# Have you cancelled membership early?



## adam6177 (Jun 12, 2014)

Hi all

My course conditions have been pretty awful this year - even now its summer there are grass cuttings all over the course, the bunkers are in awful condition and don't even get me started on the greens.  In the last couple of weeks my PP and I have both mentioned that it may have been a mistake re-joining the club in April.

Today I received a message via facebook from Sweetwoods golf club, with an unbelievable membership offer that I'd be stupid to ignore.  So I now need to look into cancelling my current membership only 6 weeks into the new year.......has anyone else ever done it?  Did your club let you leave without penalty/fuss?

Cheers all

Adam


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## fundy (Jun 12, 2014)

adam6177 said:



			Hi all

My course conditions have been pretty awful this year - even now its summer there are grass cuttings all over the course, the bunkers are in awful condition and don't even get me started on the greens.  In the last couple of weeks my PP and I have both mentioned that it may have been a mistake re-joining the club in April.

Today I received a message via facebook from Sweetwoods golf club, with an unbelievable membership offer that I'd be stupid to ignore.  So I now need to look into cancelling my current membership only 6 weeks into the new year.......has anyone else ever done it?  Did your club let you leave without penalty/fuss?

Cheers all

Adam
		
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Solely depends on the contract you have for you membership with your club. If you are on a rolling monthly payment with no commitment then you can leave, if youre on an agreement for the full 12 months then you're tied in until it runs out (unless you can afford 2 memberships)


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## Alex1975 (Jun 12, 2014)

Are you contracted for a year or is it just a rolling one month contract?


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## guest100718 (Jun 12, 2014)

My guess wouldbe youre tied for a year to your current place


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## 6inchcup (Jun 12, 2014)

unless it is a private members club ( even some of these) your contract is not with the club but a credit firm,you agree to pay monthly but in effect it is a loan with a third party ( read small print of contract) the club gets the money up front you pay the lender,i know some who stopped paying their monthly fees at ECCLESTON PARK a few years ago and they got letters from the bailiffs regarding court proceedings for non payment,my thinking is if you have a 12 month membership and bail out after 1 month you will have to pay 11 months of the remaining in a lump sum.


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## HawkeyeMS (Jun 12, 2014)

You'd have to ask your club but I would be surprised if the contract let you leave without paying the full years subs.


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## fundy (Jun 12, 2014)

6inchcup said:



			unless it is a private members club ( even some of these) your contract is not with the club but a credit firm,you agree to pay monthly but in effect it is a loan with a third party ( read small print of contract) the club gets the money up front you pay the lender,i know some who stopped paying their monthly fees at ECCLESTON PARK a few years ago and they got letters from the bailiffs regarding court proceedings for non payment,my thinking is if you have a 12 month membership and bail out after 1 month you will have to pay 11 months of the remaining in a lump sum.
		
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Not always true, ours isnt a private members club but I pay monthly membership on a rolling agreement direct to the club and can walk away as and when I choose (diff clubs do it diff ways, the only way OP will know the answer is to find his agreement with his club)


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## DCB (Jun 12, 2014)

Just remember, the grass isn't always greener 

Have you looked into why the other club are making an offer that's too good to refuse. My gut feeling would be to check that out first, it may be a bad sign of the health of the other club.


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## adam6177 (Jun 12, 2014)

I've just been through all my e-mails from a year ago when we joined and I cant find any evidence of a rolling month to month or annual agreement.

The only thing I can find is an e-mail from them asking as to setup a standing order to pay them every month, as they don't TAKE the money from you.

I guess I'll just have to ask them what the score is.


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## DCB (Jun 12, 2014)

If you weren't paying by SO would you be expected to pay the full years subs by a given date at the start of the season ?


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## Stuey01 (Jun 12, 2014)

I'd be a bit surprise if you aren't tied in for a year. Some clubs let you out early under certain circumstances, such as moving house out of the area, but don't think jumping ship to another club down the road would qualify!
Good luck though, hope it works out for you.


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## rosecott (Jun 12, 2014)

adam6177 said:



			I've just been through all my e-mails from a year ago when we joined and I cant find any evidence of a rolling month to month or annual agreement.

The only thing I can find is an e-mail from them asking as to setup a standing order to pay them every month, as they don't TAKE the money from you.

I guess I'll just have to ask them what the score is.
		
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I think the club website probably gives you the answer. The options are for a year's membership either in a lump sum or 0% interest monthly payments. Either choice would seem to be tying you in for a full year.


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## DCB (Jun 12, 2014)

Had a look at the website for the 'new' club. Statement from the owner would scare me off before looking any further. Its not a members club, it's his club, so take that into account and all that that entails . He's out to turn a profit, so it'll be filling the start sheet with P&P at every opportunity. Not my cup of tea.


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## HawkeyeMS (Jun 12, 2014)

DCB said:



			Had a look at the website for the 'new' club. Statement from the owner would scare me off before looking any further. Its not a members club, it's his club, so take that into account and all that that entails . He's out to turn a profit, so it'll be filling the start sheet with P&P at every opportunity. Not my cup of tea.
		
