Advice on subs please

[Parmo]

Afternoon gents,
After a very heavy night last night with work I am able to type with more than one finger!!

The situation is this, my municipal course offers a club membership to enter comps, get hcp cert and things, the initial joining fee was £25 then they said it was £90 subs + £20 for the wife, so I paid the £25 and thought the letter through for 2009 would be around £110 or there abouts. The letter states they new want £90 subs, £35 bar levy + £20 for the wife. I know its not big money and I get the £35 back but its got me thinking about it, for instance: -

- I can use the clubhouse after a round because of my day membership, also its too far for a social drink as we live 4 miles away.
- As a weekend golfer do I really need a cert?
- Since the comps are not drawn the same people play each other and tbh I don't want to be in a situation where I have to sit and wait until I can find the odd group short until I become "a known" player.

Do you guys think the cost is really worth the fee, with the fact I still have to pay comps and pay for every round and all I am getting in return is entry into comps and a cert?

 

[haplesshacker]

It depends on what other clubs are offering around you.

The club I belong to has a Bronze membership, which is £60 a year. For that you get a small green fee discount, entry to all the club comps, and a club h'cap. The cost of the comps brings the round fee upto the same price as a non member pay and play fee. So you could argue that my £60 only gives me a h'cap and eledgability (sp) to enter the comps.

Having said that, the pro there is good regarding the price I pay for balls, and although I'm not a full member, I certainly get on better with all the staff there than when I was a pay and play punter.

I was also able to take part in the night golf a month ago, and there are other benefits which I won't go into here in case I drop them in it!!

Yes I'd be better off being a full member, but I can't just drop almost £700 for the membership, especially as I won't be playing as much next year due to number 2 arriving in April.

Though there is one advantage of going for full membership now. If I get made redundant in the new year, at least I can play as many times as I want in a week and not have to pay out green fees.

 

[Parmo]

Thanks Hapless, the problem is that I don't drive yet and so have to get a taxi to and from the course, so my round doubles until I get my licence in maybe the summer. I just think the cost (though I have paid the £25 already) a little high for comps, especially as they admit they only get 40 on a good day for comps. The people over all are decent, as mentioned before there are a few plonkers and stale warts, but I just don't think now that the cost justifies playing in comps and a cert, though I know it would help my game. I might just leave it and wait until I pass my test and join a club in 2010 and work on my game until them.

Sorry if I am sounding indecisive but I don't want to waste the cash and end up chasing people just to be able to get into comps. Also one more point, I was told that I would get a locker as someone had died and it was a case of getting the key back and clearing it, now it was noted on the letter "once a locker becomes available we will let you know", so it seems the goal posts have changed.

 

[DCB]

Parmo,

Firstly the golf club is paying a fee to the EGU annualy on behalf of each member to allow for an official handicap. The club will pay this wheter you play in comps or not, it's just one of theose overheads that need to be ccounted for.

£90 for membership isn't that much really, I understand that your circumstances may well change in March, but it's not a lot to belong to a bona fide club.

If it's a muni, do the council not do a regular users card ( Leisure Card) where you pay them direct for a membership card and then you just turn up and either pay reduced fees or if you're on higher tarriff, your golf is covered?

All in all, it depends on what you want from your golf, how serious are you about getting into golf and getting into the club scene ?

All clubs have their share of plonkers, you just have to get into the club scene and get to know the better ones.

Compare these things with what you would be charged elsewhere. Is it better value or worse?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It depends what you want. Personally I'm up at my club all the time (Saturday and Sunday and most evenings in the summer) so I get all the golf I need plus good practice facilities and a locker to store my clubs.

I don't drive but usually HID is around with the car (we could only afford to keep one car running so she would have use of it even if I could drive). If I need to I can store my clubs and walk to Ascot (15-20 minutes) and get a train to Bracknell and walk home.

I think you may have to bite the bullet on the competitions and punt yourself forward and make the first move. Once you get in a couple you will start to find it easier unless you go to a club that draws their competitions each time. I'd also check out the Council website and see if they do any form of loyalty/discount scheme.

I have to say at the end of the day you are not paying excessively for what you are getting so it may be a case of running with it and seeing how this season treats you. Once you get your car it opens up a load of other possibilities.

 

[viscount17]

to me it does seem high if all the club does is allow you to enter comps and get the handicap. if it's a muni I'm guessing the 'bar' is a pub open to the public, so why the extra for your wife?

Where I am the course is owned and operated by the landowners, we pay an annual green fee, either 5 or 7 day, which comes with a discount card for the bar; we don't pay extra for the privilege of using a pub.
The club is separate, manages the handicaps and comps and is about £40 (less for me as an official old fart (hereinafter oof) and no joining fee. The 'course' provides a room for notices etc and a corner in the bar (also operated by the landowners) for trophy boards.
The proshop is independent of both.
The bar/restaurant is open to the public, and its only drawback is that simple food doesn't exist - your basic bacon roll comes in ciabatta, with lots of frills for £6+. tastes good though.

 

[RGuk]

Parmo, your club and my old one are similar with this style of membership. In fact, we've played you a good few times over the years....

I'm presuming the levy is a pot to keep the bar running and the beers are cheaper so you'll get that back. The £25 joining is a one off, so you need to think about paying £100+ a year to enter comps and maintain your h'cap.

At mine (past tense now, of course) the "members" got a £1 discount off the council for the green fees, so most us saved £52-£104 a year....we were (however) paying £10 a round so it was actually MORE expensive than a private club.

If yours are £8 (?) these days and you play once a week, the maths might start to NOT add up so well.

t.b.h. £100+ seems steep, we were paying £35 per year, so even if it's now double, that's still not as much.

 

[Parmo]

A round on the weekend is 13.40 on the weekend, quite a fair bit for a 9 holer municipal, Temple is about the same but has two courses over 6500 yards long with a cafe, bar and a lot more turn out for comps on a weekend just too far for me too taxi it.

 

[TonyN]

Do you get to go round twice for that Parmo?