5 day versus 7 day membership

[richart]

Is your 5 day fee pro rata from your 7 day fee Rich?

Just went to check costs, and they have just been taken down as we are completely full. Did look a week or so ago, and full membership was £1430, and from memory 5 day was £1200 odd. Think joining fee was the same for both.

I remember when I first joined Reading golf club in the 70's, as an adult you had to join as a 5 day member, and wait for spaces to become available as a 7 day one. Seems like a good idea for clubs that have waiting lists, to offer limited membership to start with to keep golfer from going to another club. Fortunately I was so young then, I could join straight away as a junior.

When I applied to join Blackmoor I was going to join as a 5 day member, as I thought it would be difficult to get a game at the weekend. At my previous club they only had roll ups during the week. Fortunately the lady that interviewed me advised that club had roll ups on Saturday and Sundays. Just shows that interviews can be helpful to someone joining.

 

[upsidedown]

We don't have 5 day membership . However as we are nearly full we'd consider introducing it to not lose out on future members.

What is killing us at the moment are our " Life Members" . Members who had completed 30 years of membership on their 60th birthday were in the past offered life membership for 6 times the annual fees. We now have over 100 members who are effectively playing for free as they paid their lump sum over 10 years ago !! Some of them can see the problem and are very forth coming when special projects need funding thankfully. No surprise that life membership is no longer offered .

 

[C&R]

As I've tried to get over in another thread you really do have to consider most members clubs separately from propritory ones in these discussions.

A simple example. Whilst both types of club generally have weekends for 7 day members to use as they like such choice rarely exists midweek for these play every day types within the propritory environment! We are lucky, we have 27 holes and prior to 1000h the first tee of the main course remains members time - go down the road to similar clubs (Westeham and Nizels are good examples) and if you want to turn up and play at around 9 midweek on a regular basis you are in for a huge surprise. Head to Knole or Tandridge and whilst you might have to dodge to occasional society your diary will tell you and you will normally be able to get off ahead without getting up at 5 to do so.

Where are you a member? I used to be a member at Westerham. On a Saturday morning it was so busy 5 hour games were the norm. Very busy

 

[jim8flog]

At our club there is £100 difference between full and 5 day (2017-18 figure) but this gap is closed year on year.

7 day membership costs more because it was from a time when the club was overfull. We original only had one class of membership but decided to offer existing members a reduced fee in return for reduced playing rights and the numbers were limited. The offering of 5 day membership to new members seems to have come about with changes in management as it was normal at the clubs they came from.

We currently offer 3 main types of membership for our 18 hole course
7 Day
5 Day but I think the current plan is to phase this out
Flexiplay (lump sum annually plus a pay and play charge)

and just 7 day for our 9 hole course.

 

[Grant85]

I agree that 5 day membership is likely to be taken advantage of by people who have the luxury of time to play midweek.

Meanwhile, the guy working full time is paying loads more to tries and squeeze 2 rounds in every 3 weeks if he can get a tee time on a Saturday.

A points system is much better. You get x number of points with more points used for rounds at peak times.

This still provides incentive for people to play midweek when the course is quiet, but maintains a degree of relationship between cost and participation.

 

[User 99]

It's not the fault of the club nor the 5 day member that the 7 day member doesn't play more.

 

[Grant85]

It's not the fault of the club nor the 5 day member that the 7 day member doesn't play more.

No - but pricing has to be fair & seen to be fair.

Obviously for many people playing during the week is just an impracticality, even in mid-summer. If they feel the pricing system takes them for a ride they are going to be unhappy.

It's pretty soul destroying to wait 6 days for a game of golf, only for it to pour down on Saturday morning. Worse still to be charged £900 for the privilege.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

We don't have 5 day membership . However as we are nearly full we'd consider introducing it to not lose out on future members.

What is killing us at the moment are our " Life Members" . Members who had completed 30 years of membership on their 60th birthday were in the past offered life membership for 6 times the annual fees. We now have over 100 members who are effectively playing for free as they paid their lump sum over 10 years ago !! Some of them can see the problem and are very forth coming when special projects need funding thankfully. No surprise that life membership is no longer offered .

There's a club in Leics (not my own so I shall not name it) where this is a massive problem.

Over 65's with, I believe, at least 30 years membership get free golf for life and retain voting rights so it's proving virtually impossible to change it.

 

[duncan mackie]

Where are you a member? I used to be a member at Westerham. On a Saturday morning it was so busy 5 hour games were the norm. Very busy

Indeed, but at least you stood a chance of playing! Midweek you might head off at 7.30 and get chucked off the course when you finished the front 9 for a 2 tee society for which no pre-warning was available (believe it's improved a bit in this respect!).
I'm at Hever now (for the last 9 years). I no longer play at weekends because I can play all the golf I want midweek and basically play a couple of matches each week.