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It is the finest course in all of Kent & Essex though


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## davidy233 (Jun 12, 2014)

HawkeyeMS said:



			It is the finest course in all of Kent & Essex though
		
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I noticed that - bet it bothers Royal St Georges etc. - or maybe not


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## adam6177 (Jun 12, 2014)

To be fair Sweetwoods is (and always has been) a very high quality club - but guess they have been struggling of late as most clubs have been.

I too think that I'm probably tied in for a year - but await their confirmation.  Its a bit galling that you could be tied in paying for something that isn't delivering its promises.


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## DCB (Jun 12, 2014)

Time to express your concerns to your current club then. See if they want to lose members over the condition of their course, or, do they step up and address that issue and keep the course in better condition.


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## HomerJSimpson (Jun 12, 2014)

Is the problem due to a lack of funds available, a lack of equipment to get the course up to standard or just apathy from the owners and staff. Unless their is cash and a desire to make things better I doubt things are going to improve but you can bet your last penny they'll do whatever they can to make sure you are tied in for the full year.


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## duncan mackie (Jun 12, 2014)

DCB said:



			Just remember, the grass isn't always greener 

Have you looked into why the other club are making an offer that's too good to refuse. My gut feeling would be to check that out first, it may be a bad sign of the health of the other club.
		
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it's much more to do with competition in the area

although the full price memberships of most of the clubs are similar (members or propitiatory) and the actual financial models are also broadly similar with the members clubs increasingly taking more societies, there are ever increasing attempts to woe people in on the basis of a variety of membership deals at the moment - basically all the ones that people on here have been asking for when such threads run!  In fact some of the propitiatory clubs manage to generate income through activities that have little, or no, impact on the members golf so that's even better!

they aren't all the same, the the ownership is a key factor, but it's really not hard to establish what's going on at any one of them by turning up for a drink at the bar on a Sat lunchtime.

the OP's current club is rumored to have lost most of it's membership and is up for sale (again) and the one he's mentioned has been steadily improving all round for the last few years. it's weakness is in practice/warm up facilities.


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## DCB (Jun 12, 2014)

I suppose we're lucky in that most of our clubs are still members clubs. We do have proprietary clubs, but they are thin on the ground and do seen to target specific groups for their membership. A lot of transient golfers play through for a couple of years and move on. Visiting societies are still a big target for them as are P&P walk ons.

Just the way the game is evolving.


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## GB72 (Jun 12, 2014)

adam6177 said:



			To be fair Sweetwoods is (and always has been) a very high quality club - but guess they have been struggling of late as most clubs have been.

I too think that I'm probably tied in for a year - but await their confirmation.  Its a bit galling that you could be tied in paying for something that isn't delivering its promises.
		
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Never heard it tried but you could assume that the contract between you and the club is such that you pay your fees and the club provides suitable golfing facilities. By failing the keep the course up to what most would deem an acceptable playing standard, there is an argument that the club has breached its contract with the membership. Trouble is the season would be all but over by the time any verdict was reached on this.


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## Scrindle (Jun 12, 2014)

Depends on the circumstances of the renewal to be honest - not really a question that can be answered without further information.  Did you membership renew automatically or require a positive action on your part, for instance?  Did you sign new paperwork?  How are you paying (presumably direct debit)?  What is the membership structure of your club (members club, corporate owned golf course with a subscription, etc...)?

Probably worth approaching the membership secretary (if there is one) or club manager with your friend and simply saying that you are not happy with the condition of the course.  Say you want to leave and see what happens - you might find they just let you walk away.  If they don't, say that the golf course/club is, in your view, in breach of contract by not fullfilling its implied contractual obligations (i.e. to provide a suitable, playable golf course in consideration for your subs).  Give them a written deadline by which to improve the condition of the course, failing which you will consider the non-improvement to be an indication that they accept your decision to terminate your membership.  Not fool proof by any means but with the little information you have provided that is probably what I would do.  Would certainly give you a much better standing if they ever did try to sue for subs (though to be honest, unless your subs are over Â£5k a year I imagine that throwing a defence in would just scare them away due to cost disproportionality anyway).

I asked a similar thing on here a while back, but that was more from the angle of whether golf clubs actually tend go through with it and sue their members for fees rather than just bluff (I was already aware that I'd be breaching contract if I left).


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## adam6177 (Jun 12, 2014)

Renewal was done via email.... no paperwork at all. Just agreed to the same price as last year.

payment is done via standing order - not direct debit. They made it clear last year that we pay them, they don't take money from us.

To be honest, if I was being difficult about it I don't think the club have a leg to stand on.  I've looked back at my original paperwork and there is not one mention of month to month or annual..... but I don't want to be a tool about it. 

All my PP and I ever wanted was a decent course to play and that's what they said they were working group towards.... just how long do you go on listening to promises without any progress?


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## Scrindle (Jun 12, 2014)

adam6177 said:



			.... just how long do you go on listening to promises without any progress?
		
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I imagine there might be a divide on this point, but in my view you simply don't.  If I promise to do something it's as good as being done and I expect the same from others.


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## John_R7 (Jun 12, 2014)

Like others say it depends on the club, set up & circumstances.
I have heard 'rumours' that it is more hassle than it is worth to chase someone for unpaid 'fees' if they leave.
That will depend on how much your fees are also! Central Scotland is Circa Â£500 / Â£600, I am sure you could be much more so maybe worth 'chasing'. 

Good luck in whatever you choose.


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