar velocity dispersions (197+/-40 km/s and 169+/-47 km/s
respectively). The metal-poor clusters dominate the rotation in our sample with
147+/-75 km/s, whilst the metal-rich clusters show no significant rotation
(68+/-84 km/s). We derive a virial and projected mass estimation for NGC 524 of
between 4 and 13 x 10^11 Msun (depending on the assumed orbital distribution)
interior to 2 effective radii of this galaxy.
