Bar levy

[Deleted member 16999]

In the 10 mile radius thread I worked out that there were 6 clubs in that near to me. 4 of those are proprietary clubs and they have the least welcoming bars. That is odd to me as I would expect them to be more savvy on that front. The best bar, a members club, farms it out to a third party but they hold some control over it still and it is by far the best bar set up. It is welcoming and members use it. Not rocket science is it?

How is it lazy and how many taxes do you pay were you get it back with interest?
You may have the best bar in the world and there will still be members who don’t use it (and I have no issue with that) the fact for some clubs is though the bar levy actually helps keep membership fees down and EVERYONE benefits from that.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

How is it lazy and how many taxes do you pay were you get it back with interest?
You may have the best bar in the world and there will still be members who don’t use it (and I have no issue with that) the fact for some clubs is though the bar levy actually helps keep membership fees down and EVERYONE benefits from that.

For me it is lazy because it means the club don't have to work at giving the right product. They are guaranteed £50, or whatever, from every member straight away. That takes away the incentive for improvement. If the bar doesn't take enough, 'increase the levy'. No, improve what you offer.

If members don't use it then ask why. It may be, as others have mentioned, down to family life, time restrictions etc, but it also may be because it does not deliver what they want. Mine doesn't but they don't want to hear. I always stop after a round but I don't spend as much as I could because it doesn't tempt me. I certainly would not 'pop in' to eat or have a coffee as many seem to do even if they are not playing golf. There are clubs that I have visited and played at where I would use outside of golf because they are so pleasant.

 

[Jacko_G]

For me it is lazy because it means the club don't have to work at giving the right product. They are guaranteed £50, or whatever, from every member straight away. That takes away the incentive for improvement. If the bar doesn't take enough, 'increase the levy'. No, improve what you offer.

If members don't use it then ask why. It may be, as others have mentioned, down to family life, time restrictions etc, but it also may be because it does not deliver what they want. Mine doesn't but they don't want to hear. I always stop after a round but I don't spend as much as I could because it doesn't tempt me. I certainly would not 'pop in' to eat or have a coffee as many seem to do even if they are not playing golf. There are clubs that I have visited and played at where I would use outside of golf because they are so pleasant.

I think you are reading too much into the bar levy.

I personally don't see it as lazy, I see it as an investment in the club and a benefit to both you and the golf club.

 

[USER1999]

I have a bar card, and get 15% discount on food and drink. I also use it to buy drinks in the pro shop, and for competition entry. I put money on it as and when. I have breakfast and lunch at the club every Saturday, and Sunday, and lunch on Friday. I also buy a round of drinks every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I can't be accused of not spending money there, and not supporting the club.
However, I am strongly against a bar levy. Not everyone has the time and money to do this.

Also, membership fees are roughly 1600 per year. Put a 100 levy on this, and its 1700, required in January. This is a lot of money. It can be split into 10 payments, but this costs another 60 on top. So it is now 1760.

If the fees were 500 odd, different story.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

For me it is lazy because it means the club don't have to work at giving the right product. They are guaranteed £50, or whatever, from every member straight away. That takes away the incentive for improvement. If the bar doesn't take enough, 'increase the levy'. No, improve what you offer.

If members don't use it then ask why. It may be, as others have mentioned, down to family life, time restrictions etc, but it also may be because it does not deliver what they want. Mine doesn't but they don't want to hear. I always stop after a round but I don't spend as much as I could because it doesn't tempt me. I certainly would not 'pop in' to eat or have a coffee as many seem to do even if they are not playing golf. There are clubs that I have visited and played at where I would use outside of golf because they are so pleasant.

The work in the bar is no different whether you have a bar levy or not, infact having the bar levy increases the burden as you have to see the benefits of it, rather than a tax it’s almost a loan to the Club from members and the repayment back to you can take 1 day or 365 and with between 10-15% interest.
What it does do though is give the bargaining power against suppliers at the beginning of the year because you have this lump sum and in return prices are kept down, again to the benefit of members.
Profit from the bar will then be used to benefit all areas of the club. (Maybe pay for resurfacing the car park)

 

[User 99]

For me it is lazy because it means the club don't have to work at giving the right product. They are guaranteed £50, or whatever, from every member straight away. That takes away the incentive for improvement. If the bar doesn't take enough, 'increase the levy'. No, improve what you offer.
.

I have a pp who hasn't set foot inside the clubhouse since I've been a member, how does the club improve on what they offer to him, he hasn't seen what they offer.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I have a pp who hasn't set foot inside the clubhouse since I've been a member, how does the club improve on what they offer to him, he hasn't seen what they offer.

In his case, you cant win them all. I'm certainly not going to defend him but that is ultimately his choice and to be that extreme is likely to be the exception, not the rule. At least the club get his membership fees. Better that than nothing.

 

[nickjdavis]

Dont have one at my club but was a visitor at a club that did have a levy and got chatting to a few members in the bar after the round...offered to buy a round only to be told that "your money has no value here"....which initially royally pissed me off until I realised what they were trying to say in a clumsy fashion was that the round would be cheaper if they bought it because of the discount they got.

I stuck a tenner in the Captains Charity collection box in lieu of buying a round.

 

[Deleted member 21784]

That would be fine with me. I joined a club to play golf, for a spell Brentwood was run out of a portacabin after the original course closed down. It didn't detract from our enjoyment of playing there. You get rid of your car park members and then see how long before your club folds.

