At what point does a membership become value for money?

[Orikoru]

I would never base value for money purely on the number of rounds played. All of the following have a huge implication to being a member and renewing each year
Condition and challenge of the course
Club competitions and knockouts
Weekend roll ups
Use of clubhouse - bar, eating etc and use it even if not playing
Use of practice facilities including range and short game area
Matches vs other clubs
Locker to store clubs - I commute to the club weekdays in the summer so this is essential so I have my stuff already in situ to go out and play or practice

To me, my fees cover all of the above and probably more as well. We have started a four year programme to improve the bunkering and it would only be after that has been completed that I would even begin to consider if the condition of the course was what I'd expect for the money paid. At present it is a very easy yes and as long as that carries on then I am very happy

It's not the only consideration but it has to be the main one. I'm paying £1425 a year, if I was only able to play 25 rounds in that year then I'm losing money big-time - I'd be far better off just paying a green fee for each round, and I would have been something like 400-500 pounds better off. This is why I say I need to be playing once a week - that makes it around £27 per round which is reasonable, so the more rounds I play above that the more cost effective it gets. Of course there are other benefits to being a club member, but they are completely intangible because you don't pay for them directly. Indeed, they would not stop you using the bar and clubhouse at my golf club if you walked in off the street, you still pay separately for drinks and food anyway, so I'm not sure how that's a membership benefit? The lockers you pay extra for, the competition entries you pay extra for.

Anyone I've seen here saying the number of rounds they play for their membership isn't a factor - all I can say is you must be extremely well off. Golf is an expensive luxury in these times for most people, and if I wasn't getting a reasonable amount of golf for what I pay, then I'd stop paying it.

 

[timd77]

I think I’m similar to others, in that I don’t look at it in totally financial terms. For me the benefits of being a member are unlimited golf whenever I want to play, being able to play as many or as few holes as I like, playing competitive golf (although that is an additional cost), socialising and the fresh air. I’m also motivated to try and improve, which I don’t think I could do if I wasn’t a member playing every week.

Of course you do have an eye on the money. At the moment I pay £1200 a year and on average play once a week (factoring in summer evenings countered by fewer rounds in winter, and holidays), so that’s £23 per round. I guess as long as it’s around that £25 per round mark I’m happy enough. As I’ve mentioned on the other thread about the levy, our club is on about increasing to £1460 next year, so that’s £28, getting into the realms of not worth it, or at least, can I get it cheaper elsewhere. I’m not particularly well off, have to make sacrifices to be a member, so there is a limit for me.

 

[Oddsocks]

I think I’m similar to others, in that I don’t look at it in totally financial terms. For me the benefits of being a member are unlimited golf whenever I want to play, being able to play as many or as few holes as I like, playing competitive golf (although that is an additional cost), socialising and the fresh air. I’m also motivated to try and improve, which I don’t think I could do if I wasn’t a member playing every week.

Of course you do have an eye on the money. At the moment I pay £1200 a year and on average play once a week (factoring in summer evenings countered by fewer rounds in winter, and holidays), so that’s £23 per round. I guess as long as it’s around that £25 per round mark I’m happy enough. As I’ve mentioned on the other thread about the levy, our club is on about increasing to £1460 next year, so that’s £28, getting into the realms of not worth it, or at least, can I get it cheaper elsewhere. I’m not particularly well off, have to make sacrifices to be a member, so there is a limit for me.

But if you are not playing to warrant the outlay your first point surely has to reflect in this?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

It's not the only consideration but it has to be the main one. I'm paying £1425 a year, if I was only able to play 25 rounds in that year then I'm losing money big-time - I'd be far better off just paying a green fee for each round, and I would have been something like 400-500 pounds better off. This is why I say I need to be playing once a week - that makes it around £27 per round which is reasonable, so the more rounds I play above that the more cost effective it gets. Of course there are other benefits to being a club member, but they are completely intangible because you don't pay for them directly. Indeed, they would not stop you using the bar and clubhouse at my golf club if you walked in off the street, you still pay separately for drinks and food anyway, so I'm not sure how that's a membership benefit? The lockers you pay extra for, the competition entries you pay extra for.

Anyone I've seen here saying the number of rounds they play for their membership isn't a factor - all I can say is you must be extremely well off. Golf is an expensive luxury in these times for most people, and if I wasn't getting a reasonable amount of golf for what I pay, then I'd stop paying it.

