Are Memberships really value for money

[Dando]

one of the reasons I haven't joined a club is because I don't think I'll get value for money as I don't want to feel that I have to play every weekend to justify the costs.

a good friend of mine has been a member at The London Club for about 5 years and when I saw him in the summer he said he's only played there about 4 times! so far he's paid out about £10K in fees including the joining fee.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Not till recently, I've left two clubs in order to lower cost as I'm lucky if I play one course 15 times in a year with work and family. Now on a cheap points base scheme which is better value per round, but restrictions and no sign up sheets for comps make it much harder to get a random game when you're only there once a month as you just don't have the same network of people.

Look forward to the days when I can crank it back up and be a full part of the club, although I do also like playing lots of different courses with friends and colleagues I've met over the years.

 

[stefanovic]

For me, memberships are a total rip off.
2 years ago I played 76 courses for probably less than what it would have cost to join just one course.
I'm up to 47 this year. Hope to play #48 this afternoon.

 

[pendodave]

Mine is full value.
Not sure how they can be classed as 'rip off' - you know how much it'll cost from the outset, and as a grown adult presumably have a pretty good idea what your golfing habits and preferences are.

 

[Garush34]

For me, memberships are a total rip off.
2 years ago I played 76 courses for probably less than what it would have cost to join just one course.
I'm up to 47 this year. Hope to play #48 this afternoon.

I wouldn't say it is a rip off, its more that its all relative to what your income is and the cost of said membership and your spending habits. There's no way I could have played 48 different courses for what it would have cost to join my club, but maybe you could for the cost of what it is for membership down south.

 

[User 99]

For me, memberships are a total rip off.
.

If they are non member owned clubs then dependant on price you may be right but member owned clubs have no vested interest in "ripping off" their members, golf clubs are very expensive to run.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

a good friend of mine has been a member at The London Club for about 5 years and when I saw him in the summer he said he's only played there about 4 times! so far he's paid out about £10K in fees including the joining fee.

Ouch, that makes one of the country memberships I have seem better value for money. Not sure I have played it in this subscription year.

I knew the costs when I paid up, so do not have any issues with the clubs, its my fault, just got me thinking about value for money. The courses that I am going to continue with are great and the clubs are brilliant, going to drop one that just doesn't work for us but certainly not complaining about any other aspect apart from myself not using it.

Haven't played a lot this year due to work, house/garden and other family commitments, not how I saw the year panning out at the beginning, was going to play more this year. Doh Next year it will be different VFM will be mine!

Sure their must be some on here that have played over 100 rounds and get amazing value for money and certainly interesting reading how some people look at memberships, so far a good range of outlooks.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

2 years ago I played 76 courses for probably less than what it would have cost to join just one course.
I'm up to 47 this year. Hope to play #48 this afternoon.

Impressive you could play 76(or even 50) times at less than a membership cost ? How much are your rounds of golf ?

 

[Junior]

Mine is. I love the club I play at. Nice course, great members and always lots going on in terms of roll ups etc. I'm lucky I live close ..... i often nip down for an hour or so either chipping, or to play a loop of 6 or 9 holes. Impossible for me to count how many times i've played this Summer.

I guess its just what your looking for out of a golf club membership that counts. For me being a nomad wouldn't work , for others it would.

 

[patricks148]

For me, memberships are a total rip off.
2 years ago I played 76 courses for probably less than what it would have cost to join just one course.
I'm up to 47 this year. Hope to play #48 this afternoon.

that a bit of a generalizations isn't it?

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

For me, memberships are a total rip off.
2 years ago I played 76 courses for probably less than what it would have cost to join just one course.
I'm up to 47 this year. Hope to play #48 this afternoon.

Interesting way to look at it. How much have you spent on fuel and wear & tear on your car travelling to 124 different courses?

 

[Marshy77]

That's the reason I gave up my membership. 1st year I got value for money even though I guess I would have ended up paying more per round than a guest and my 2nd year I gave up as it was costing me £75 a round due to the amount I was playing.

If you can commit the time, use the facilities and make it work for you then I think you can get fantastic value for money but unless you play maybe 3 times a month then you have to decide if it is worth it.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

a good friend of mine has been a member at The London Club for about 5 years and when I saw him in the summer he said he's only played there about 4 times! so far he's paid out about £10K in fees including the joining fee.

Is this a personal payment or does his company pay it/he puts it through his books? I know quite a few people that have similar memberships at similar clubs and use the membership more as a way of offsetting agianst tax and as a business tool.

