Affordable membership? Plus fees proportionate to quality?

[barrybridges]

Hello,

I haven't posted on here in a little while, nor have I really played golf much the past 9 months owing to the delights of parenthood. But now that it's a bit easier to look after the growing sprog I'm finding a bit more time to play and practice - and want to join a club.

This is a bit of a mixed question/rant really.

There are loads of clubs around here, but I'm really struggling to find something that's affordable and convenient. I wonder if someone can either help me with a recommendation - or tell me I'm being unrealistic.

To be practical, I think the most I can play is one round a week, but around that I'd like somewhere with some decent-ish practice facilities where I can drop in for an hour or so every other day, to hit the range or practice my putting/chipping.

In some ways I'm spoilt for choice; there are dozens of clubs within a short drive of where I live:

Edenbridge
Limpsfield Chart
Lingfield
Bletchingley
North Downs
Godstone
Woldingham
Surrey National
Park Wood
Westerham
Horne Park
Hever Castle
Cherry Lodge
West Kent
Farleigh
Addington Court
Selsdon Park
Croham Hurst
Chipstead
Surrey Downs

BUT, I've got two problems.

The first and main one is more general - I'm not sure I can afford £1000+ a year for golf membership. I've seen some interesting 'flexible' membership options around (like at Bletchingley they offer £300 for 300 'credits', which gets you between 12 rounds and 25 rounds depending on when you play) but in general I think I can 'only' really afford around £600 a year.

The other issue is a bit odd, which is around pricing vs what you get.

I've played quite a few of the courses around here and have asked about membership rates - and there isn't always a clear relationship between price and quality.

What I mean is, I probably would pay a bit more than £600 a year if I could really absolutely justify it, but it's not always the case that the more expensive course are better.

To give you an illustration, I played Lingfield Park yesterday as part of a father's day present - and it was brilliant. A really good course, very well kept, really nice greens and generally a very high-level experience, with excellent practice facilities.

A round at Lingfield Park costs £25, which is only a few quid more than Godstone (which is pretty poor) and £4 less than Kent & Surrey. Lingfield is - in my opinion - miles better than Kent & Surrey.

So I suppose my question is, of the clubs I've listed above (and any others I might have missed) - is anyone aware of any good membership deals/options and of those, what are the better courses worth paying more for?

I'm more than happy to pay less for membership of a course like Godstone, which is pretty much a glorified municipal, and I'd probably stretch to pay a bit more if I was getting access to a great deal on a really good course, but otherwise, is there an affordable option around £600 a year for people like me?

I'm sure others will say it's just a normal cost of playing sport, but £60 is quite a lot of money a month compared to say a gym membership and I want to get the best value I can.

 

[Foxholer]

Thoroughly reasonable approach imo.

It's only you that can really decide what;s the best - for you!

I'd suggest you make a list of your requirements - especially re practice facilities - and weight them for your requirements. That should at least eliminate a goodly percentage of them/create a shortlist. Bear in mind that these requirements could well change in the near/medium future and/or as you take up the benefits of membership.

 

[Bratty]

Barry, I know a fair few members who've left Lingfield, because it's become so overcrowded with hotel guests.

Bletchingley a much better course.

Congrats on the sprog!

 

[Jay1]

Out of those you listed, Bletchingly jumped out at me. Always enjoy playing there. Not sure the practice facilities are the greatest, but it's a decent track and seems pretty good value.

The problem is, around here you just don't get good value for membership, there will always be a trade off on something. Courses are just so expensive. Took me 5 years living in the area to finally convince my wife to let me part with membership subs for somewhere I really wanted to join.

 

[patricks148]

An easy solution for you....

Move to Dornoch, £600 top 10 in the GM top 100 courses. its got 2 18 hole courses a 3 hole practice area along witha large grass driving range and a 100 yard shot practice hole as well.

Simples

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I can't comment specifically on any of the courses you mention but at the end of the day it has to be about finding a good balance. The course you join surely has to be the primary concern and you want somewhere that offers a challenge each time and which won't bore you within months. What is it going to play like in Winter. To be honest, unless the club you want to join can offer a decent short game area which you can use frequently and sharpen that area to offset your lack of playing, then surely any old range will do the job if you just want to hit a few balls

 

[sydney greenstreet]

Move to Scotland, not 1 course in my area over £550 for golf.

 

[DCB]

Surely anything in the South East that has a reasonable amount of land is going to cost big bucks for membership. Whilst it's all very well making a wish list of things you want at a course, bottom line is bound to be how much you can pay to join a club down there. I hope you find something suitable, but I have my doubts.

 

[Oddsocks]

Barry, I'm now at Farleigh and value for money wise it's awesome!

27 hole course
Range - discounted balls for members
2 practice greens with bunkers
New 9 hole 100 yard par 3 course going in this year
New floodlit range with heated bays going in this summer
13 other courses through the network
Good swindle that plays at 8am every sat/sun
Discount food/drink/proshop purchases

100 a month via direct debit

If you have any questions you have my mobi number!

 

[Blue in Munich]

Surely anything in the South East that has a reasonable amount of land is going to cost big bucks for membership. Whilst it's all very well making a wish list of things you want at a course, bottom line is bound to be how much you can pay to join a club down there. I hope you find something suitable, but I have my doubts.

Spot on. If you are looking at a private members club down this part of the world I would say you need a 1 in front of that budget to have a realistic choice. Of the one I know on the list my choice would be West Kent, but at £1367 + joining fee it is way out of the budget listed.