I wouldn’t mind a £50 a year bar levy if I ever joined.. I bearly use a club house but would encourage me to go in for sure when I actually have time

On a side note I wouldn’t eat at Brentwood again!

Played there 2 months ago (played twice within a month.. lovely course) the beans at breakfast were cold and the ham that I got myself for lunch gave me food poisoning lol that was a fun week

 

[richart]

No problem with bar levy, as it gets spent rather quickly. Hardly ever played with someone that hasn't come into the bar after a game. Perhaps they think I am buying.

You can use your levy at our halfway hut as well, so not difficult to spend. Prefer a levy to adding the same amount to our subs.

 

[mister v]

this year they scrapped the bar levy at our club............. they just added it to the subs so we had no levy but had an increase. it rubbed a lot of members up the wrong way. I usually get chance for a pint after our round with my playing partners but can completely appreciate it when members have to go straight after their round.
Our club sub-contracted the bar/catering out as they couldn't turn a profit on it. the first batch of caterers to take it on lasted 18 months and the second will be going in the new year because they cant make it work financially. the prices are reasonable £2.67 for Carling Pint , £3.10 san miguel. the food is brilliant, but we are back to square one because not enough members spend there cash in the bar. I think its just the way the world has moved on

 

[PNWokingham]

we stopped ours s few years back probably to disguise to some degree increased fees and now they have changed so it is just a DD at the end of the month. But i have no problem with a levy as anyone can't spend £100 a year or so on food and drink is no asset to a club and helping the social side.

 

[huds1475]

we stopped ours s few years back probably to disguise to some degree increased fees and now they have changed so it is just a DD at the end of the month. But i have no problem with a levy as anyone can't spend £100 a year or so on food and drink is no asset to a club and helping the social side.

That reads like you've just downed your bar levy in one 😁

Benefits of phone-posting??

 

[GB72]

Ours has stopped now but I was never a fan. At previous clubs I would get in early, have a bacon sandwich and a coffee and just watch the world go buy before I played. At my current club the kitchen is not open and so there is no option other than a coffee from a machine (which cannot be paid for using the bar card).
After the round, I cannot have a pint (I now refuse to have any alcohol if I am driving) so am limited to an average quality cup of coffee. As stated before, those who live near each other in my group are better of heading back to our local pub.
The bar has no TV and the atmosphere is stuffy. Not my sort of place but, as others have told me on here before, if that is what the majority want then so be it. It will not entice me to spend more though. It is not welcoming to wives and kids either so not somewhere my wife would meet me for lunch after a round.
Don't get me wrong, the clubhouse is nice enough, just not for me and so I have a coffee and a chat after the round and head home, rarely resulted in me spending £50 a year.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I have a bar card, and get 15% discount on food and drink. I also use it to buy drinks in the pro shop, and for competition entry. I put money on it as and when. I have breakfast and lunch at the club every Saturday, and Sunday, and lunch on Friday. I also buy a round of drinks every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I can't be accused of not spending money there, and not supporting the club.
However, I am strongly against a bar levy. Not everyone has the time and money to do this.

Also, membership fees are roughly 1600 per year. Put a 100 levy on this, and its 1700, required in January. This is a lot of money. It can be split into 10 payments, but this costs another 60 on top. So it is now 1760.

If the fees were 500 odd, different story.

Really? Most of us who are members of clubs (and we are only talking about members of clubs in the context of a bar/catering levy) pay a fairly whacking great amount of money to be a member - and on an ongoing basis will happily fork out for balls, clothes (and golf clothing isn't cheap); comp entries, green fees at other courses etc. I don't think many can honestly claim they really can't afford a £50 levy...

 

[User 99]

I don't think many can honestly claim they really can't afford a £50 levy...

...and spend 5 hours on the course but must immediately leave the premises the second they finish.

It is their prerogative but they are likely to be some of the loudest shouters when told their fees are going up.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I think those that can't spare the time should only play 9 holes then spend the 2 hours they have saved in the bar, spending loads of money

 

[PaulyMcK]

Bar Levy usually get spent before the first month after renewals.

 

[bluewolf]

I think those that can't spare the time should only play 9 holes then spend the 2 hours they have saved in the bar, spending loads of money

I think those that can should understand those that can't and then spend twice as much in the bar. Then be given a lift home by those that can't.. Less traffic on the roads as well then.. Win/Win..

 

[Grant85]

For me it is lazy because it means the club don't have to work at giving the right product. They are guaranteed £50, or whatever, from every member straight away. That takes away the incentive for improvement. If the bar doesn't take enough, 'increase the levy'. No, improve what you offer.

If members don't use it then ask why. It may be, as others have mentioned, down to family life, time restrictions etc, but it also may be because it does not deliver what they want. Mine doesn't but they don't want to hear. I always stop after a round but I don't spend as much as I could because it doesn't tempt me. I certainly would not 'pop in' to eat or have a coffee as many seem to do even if they are not playing golf. There are clubs that I have visited and played at where I would use outside of golf because they are so pleasant.

I think you have to consider the cost for some clubs to maintain a bar and food service.

They need to pay thousands a year in staff costs, cleaning, pension contributions, sick pay, holiday pay, training, fuel, insurance, first aid courses, hygiene courses, food waste etc etc.

Most clubs would continue to provide this service at break even point, or even a small loss, simply to offer it to members.

If a bar levy is the difference between making a small loss or a small profit, then so be it. And while many clubs will have the levy who have a big surplus from food and drink, things can change quickly and it makes sense to encourage people to use the house regularly.