Cost per round is not the main consideration for everyone…as it isn’t for me…I don’t think I have ever even tried to work that out for either of the clubs I’ve been a member of.

In fact if there is one metric I might look at it’d more likely be cost per visit to the club - for whatever purpose to play or not, if playing then whether 18 or 2 - but not just to pop in for 5mins to check something. If I look at that metric I would guess I have visited my club on average maybe 4 or 5 times a week. Say 50 weeks to make the arithmetic easy…minimum 200 visits and that’s less than £10/visit. That’ll do me.

 

[Orikoru]

Cost per round is not the main consideration for everyone…as it isn’t for me…I don’t think I have ever even tried to work that out for either of the clubs I’ve been a member of.

In fact if there is one metric I might look at it’d more likely be cost per visit to the club - for whatever purpose to play or not, if playing then whether 18 or 2 - but not just to pop in for 5mins to check something. If I look at that metric I would guess I have visited my club on average maybe 4 or 5 times a week. Say 50 weeks to make the arithmetic easy…minimum 200 visits and that’s less than £10/visit. That’ll do me.

You wouldn't need to work it out if you already play once a week or more I suppose, unless your club is crazy expensive. Because you just know it's probably worth it. But as @GB72 mentioned earlier - for me, as someone who works Monday to Friday and has a young child now, I definitely need to ensure it's worthwhile paying for a membership, and that means playing every weekend. (Not like it's a chore, I obviously want to play every weekend at a minimum - just if I wasn't able to anymore it would cease to be worth paying for.)

I can count on one hand the number of times I've gone to the club when not actually playing golf. One of those was a comedy night they put on which I still had to purchase a ticket for anyway. Practise facilities I've only used two or three times I would say. So it really does come down to rounds of golf played for me. I do include the summer evening nine-holes and whatnot though.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

You wouldn't need to work it out if you already play once a week or more I suppose, unless your club is crazy expensive. Because you just know it's probably worth it. But as @GB72 mentioned earlier - for me, as someone who works Monday to Friday and has a young child now, I definitely need to ensure it's worthwhile paying for a membership, and that means playing every weekend. (Not like it's a chore, I obviously want to play every weekend at a minimum - just if I wasn't able to anymore it would cease to be worth paying for.)

I can count on one hand the number of times I've gone to the club when not actually playing golf. One of those was a comedy night they put on which I still had to purchase a ticket for anyway. Practise facilities I've only used two or three times I would say. So it really does come down to rounds of golf played for me. I do include the summer evening nine-holes and whatnot though.

I pay just shy of £2000 a year…and in Surrey/Hants borders area that is pretty standard for a decent members club…though I get that some on here might well consider that ‘crazy expensive’ for membership of a golf club. And unlike many, my club is somewhere I often go when not intending to play golf…or indeed even practice.

 

[patricks148]

Ive just started assessing my membership for next year. since moving jobs, i just don't get the chance to play as often as i used to be. i could play at lest 3 times during the week before and played comps at the weekend. with little or no weekday golf and restricted to just the 10 silver comps, its looking less and less likely i will be renewing. there a at lest 6 Saturdays i cant play in July and Aug due to those days running non mens comps. Another big factor is since the course changes im no longer competitive off the white tee's. there are at least 7 holes where there are bunkers in the middle of the fairway at 230, with me now having to hit an iron or lay up short on all 3 par 5s. around the old layout you were rewarded for middle of the fairway. now there is a massive reward for carrying 260 plus, if you can do this there is only one bunker in play off the tee. on the old layout hardly anyone broke 70 gross now half a dozen or more shoot 65 or less every week in comps off the white. the club don't seem to care the course is set up for the black tees, despite us never playing off those except 2 comps per year. So i'm wondering why im now paying £1000 plus to hardly play or have no chance in any comps to boot.

I'm looking to rejoin Tain, half the price, a comp every Saturday , every week of the year and though the course is more or less the same length as Nairn off the whites, i'm still capable of shooting low around there.

 

[timd77]

But if you are not playing to warrant the outlay your first point surely has to reflect in this?

Indeed, but I am playing…

 

[Orikoru]

I pay just shy of £2000 a year…and in Surrey/Hants borders area that is pretty standard for a decent members club…though I get that some on here might well consider that ‘crazy expensive’ for membership of a golf club. And unlike many, my club is somewhere I often go when not intending to play golf…or indeed even practice.

