Censorship
- Thread starter SwingsitlikeHogan
- Start date
stevie_r
Tour Winner
I'll add to you frustration and tell you that we now pay not a penny for our BRS and visitors and soon members will be able to book online and the club will pay nothing for this service.
in 2 years our online booking income has grown 66%.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Or indeed clubs in an area got together and worked together - sharing secretary and adminsitration, caterers, website developer; purchase of expensive and occasionally used equipment; maybe even some greens staff; a pro and assistants with pro rotating around each club and having the membership of all clubs in the group as his custiomer base; reciprocals for members. Better off clubs in the group supporting those that are struggling a bit to get through the difficult times etc. Indeed you could almost end up with one big golf club association for an area having a number of sections - each being one of the existing clubs.
Quite a different model I grant you.
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Good concept with machinery Hogan but not so good in practice as there is always problems with maintenance.
At one of my old clubs we had state of the art equipment and a f/t mechanic. We would hire machines such as corer/scarifier/vertidrain with our own oppo to local golf and bowling clubs. That worked well for all combined.
At one of my old clubs we had state of the art equipment and a f/t mechanic. We would hire machines such as corer/scarifier/vertidrain with our own oppo to local golf and bowling clubs. That worked well for all combined.
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Hogan should you not be still celebrating the great St Johnstone win!!!
One more win and they are in the Europa Cup leagues.
One more win and they are in the Europa Cup leagues.
Our place bought our own trenching/drainage equipment rather than hire it and now we rent it out to other clubs at a dairly reasonable rate I believe. It made sense as our local clubs are mostly built on clay soil and drainage does need upgraded/redone every few years.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Delighted indeed - we actually didn't look out of our depth 
And great to see so many supporters of other Scottish Clubs congratulating us on Pie and Bovril - even Celtic - though not much in the way of congrats coming from tRangers fans - am I surprised?...pity - but not bothered.
If we get through 3rd qualifier we go into a play-off round when the Champions league qualifiers who didnae qualify join in. Then the Group round. No matter - Dynamo Minsk away next week and if we are still in it then week after another 8000+ crowd a MacDiarmid Park.
And great to see so many supporters of other Scottish Clubs congratulating us on Pie and Bovril - even Celtic - though not much in the way of congrats coming from tRangers fans - am I surprised?...pity - but not bothered.If we get through 3rd qualifier we go into a play-off round when the Champions league qualifiers who didnae qualify join in. Then the Group round. No matter - Dynamo Minsk away next week and if we are still in it then week after another 8000+ crowd a MacDiarmid Park.
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SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
It's the traditional crofting model - even today. Other than the very few - crofters can't afford to buy all the machinery they need - and can't afford to hire workers at busy times. So the crofters in a township share their machinery around - and lend a hand when a load of bodies are needed - like when doing the hay - or maybe building or refurbishing a shed/byre.
stevie_r
Tour Winner
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
I genuinely had no idea Surrey was like that
Actually a load of fermers about where we live - but they seem to be OK - if not exactly wealthy.
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
I genuinely had no idea Surrey was like that
on that note, and hopefully appropriate and I didn't see the thread referenced so I skating carefully, I know of private members clubs in Surrey that (1) have a pro-bono Club Secretary or (2) have replaced all catering before 1000h with a coffee machine for members (if there's a society or event the provision of all catering staff is costed directly to the function). When the options were laid out the difficult decisions can get votes!
there will be other clubs in the country who find this amazing news, and others who have properly considered most things (active membership of a Golf Club Management Association helps!)
as brendy says, it's tough out there, but there are also a vast number of club models for which it's all to easy to assume that one size fits all solutions should fit (somehow) - they don't; it's the apparently tiny differences that can mean so much.
I'm not trying to re-open any previous discussions; it was just the inference I took from this reference to Surrey (that everything's rosy in Surrey....!)
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Yup - not all smelling of roses down Surrey way. Club running cost are horrible.
6inchcup
Journeyman Pro
Are we spoilt by the catering at our home clubs,and expect all clubs to have the same standards,my club has an award winning chef and we have gourmet evenings with silver service even the daily bar food is better than some local restaurants can serve,I have played at clubs and been given a cup of instant coffee and a sandwich in cling film as part of the package but if that's all they can do I have never grumbled,times are hard for most clubs but scrimping on catering all be it costly is very short sighted,best I have had away from my club was LANCASTER a pie desperate dan would have struggled with enough chips to keep a local chippy going for a night and proper mushy peas,as much bread as you wanted and a big pot of tea this was after 18holes on a great track all for £35 no wonder it is always booked solid.
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
this is fine, but as you referenced, 'great track' is in there!
clubs have to understand the various equations over catering - and for some they continue to confuse what is, with what they would like it to be.
it's been discussed on here how clubs can confuse the issue of using catering to raise income with the provision of appropriate catering services to the various course users.
golfers primarily go to a course because of the course, but if the course elements are equal they will take catering into account; The Berkshire and Tandridge are examples of courses where this stands out, but both attract their required levels of (selected) society business at a good (for them) price level as a result. Both are excellent courses but not quite at the premium green fee levels of, say, St George's Hill where the catering is also excellent but complements the green fee prices!
member's catering is a completely different issue for most clubs; v few have many members who sit down to a meal with wine everytime they play! I would probably cite Rye as the only example of this I know!
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
AMcC
Journeyman Pro
Allan,
You say online booking income has grown by 66% in 2 years, was that from a low base and does this mean substantial income for the club ? How do you not pay for BRS ? pm me if you'd rather not say in public
SocketRocket
Ryder Cup Winner
Foxholer
Blackballed
Thats a bit Fermerist. Us West Country types are very thin skinned you know
Oooh Aaarrgh!
