Bar levy

[Hobbit]

What is contentious about it?

I genuinely accept that you may be against it but £6k bar profit an annum can pay for extras, upgrade lounge carpets etc without dipping into club reserves.

I'm not against the £6k profit, and if there wasn't a card system there'd be more profit. The, circa, £6k profit happens either way, just a little bit more without the card system. What I am against is the the imposition of it. Read the thread if you want to see how many are against it.

And to add to the maths, as many people have said they spend that and more in a month the club makes more than £6k a month from members over the bar anyway. Why have a system that is pretty much pointless, i.e. that amount comes in over the bar anyway in the first 4 weeks. Its an in vogue thing that some clubs, by the sound of it, have already recognised is pointless and dropped it.

 

[bluewolf]

What is contentious about it?

I genuinely accept that you may be against it but £6k bar profit an annum can pay for extras, upgrade lounge carpets etc without dipping into club reserves.

Youre going to get the £6k anyway. You'll just get it over the course of the year instead of all at once. And you'll do it without pissing off a small section of the Membership. Win:Win for me.

Unless your bar is that bad that no one would come in otherwise?

 

[Deleted member 16999]

What is contentious about it?

I genuinely accept that you may be against it but £6k bar profit an annum can pay for extras, upgrade lounge carpets etc without dipping into club reserves.

Sky TV, approx £3,600 per year for a licensed premises, your £6,000 has just covered that and more.

If your membership is only 300 strong and your subs avg less than £600.00 per person, a bar levy can really help.

 

[User20205]

The idea of doing away with the levy & reducing the bar prices by 10% would appeal. It’s seems silly to have a 2 tier pricing system anyway.
I do think the levy is a bit of a smokescreen. Doesn’t bother me, as mentioned, it goes pretty quickly. The objection is more of clubhouse use, ‘forced’ or otherwise. I still don’t get why someone wouldn’t stay, at least occasionally?

The bigger issue is making the clubhouse and club functions appeal to the cross section of members. I don’t really go to any social functions, except presentation night if I’ve won something. This is because they’re a bit rubbish!!

 

[Jacko_G]

Youre going to get the £6k anyway. You'll just get it over the course of the year instead of all at once. And you'll do it without pissing off a small section of the Membership. Win:Win for me.

Unless your bar is that bad that no one would come in otherwise?

Why does it "pee off" members?

I don't understand that bit. You are prepaying for credit at the golf clubs that usually gains you s discount.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

The idea of doing away with the levy & reducing the bar prices by 10% would appeal. It’s seems silly to have a 2 tier pricing system anyway.
I do think the levy is a bit of a smokescreen. Doesn’t bother me, as mentioned, it goes pretty quickly. The objection is more of clubhouse use, ‘forced’ or otherwise. I still don’t get why someone wouldn’t stay, at least occasionally?

The bigger issue is making the clubhouse and club functions appeal to the cross section of members. I don’t really go to any social functions, except presentation night if I’ve won something. This is because they’re a bit rubbish!!

I like(obviously) the idea of a levy, but until this year we’ve never had one.
But, whether you have a levy or not your last paragraph is what all Clubs should be trying to do anyway.

 

[bluewolf]

Why does it "pee off" members?

I don't understand that bit. You are prepaying for credit at the golf clubs that usually gains you s discount.

I don't know. It wouldn't overly bother me. But reading this thread clearly shows that it does.

 

[Mark1751]

We have one where I play I think it’s £60, I don’t mind paying it as we have breakfast after the round anyway paid for by the winner (we all stick £20 in at the start and the winner buys breakfast and keeps what ever is left) and we make sure that everyone uses their card through out the year. Although I think we can carry ours over anyway but we never need to.

 

[KenL]

Why does it "pee off" members?

I don't understand that bit. You are prepaying for credit at the golf clubs that usually gains you s discount.

You don't need a bar levy to gain a members discount. We get a discount off bar and food without a levy.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

You don't need a bar levy to gain a members discount. We get a discount off bar and food without a levy.

[/QUOTE]

This is how it works at our club as well.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

We use "intelligent golf" and as I have said already we have a bar levy, but as I mentioned before comp entry fees and any winnings are taken from or put back onto your account so to think of the "levy" just as a way of paying for food or drinks is misguided when really it is the centre of our comp system as well.
Yes we have some members who don't enter comps but in reality not that many, and yes as members we also get a small discount on drinks.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

This is how it works at our club as well.[/QUOTE]
And ours, levy or not you get a discount, but only if you use your members card, you don’t get a discount using cash.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Seems the plans are in place to reintroduce the levy again. Can see it splitting the membership and as it wasn't mentioned at the AGM assume they won't just chuck it on the renewal in March. Personally I have no issue with it and mine always get spent regardless. It does seem to be a contentious issue but having had one before maybe being use to having one somehow softens the thought of playing an extra £50 (if they fix it as the same as last time)

 

[SammmeBee]

Yes

Again I can’t agree. Using myself as an example, I am a 6 minute drive from the course and if I am working from home and not too busy, I will check BRS and can head up for 18 holes and be back home again all under 3 hours if I get a clear run. During the summer I can play at least 5 times a week. I know many others that do the same whether it’s a quick 18 or the “front” 12.

Anoher example is that schools around here finish for the day either at 3pm or 3.30 and some have to be away for their kids.

Example 3 are shift workers and I know a few who will play the earliest possible after their shift before going to bed.