 

[Oddsocks]

We just had a load of members join from west Kent , saying the swindle was closed the clique with no newbies welcome,

 

[Foxholer]

Barry, I'm now at Farleigh and value for money wise it's awesome!

27 hole course
Range - discounted balls for members
2 practice greens with bunkers
New 9 hole 100 yard par 3 course going in this year
New floodlit range with heated bays going in this summer
13 other courses through the network
Good swindle that plays at 8am every sat/sun
Discount food/drink/proshop purchases

100 a month via direct debit

If you have any questions you have my mobi number!

Still twice his prospective budget.

And getting to the entrance is only half the journey. Has to be the longest 'Entrance to Clubhouse' distance in the world! And it seems to me traffic coming in should have right of way in the narrow bits - not that I encountered any.

I played the 'Green' (Blue/Yellow 9s) and was quite impressed. Should be a pretty good course as it matures though - some very interesting holes.

 

[Leftie]

Still twice his prospective budget.

And getting to the entrance is only half the journey. Has to be the longest 'Entrance to Clubhouse' distance in the world! And it seems to me traffic coming in should have right of way in the narrow bits - not that I encountered any.

/QUOTE]

Not wrong there Foxy. 11 years or so ago, I was looking to move from Westerham and thought I would have a look at Farleigh. Never made it to the clubhouse as I was worried about running out of petrol on the approach road.

Nice course though - apparently. :thup:

 

[Oddsocks]

I agree about the length of the drive, one bonus is that it allows you to see around 6 pin positions which is handy for comps, re the drive incoming traffics does have priority as all the pull over bays are on the exiting side

Barry, another one to consider is holtye, a tricky little 9 hole just outside easy grinstead, it's around 400 a year

 

[Blue in Munich]

We just had a load of members join from west Kent , saying the swindle was closed the clique with no newbies welcome,

Interesting, I've been playing there as a regular visitor for over 25 years and never had any issues, always made more than welcome.

 

[barrybridges]

Thanks for all your replies!

Oddsocks - I bumped into a guy yesterday at Lingfield who said that he was a member at Farleigh and rated it highly. Fancy a game there soon?

Bletchingley looks very interesting because it's both affordable AND close by. It's only a few miles away and I can get there quite easily, so it'll encourage me to play more often. The flexible membership option works really well.

Interesting feedback about Lingfield; when I played it was father's day and I expected it to be rammed busy (lots of fathers day gifts) but it was actually dead; as a two-ball we whizzed around in 3 hours and didn't have anyone behind or in front of us for the whole round.

 

[Jack_bfc]

Spot on. If you are looking at a private members club down this part of the world I would say you need a 1 in front of that budget to have a realistic choice. Of the one I know on the list my choice would be West Kent, but at £1367 + joining fee it is way out of the budget listed.

Ouch.

Makes me glad to be northern commoner

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Ouch.

Makes me glad to be northern commoner

Yup - it's really painful being a member of a member's club in Surrey - and to be honest I'm not quite sure WHY it's so much more expensive than up north. I don;t see our Headf Greenkeeper driving around in a new Porsche

 

[duncan mackie]

Thanks for all your replies!

Oddsocks - I bumped into a guy yesterday at Lingfield who said that he was a member at Farleigh and rated it highly. Fancy a game there soon?

Bletchingley looks very interesting because it's both affordable AND close by. It's only a few miles away and I can get there quite easily, so it'll encourage me to play more often. The flexible membership option works really well.

Interesting feedback about Lingfield; when I played it was father's day and I expected it to be rammed busy (lots of fathers day gifts) but it was actually dead; as a two-ball we whizzed around in 3 hours and didn't have anyone behind or in front of us for the whole round.

as some others on here I'm a member at one of these, and play/have played most quite regularily. the value element is there but the equations are much more complex than the memberships reflect.

when you want to play, who you want to play with (want to play a round at about 10 on a Sat in either a comp or a social club gathering for example will differ significantly - midweek access even more because most of these will have significant society action.

practice facilities vary hugely - Lingfield Park has the best shortgame facilities on the list by miles (and miles) whilst Hever has a full range by the 1st Tee (free balls to 7 day members/75 a year or as you require otherwise). Westerham has good rounded facilities but their not as easy to access.... others will have degrees of these - it's all about what you want!

I was struggling to work out how you could live anywhere and have a short drive to all these courses - I would probably rule many out based on where you now seem to be, but add others (Reigate Hill?). Journey times will hugely influence the use and enjoyment you will get out of any membership.

If you want to pm me as to exactly where you live I'm happy to give precise recomendations with my reasoning...

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

as some others on here I'm a member at one of these, and play/have played most quite regularily. the value element is there but the equations are much more complex than the memberships reflect.

when you want to play, who you want to play with (want to play a round at about 10 on a Sat in either a comp or a social club gathering for example will differ significantly - midweek access even more because most of these will have significant society action.

practice facilities vary hugely - Lingfield Park has the best shortgame facilities on the list by miles (and miles) whilst Hever has a full range by the 1st Tee (free balls to 7 day members/75 a year or as you require otherwise). Westerham has good rounded facilities but their not as easy to access.... others will have degrees of these - it's all about what you want!

I was struggling to work out how you could live anywhere and have a short drive to all these courses - I would probably rule many out based on where you now seem to be, but add others (Reigate Hill?). Journey times will hugely influence the use and enjoyment you will get out of any membership.

If you want to pm me as to exactly where you live I'm happy to give precise recomendations with my reasoning...

...and though nopt maybe the most important factor - reciprocals - some clubs have reciprocals that enable you to get golf by arrangment at some cracking courses - for free.