 

[Imurg]

Interesting way to look at it. How much have you spent on fuel and wear & tear on your car travelling to 124 different courses?

Also, assuming a membership of £1500 ( pretty steep in most parts) you're looking at £20 green fee for your 76 rounds.
A more realistic £1000 equates to 13 a round...not much worth playing around here for that...even with 2 fore 1/ offers....

 

[patricks148]

i think its also forgotten being a club Members isn't just a course to some.
we also get;

a Handicap
Competitions
Practice facilities
Bar and Restaurant
to name just a few

 

[shortgame]

For me, memberships are a total rip off.
2 years ago I played 76 courses for probably less than what it would have cost to join just one course.
I'm up to 47 this year. Hope to play #48 this afternoon.

Not sure I'd often want to play courses where green fees cost less than 1/76 of a decent membership

 

[GB72]

Looking at it objectively, my membership is not value for money. I get to play once, maybe twice a week but not every week, maybe a few 9 hole rounds after work in the summer. Add to that the fact that the golf club is not my life, I play golf, I have a coffee or 2 after with my playing partners then head home and that is it and there is no added value in the social side either.

Why I do pay the membership is to be able to play whenever I like on a not overly crowded course. Tried other options but tee booking, weekend pay and players and societies etc means that I do not get the same enjoyment out of what golf I play and so the membership, whilst not strictly financial value, is worth it.

 

[Grant85]

On full costs. Nope, I don't think they do, unless you drag yourself to every comp and roll up. In my case, the costs were £500 when I joined. 8 years later they are now £750. My wages haven't gone up that much. Add in fuel and travelling. Nope.

In my opinion golf clubs are going to have to have a good look at how they are pricing things and how they can control who is using their facilities. Struggling with that last bit? Well, who knows a course where it would be a doddle to just walk on without anyone knowing. This should have been addressed when clubs were awash with money. Too late now, as most would argue that it is now cost prohibitive.

I think this is largely true. In past decades, Golf was a popular sport and most clubs had long waiting lists and hefty joining fees. There were also a lot of new courses being built well into the 1990s. Now waiting lists and joining fees are largely abolished and golf course development is limited to exclusive playgrounds for the rich.

Playing golf is very much a habit and it is easy to get out of that habit and hard for many people of working age to get back into it. Door to door it is pretty much a 5 hour commitment.

I get the whole flexible membership option and that seems to be getting more popular, especially in the South East. But in my opinion Golf Clubs as a whole should be seeking to encourage more golf participation. This would benefit all clubs and businesses involved in golf.

* Loss leader coaching or introductory sessions to people of all ages could potentially solve a lot of problems for golf clubs and maybe even get the game growing again. There is huge potential to get more younger people and woman into the game.
* Put together used sets of clubs for low cost hire and emphasise that you don't need to go and spend thousands on equipment.
* No need for a dress code.
* 9 or 12 hole tournaments as an option. Golf simply takes too long for people and it would be a big encouragement to people if they could still play a proper game in 2 or 3 hours.
* Make it clear to the membership that if the club had x no. of members, the fees would reduce.

Most of these are an investment, but so is giving someone 6 months free membership, or waiving the joining fee that all your other members have paid. There's loads of things clubs could do and some that will suit certain clubs and locations better than others.

Imagine if your club, instead of looking to offload land and cling to existence was in a position to purchase more land and extend the course or build another 9 or 18 hole course to cope with their burgeoning membership and avoid re-introducing waiting lists.

 

[Liverbirdie]

For me, memberships are a total rip off.
2 years ago I played 76 courses for probably less than what it would have cost to join just one course.
I'm up to 47 this year. Hope to play #48 this afternoon.

Is that factoring in travel expenses/fuel also?

I see the attraction of playing different courses all the time, but are you comparing apples with apples, as if you have spent say £1000 on fuel also, it changes the comparison , at least financially.

 

[User2021]

This is my first year playing Golf.
I joined my first club in Jan 18.
Ignoring my joining fee, the subs are just over £2000.

is it value for money - 110% yes.
I will end up paying less than £15 a round.
I have played a load of away courses in club events for no green fee.
I have a free driving range and short game area
An on site shop were a professional bloke and two assistants give help, advice and lessons
A bar, restaurant,social club etc
Free showers
A county card
A handicap
A huge amount of new friends

etc etc etc