It's pretty expensive - I wouldn't be able to pay that when I'm only playing once a week, but if you're able to play twice a week it's alright. 100 rounds a year makes it £20 per round - no problem.

 

[IanM]

Some folk might be forgetting how mad visitor Green fees have got when dividing annual subs by rounds played.

 

[sweaty sock]

Also depends how much you think a round is worth.

If it was £2000 to join augusta but you could only play once a month, its a different proposition than £2000 at the airport golf/footgolf club, even if you could play twice a week...

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Some folk might be forgetting how mad visitor Green fees have got when dividing annual subs by rounds played.

In the NE of England there is an argument to say join the cheapest club you can find and then spend the spring and summer playing Opens. Avg Open fee is £15-£20, way cheaper than the standard green fees. In the weeks with no Opens you could use Golf Now to cherry pick cheap rounds if you didn't want to play your cheap course. I get your point, very valid, but up here there is a way around it if you are not someone who is tied to their club.

 

[IanM]

A mate of mine does very similar.

He lives in Swindon. Is a Country Member at Royal St David's. Its about £300 and you can have your handicap there. Its 4 or 5 hours to get there.

He goes up about every other month or so for a few days at time... rest of the time He plays Opens and lots of them!

Of course, Orchardleigh in Somerset offer Membership for £1 plus County Fees. You have to pay a green fee IF you play there. But there's no requirement to play.

This of course gets you out of paying an annual sub somewhere boggy for 4 months a year!

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Membership is so much more than just seeking to get a lower cost per round played.

This

If cost per round is the only important factor then perhaps people should look at pay&play venues.
Club membership is important to me with all the extras it brings. Comeraderie, competitions, handicap, practice facilities, course condition, social events etc

 

[Oddsocks]

This

If cost per round is the only important factor then perhaps people should look at pay&play venues.
Club membership is important to me with all the extras it brings. Comeraderie, competitions, handicap, practice facilities, course condition, social events etc

Ok so based on that with a flexi option.

Comeradie - can access all swindles / club comps and inter club comps
Handicap - yup
Practice facilities - yup
Course condition - on par

Again the point of this post wasn’t to assess price per round, more to see at what point do people deem their own membership as non viable.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Anyone I've seen here saying the number of rounds they play for their membership isn't a factor - all I can say is you must be extremely well off. Golf is an expensive luxury in these times for most people, and if I wasn't getting a reasonable amount of golf for what I pay, then I'd stop paying it.

Everyone has choices about how they spend their disposable income. My fees are £2K a year. If I was a football season ticket holder and went to away matches as well it would cost me much more. If I smoked 20 a day it would cost more. So would stopping at the pub for a couple of pints after work every day.
Everything considered to me personally my subs are excellent VFM but each to their own.

 

[D-S]

Of course, Orchardleigh in Somerset offer Membership for £1 plus County Fees. You have to pay a green fee IF you play there. But there's no requirement to play.

This of course gets you out of paying an annual sub somewhere boggy for 4 months a year!

For the life of me I can’t work out why anyone is an iGolf member when you could join Orchardleigh, they pay more money ,don’t get a County Card, don’t get EG insurance and being restricted in which Opens you can play in.

 

[D-S]

Ok so based on that with a flexi option.

Comeradie - can access all swindles / club comps and inter club comps
Handicap - yup
Practice facilities - yup
Course condition - on par

Again the point of this post wasn’t to assess price per round, more to see at what point do people deem their own membership as non viable.

A flexi option is a club membership isn’t it?

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Ok so based on that with a flexi option.

Comeradie - can access all swindles / club comps and inter club comps
Handicap - yup
Practice facilities - yup
Course condition - on par

Again the point of this post wasn’t to assess price per round, more to see at what point do people deem their own membership as non viable.

My club doesn't offer a points option but another local one does. There it is purely pay and play with access to social events too. No access to competitions, club matches, ability to stand for committee etc. I guess it all depends which aspects of club membership is important to you personally.

 

[DeanoMK]

I have no idea what my cost per round is as I have no idea how many rounds I've played this year. I tend to play once a weekend and when it's light enough, I will get 9 holes or more in after work once per week. That for me is VFM.

I'm lucky that this current year was funded by a bonus from work and next year's subs are being covered by that too.