I know that these are all specific to my club but the point I am trying to make is that people sometimes only have a time window to play and have other things to do or places to be outwith the golf club.

Our club’s bar & restaurant are run by an contractor and is rated the second best place to eat in the area by Trip Advisor. There are plenty of couches and comfy chairs and no stupid dress codes to adhere to. All in all a very welcoming place to be.

I have been in other clubs where it is the opposite where it seems many members/visitors are walking on eggshells and seem to only be there to be “doing the right thing”.

So to summarise this long post, people have a life outside of golf and the club and clubs need to look at themselves if they need a bar levy to survive, not the members

If you are going to quote me, then please have the courtesy to use the whole quote and don't take part of it, out of context, because it suits your argument.

The original quote in full was (and I've bolded the full bit in question, and underlined the bit that you used);

It's a little simplistic I grant you, and but as a general.

If you are playing that much golf I don't think you washes either.

Cutting out byour argument and then getting caught out makes you out to be a bit of a knob, which up to this point I hadn't thought you were; did I get that wrong?

Seems the plans are in place to reintroduce the levy again. Can see it splitting the membership and as it wasn't mentioned at the AGM assume they won't just chuck it on the renewal in March. Personally I have no issue with it and mine always get spent regardless. It does seem to be a contentious issue but having had one before maybe being use to having one somehow softens the thought of playing an extra £50 (if they fix it as the same as last time)

Essentially you have no idea what’s going on?!

 

[SammmeBee]

Apologies to SAPCO and BiM as obviously you do!!!

 

[SAPCOR1]

Apologies to SAPCO and BiM as obviously you do!!!

Ha ha if I only knew 😋

 

[Slab]

Off on a bit of a tangent here (but not sure it needs a new topic)

Reading this thread and the golf in decline one made me think that if there’s members who can’t/won’t/don’t spend time & money in the clubhouse does it follow that there’s visitors (not guests) who also can’t/won’t/don’t spend money and is a visitor more or less likely to eat/drink when playing a course. If they do spend is it likely to be more or less than a member would typically spend on an average visit

My first thought was if a club can’t get sections of its membership to spend time in there over an entire year (some even when its pre-paid) whatever is keeping them out may be keeping visitors away too and further reducing an important revenue stream

I think if you’ve booked to play a ‘nice’ course as a visitor you’ll probably make time for F&B too but if you’re a nomadic player playing all your golf this way then are you less inclined to stick around afterwards?

The smarter clubs will already know how much revenue they get per year per member (outside of membership) but I wonder if they look at visitor F&B revenue too

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Sometimes, you will never get the member to use the clubhouse. Can think of one club that I don't think I ever used the clubhouse after the sunday round. There was another club I almost never used the clubhouse. Both times were for different main reasons and both times nothing to do with the club or clubhouse. However as I say not really fussed one way or another over bar levies, provided I know before I join and normally would spend it.

When people use terms like club, courses, car park members, not supporting the club, you should go play at a pay and play etc, they need to remember that the membership fee is yearly fee for the CLUB...... What is then spent in the clubhouse or with the pro is a completely different matter/fee/costs.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Sometimes, you will never get the member to use the clubhouse. Can think of one club that I don't think I ever used the clubhouse after the sunday round. There was another club I almost never used the clubhouse. Both times were for different main reasons and both times nothing to do with the club or clubhouse. However as I say not really fussed one way or another over bar levies, provided I know before I join and normally would spend it.

When people use terms like club, courses, car park members, not supporting the club, you should go play at a pay and play etc, they need to remember that the membership fee is yearly fee for the CLUB...... What is then spent in the clubhouse or with the pro is a completely different matter/fee/costs.

I’m not sure if you’ve volunteered on a club committee or not, so no disrespect intended if you have.
Using my club as an example, we as a mgt cmt sat down in Oct and looked all revenue streams coming in to the club, subs, visitors, bar, functions, comps etc, we then looked at projected outgoings and made the relevant decisions.
ALL revenue streams are considered when looking at subs for next year, if anything it is the income raised in other areas that benefits subs the most.
Imo, it’s the opposite to what you say, ie, the more successful the bar, food, visitors, hire for private functions, club functions etc the easier it is to keep subs either the same as last year or to suggest a minimum rise to the benefit of ALL members.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

I’m not sure if you’ve volunteered on a club committee or not, so no disrespect intended if you have.
Using my club as an example, we as a mgt cmt sat down in Oct and looked all revenue streams coming in to the club, subs, visitors, bar, functions, comps etc, we then looked at projected outgoings and made the relevant decisions.
ALL revenue streams are considered when looking at subs for next year, if anything it is the income raised in other areas that benefits subs the most.
Imo, it’s the opposite to what you say, ie, the more successful the bar, food, visitors, hire for private functions, club functions etc the easier it is to keep subs either the same as last year or to suggest a minimum rise to the benefit of ALL members.

I did not say or infer anything with regards to club membership fees increasing or not, or what reasons why they would or could when I posted. I don't serve on a golf committee and to be honest have served/advised enough other committees & businesses and can safely say will probably never serve on a golf committee. I am a qualified accountant, so therefore fully aware of how all finances work and it nits together but as I say my last post did not say anything about subs going up or down and reasons why.

The club membership fees are the fee for the CLUB, which includes everything the club has, unless you pay separately for it. And sometimes you will never be able to get the club member to use the bar/food, whatever the club does but you do need to make it as welcoming as possible to encourage everyone to use it.