 

[jim8flog]

It really does come down to supply and demand and encouraging members, by financial means, to play on the days where there is a greater supply of tee times

Eg During winter at our club (800 total members) during the weekend there are only 288 tee times available if you want to fit in a full round

During the week there are 720 tee times available.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

My feeling is that if my club were to do away with the 5 day membership, some of the seniors would consider hanging up their clubs, some would pay the 7 day fee, but the result would be far fewer players using the facilities in the week, this will have an impact on bar and food sales.

The weekends are rammed, but we can tee off at 8am midweek and its proper millionaires golf till about 9 when the normal members wake up

Im lucky, i'm self employed and can build my work diary around golf, wouldnt be able to play at weekends, so the 5 day membership is spot on for me, only 10 years and 10 months before I retire and can play every day in the week (body permitting)

 

[fundy]

My feeling is that if my club were to do away with the 5 day membership, some of the seniors would consider hanging up their clubs, some would pay the 7 day fee, but the result would be far fewer players using the facilities in the week, this will have an impact on bar and food sales.

The weekends are rammed, but we can tee off at 8am midweek and its proper millionaires golf till about 9 when the normal members wake up

Im lucky, i'm self employed and can build my work diary around golf, wouldnt be able to play at weekends, so the 5 day membership is spot on for me, only 10 years and 10 months before I retire and can play every day in the week (body permitting)

for a lot of clubs if they did away with 5 day memberships, a year or so down the line theyd be sat round a table trying to work out how to get people to play more midweek and spend in the clubhouse, AVGC definitely a prime example as are plenty others round here

if anything AVGC is busier midweek and Id be pretty sure takes more across the bar and food than it does on the weekend

 

[Jacko_G]

I am currently a 5 day member at my club. This obviously gives me Mon-Fri and also includes Sunday after 1200 hours. This works for me as I work shifts. A Monday Tuesday is very often my "weekend" as I only get one weekend off a month. My club operates medals every Wednesday and Sunday during the playing season so I'm very well catered for. I can also "opt" to play on a Saturday for £30.

As long as I'm a shift worker I will continue with this membership as it suits my needs very well. I pay £995 for this and think its brilliant value as I get at least one game a week, it is links so its open 99% of the time and has brilliant practice facilities and great staff.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

When I first joined, five day was the only option available and you had to be a five day member for a year before you could apply for seven day membership. These days, it's about getting members on board and if five day membership gives people the option they want I have no issue. For me, I have no option but to pay a seven day membership, as I can primarily only play at weekends, days off and in the summer evenings. I'm amazed on the days I am off how busy the club is in the week with our roll up groups so I can see how doing away with it could have a massive impact on membership and takings

 

[brendy]

I'm a firm believer of the 5 and 7 day membership. No 6 dayers and hold competitions over Saturdays and Sundays only (except open days/weeks). Make members decide if 5 day really does offer the same value as full membership.
As a 7 day membership with younger children (1 day members only) I feel I do get reasonable value as I can play in any comp even though I don't have time due to work and family commitments. I feel a little harshly done by when I see 6 day members competing in the same competition as me but at a discounted rate.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

TBH all these 5 and a half 6 day reduced rates ideas where started when the clubs were full at weekends and needed to offer some sort of compromise to people wanting to join without putting more strain on weekend use.

I remember being told this once, when I queried it and that 7 day membership was full and was not available. Which make complete sense, as Saturday or sunday morning are normally very busy, so if you can get people to play/support the club during the week and not play at the weekend then its a win win for the club.

The problem that then arises is what you get on this thread, is that the 7 day working member feels they are really a 1 or 2 day member, as they only play on the two days off. There is no way to keep all parties happy and in some ways just offering one membership is the simplest way of doing things, assuming the membership is full then it works.....

My current club offers many different memberships but is not completely full, some examples are here http://mileendgolfclub.co.uk/wp-con...Membership-Fees-for-2018-one-page-Feb2018.pdf

Myself I would be happy with a PM summer golf membership and am winter golf membership, as I like to play in the afternoons in the main, not worried about comps/handicap etc, but that isn't going to happen.:rofl:

 

[chrisd]

I think that a number of clubs are scrapping the 5 day membership because they know that the 5 day'ers aren't going to play much at weekends even if they become 7 day members.

 

[badgermat]

How about after 3 or 5pm membership instead?

Should be worth a serious discount and would help bring in people who actually have to work during the day.

Inspired by my son-in-law who'd like to join a club but can't justify the cost given that he can only play evenings or weekends.

bm

 

[HomerJSimpson]

A lot of clubs are offering memberships based on a voucher type scheme where you can opt to buy into a different category and get x number of vouchers for the cost. You then spend these depending on what day of the week/time you tee off, obviously paying more for premium times like Saturday morning. It must give you more flexibility to pay as and when you can, just booking a tee time to suit. These clubs all seem to run comps for their members so it seems to have plenty of benefits. Simply top up again when you spend the vouchers

 

[Val]

A voucher scheme membership is a nightmare for a private members club who have to balance a budget based on a non guaranteed income. It can only work where courses have a backer or are attached to a resort, De-Vere being the first I remember pushing this type of membership