A bit of common sense

[Whee]

Absolutely agree GB. Clubs that want to capitalise in the current financial climate should be creative with their membership schemes.

It is good that once a week/fortnight players still want to be members at a club, and the clubs should take note of that and embrace it.

Out here, this year we have paid £500 for membership for the year. and we pay £25 green fees on top of that. I reckon I get 40 games in a year at that course, minimum, so there's another grand. So £1500 for the year to play that course. From January 1st, they are scrapping the £500 membership, and are doing full membership for £2,000 (no green fees at all) which will include use of all of the clubs facilities.

 

[Bash]

Interesting point and to be honest I don't know. The club had introduced a deferred joining fee which meant you could roll it over two years and so I guess if you still had money owing this way then you'll not be asked for anymore. Otherwise I'm pretty sure it'll be a case of tough luck unless someone really bleats about it.

Yeah. Some people joined over a year ago and so only paid the first third of their joining fee (Intending to pay over 3 years). Others joined at the same time and paid joining fee up front. They are not getting any money back.
It's the same with those who paid the FULL joining fee (1200 quid) a couple of years ago, and those joining a year ago (when it was halved to 600 quid). They maste have had a bitter taste.
It's just the luck of the draw though. If you buy some clubs when they first come out you pay top whack compared to someone who waits a while. At the end of the day, if you buy something, be it a product or service, you buy it as you believe it's a fair price at the time. If the price drops at a later date then that's just life. it happens

 

[chrisd]

Its happened in my club and the area in general, hardly anyone pays a joining fee now. We did have to refund some of the people who joined just before it was abolished, as ours was around £900.

The problem then was that we had loads join who, because they hadnt paid a joining fee and were paying on monthly credit, could have walked to another club without any real loss, so, the key is retention and we have done quite well on that front. Our club and many others in my view don't look closely enough at how many long term members call it a day at the start of a new sub year when the price gets ratcheted up if they only play, say 15 times a year. I think that someone who paid £900 for there annual sub would potentialy pay it again , even if they dont play often, but, put it up to £950 and its suprising for how many that is the straw that broke the camels back!

The downside of 70 new members is that they all are active golfers where the 70 who leave probably wern't so the course gets noticibly busier year on year


Chris

 

[HawkeyeMS]

There has been no joining fee for several months as a trial which has now been made permenent. Those like me who had their joint fee deferred will no longer have to pay it according to the website so sounds like good sense all round.

 

[GB72]

This is part of my issue in that we can pay our joining fee over any period up to 10 years or all in one go. This means that a group of people joining at the same time could have paid anything between £60 and £600 as a joining fee. Those who paid very little would be happy, those who helped the club by paying everything up front would feel penalised and would expect recompense. If you had paid your joining fee up front whilst your mate had not and so saved hundreds of pounds then you may feel a little agrieved so if another club offered a similar deal, your loyalty may be tested,

 

[Evesdad]

I paid my fee up front which was £500 or the other option was £600 over 4 years but I wanted this out the way. I know of 5 people that joined after me all together that got the joining fee waved. I complained as only joined a month before and would of joined with them had I known but was told tough, if I bought a tv and a month later it was £200 cheaper what could you do! I do think that need scrapping as it makes the club think more about keeping members rather than slapping a financial pair of handcuffs on them. Make the clubs more accessible, friendly and loon after the course and no one will want to leave.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I don't see the issue myself. When I joined, the offer was that the £600 joining fee could be paid over 3 years but the first year was deferred until this year. It's very likely that if I'd had to have paid the joint fee on top of the subs I wouldn't have been able to do it. However, the offer at the time was as it was and I took advantage of it fully expecting to pay my joining fee this year. A few months later the no joining fee trial was introduced but as Bash says that's the way it is.

I was still expecting to pay my 1st portion of the joining fee this year but now it seems I may not have to - that's the clubs decision not mine and in this instance I've benefitted.

It's all very well saying someone joining at the same time could have helped the club by paying the joining fee up front but if I'd have to have done that they wouldn't have got anything.

I've always said that you can only make decisions based on the facts at the time, not what might happen in the future, sometimes you gain, sometimes you lose out - c'est la vie as they say.

 

[fat-tiger]

ours dropped the joining fee and gained 40 new members straight away, but these have only come from other local clubs so there prob now struggling, i do feel sorry for a few people who joined in the last year or so and have split there joining fee over 3 years so they still hav to pay it this time round i think the club should quash them , mark my word in the next few years i think we will see a few clubs going to the wall, people just aint got the money anymore to throw at golf clubs

 

[JustOne]

It seems that the powers that be at Royal Ascot may not be as stuck in the mud as I'd thought. They've announced the joining fee has been abolished totally with immediate effect.

Homey, I thought your club had a pretty healthy membership? not the case?

 

[MadAdey]

Like I have already said. Everything is going up in price at the minute and golf clubs are feeling the pinch. If they do not replace members that they have lost then what are they going to do instead? They need to find this money from somewhere.

Just a few things that you may see happen......
Ground staff getting laid off as they do not have the money to pay them
Old machinery not getting replaced
Not enough money to seed and dress the greens as often as the green keeper would like
General course maintenance not being carried out as often you need to keep it looking pretty to save money on maintenance vehicle fuel
Who would want to see any of those happening?

The other thing would be to increase annual green fees

So take your pick from the options...........increase in fees or the standard of your course going down hill. Or the other thing that you could do is scrap joining fees and hopefully get some new members.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Just looked at your green fees at £1375, is it like most clubs and the joining fee is the same? If it is that will be £2750 for the first year

Homey, I thought your club had a pretty healthy membership? not the case?

Not sure where you are looking. The current deal is £1375 flat fee. No joining fee and the bar levy is included in that sum. Compared to Mill Ride (their parent company went into administration yesterday), East Berks, Sand Martins, and others we aren't actually that expensive. Add in the fact that we do not operate a bookign system for times and so there is plenty of accessibility to play whenever and this has to be worth a couple of hundred quid per year in terms of convenience itself.

We are doing okay membership wise. Gain a few, lose a few and there are plenty of new faces around the place. I don't know if we're ever get truly up to full capacity as there is such a transiency to modern golfers and with tough economic times, joining a club is a luxury many can't afford and green fees are a better option

 

[PIng]

If it's the concept of a joining fee that puts off new members then why not just put a different spin on things? If a club's membership is currently, say, £1000 with a £1000 joining fee then just advertise the membership as £1200 with a loyalty bonus - the fee dropping to £1000 after 5 years membership.