Buchanan Castle Golf Club - Disgraceful open payouts

[Slab]

Clubs incur roughly the same staffing costs regardless what day it is and if they dont they are giving their own members a poor service. Its a weak argument to make imho, also extra greenstaff for an open day ? What are they doing the rest of the time ? clubs can make good money from food and drink if they do it right

Re F&B; Only an opportunity to make dosh if they're run by the club surely?

Re green-staff: I recall a thread on here once that was (generally) aghast at the very thought of getting greenstaff in on a Sunday. So I doubt that getting them in would be something the greenstaff would do gratis

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Point is most clubs aren't run as s profit making business, that's not the main objective. You are more likely to have a better experience at an open day at a private members club in my opinion

Golf clubs ARE run as a profit making business with the profits being reinvested back into the club for the benefit of the members.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

£10 for a game of golf is not expensive at all, to call it a disgrace is way off the mark, regardless of the prizes.

totally agree - call it disappointing if you will, but calling it disgraceful is...disgraceful

 

[GB72]

Have looked at our club's Open details and there is no detail of the amount of any prize vouchers. Cannot see my club giving more than £50 a head but could be wrong.

Thinking about it, where vouchers are the prize, a simple condition stating the percentage of the entry fees to be allocated to the prize pot, subject perhaps to a maximum, together with details of the split would seem a simple and sensible option to avoid situations like this. I may suggest it.

 

[Parsaregood]

Golf clubs ARE run as a profit making business with the profits being reinvested back into the club for the benefit of the members.

That isnt making a profit, they are running costs which to keep the club at a good level you need to invest that money

 

[Garush34]

Have looked at our club's Open details and there is no detail of the amount of any prize vouchers. Cannot see my club giving more than £50 a head but could be wrong.

Thinking about it, where vouchers are the prize, a simple condition stating the percentage of the entry fees to be allocated to the prize pot, subject perhaps to a maximum, together with details of the split would seem a simple and sensible option to avoid situations like this. I may suggest it.

My old club used/do something like this. At the table where you register and pay for the open is a sheet detailingthe break down of prizes and places. Seems like the best bet as most will have a look when paying their money. Can't remeber the exact split but I was happy to have come 8th that year in the handicap and came away with £30.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

That isnt making a profit, they are running costs which to keep the club at a good level you need to invest that money

Completely different. A well run club will have a surplus that it can put aside for capital expenditure over and above the annual running costs. My club has done this for as long as I've been a member.

 

[The Fader]

I wouldn't even have done the maths personally. I'd have thought, tenner green fee, played a round of golf and walked away having won 50 quid! Happy days!

This!!!

To be quite honest - no-one but the club in question knows the exact financial result of the day and it really matters not what they did or did not make. All that matters is that they offered visitors an excellent golfing proposition and for that they should be applauded.

Some of the critisism and conjecture on here is misplaced and disappointing.

 

[Parsaregood]

Completely different. A well run club will have a surplus that it can put aside for capital expenditure over and above the annual running costs. My club has done this for as long as I've been a member.

It's being astute and knowing the money will always eventually find it's way back into the course, nobody is cutting costs here and there just purely for profit which is a fine line many courses run and the reason I think alot of them fail

 

[Bunkermagnet]

It's being astute and knowing the money will always eventually find it's way back into the course, nobody is cutting costs here and there just purely for profit which is a fine line many courses run and the reason I think alot of them fail

Perhaps too many clubs fail because too many people have a " something for nothing" attitude.
If this were a profit motivated club, I would suggest the entry fee wouldnt have been cut from a published green fee of £48 down to £10, but a figure much closer to the published figure.

 

[Dibby]

In my previous sport, Athletics, you’d get loads of pot hunters. Occasionally you’d hear them moan about a prize, but I’d always say, find out the prize before you run, if it’s not worth the bother/travel/other expenses, don’t run.

Seems like the same should apply to golf opens really, if the prize matters, find out before.

Interesting perspective. In my old sport, you got £20 for breaking a national record. It amuses me to see golfers complaining over getting £50 for a significantly smaller accomplishment.

 

[bobmac]

Costs for extra clubhouse staff were not included but a good point and maybe we should factor that in.
£160 on the day gives us a £40 loss over 2 years.

By the way, welcome to the forum, you'll never get any work done now

 

[Bunkermagnet]

By the way, welcome to the forum, you'll never get any work done now

Ah but theres a heap of forumers who will tell him how to run his club......possibly into the ground

 

[Jacko_G]

Costs for extra clubhouse staff were not included but a good point and maybe we should factor that in.
£160 on the day gives us a £40 loss over 2 years.

£40 loss?

I suggest you offer a decent prize fund to attract fresh blood.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Jesus,

This thread is embarrassing.

No wonder clubs are going out of business, the word profit isn’t a dirty word. It’s up to you if you want to play it, if you don’t like it stay and play at your own course.

Each club has operating costs and if they recoup it through an open or society day or just visitor green fees so be it. This is the real world in 2019.

No one wants to donate a club money when the course is closed for snow so plenty of days when they don’t take a penny.

To say it’s all about the food and drink is also utter rubbish, so so many car park golfers than ever before. And also what if catering is franchised that’s only benefitting another party.


We are supposed to be proper golfers on this forum and some of you just want to suck every last penny from this golf club.

 

[Jacko_G]

One final point. We decide on the dates for Opens as much as a year in advance so therefore that stops us taking societies on that day.
We have to turn away business on our Open days but we are prepared to accept that.
We will obviously review our Open policies before next year but thinking if we do have one there maybe no entries from Braehead GC

What did you hope to achieve by publishing your last sentence?

Not covering yourself in any glory here. Would have expected a course of your standing to be above that.

Anyway all the best for the rest of the season. Buchanan Castle is a very nice track and a nice practice facility. What I will say to anyone reading it is a course worth playing if in the area.

 

[Jacko_G]

Jesus,

This thread is embarrassing.

No wonder clubs are going out of business, the word profit isn’t a dirty word. It’s up to you if you want to play it, if you don’t like it stay and play at your own course.

Each club has operating costs and if they recoup it through an open or society day or just visitor green fees so be it. This is the real world in 2019.

No one wants to donate a club money when the course is closed for snow so plenty of days when they don’t take a penny.

To say it’s all about the food and drink is also utter rubbish, so so many car park golfers than ever before. And also what if catering is franchised that’s only benefitting another party.


We are supposed to be proper golfers on this forum and some of you just want to suck every last penny from this golf club.

Why is it embarrassing?

People are entitled to their views.

 

[Slab]

What did you hope to achieve by publishing your last sentence?

Not covering yourself in any glory here. Would have expected a course of your standing to be above that.

Anyway all the best for the rest of the season. Buchanan Castle is a very nice track and a nice practice facility. What I will say to anyone reading it is a course worth playing if in the area.

I know two wrongs don't make it right and all that but the OP started the name game and didn't get pulled up on it

I did have a wee smile when I read that though

 

[Slab]

You know what they say about no such thing as bad publicity though. I’ll definitely be looking this place up for a game when I get back

Went to a wedding in Drymen many moons ago (which has nothing to do with anything I suppose)

 

[Maninblack4612]

£40 loss?

I suggest you offer a decent prize fund to attract fresh blood.

Unlikely to attract the right type, though. I've played in a lot of opens this year. Couldn't tell you, for any of them, what the prize fund was. I select them based on whether its a course my friends & I want to play. The prizes on offer never come into the equation. If we win something, which has happened, that's a bonus but I would never base a decision on whether to play on the prizes available.