Cheaper for women

[HeftyHacker]

As I understand it, clubs are permitted to offer incentives for groups underpresented. So suspect this would hold up to legal challenge.

I always think this when people moan about the discounted association fee (age bracketed).

On the one hand I can see why those paying full whack would be miffed - its not often the case that people in those age ranges are earning significantly less than those older any more so why should they get a discount.

However, on the other hand it becomes more of a question of who gets the most out of a membership. A person up to the age of 35 might be cash rich but time poor - juggling full time jobs with a young family. As such they might get out at a weekend and possibly one evening a week at best, and even then only for 4 month period of the year. Whereas those with older/adult children are more likely to get more value from their membership cost.

For me personally, as a 30 year old with a young daughter, I don't think I could justify the non-discounted cost of the membership even at our relatively modest club. As it stands at the moment though, it works out about 42 quid a month and is similar to a gym membership for me which is much more palatable.

From the clubs perspective, they have to strike a balance between losing their younger members and having an aging membership with a threat of obsolescence (as my club were close to experiencing not all that long ago), or keeping the younger members with the hope that they remain members for the next couple of decades.

Obviously if you're a club with a a waiting list then you can clearly afford to do away with discounted membership fees as the demand is there.

 

[bobmac]

The ladies section at club X once applied for equal tee time rights as the men at weekends.
The chairman approved the application and sent a letter to all the ladies informing them that the cost of their membership would increase by £250 the following year to bring it in line with the fees paid by the men.
The application was quickly withdrawn.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Under the law though they are not supposed to discriminate by gender.
This should protect men from paying more than women.
As long as everyone has the same opportunity to join / play I can’t see any real justification to have a discrepancy.

Juniors are different given they don’t have the income or resources.
But should stop at 18 yrs old.
The equality laws are very rarely used to protect men but there are to many get out clauses.

Awww do you feel like you need protecting?

Maybe golf clubs feel they need to incentivise Women to join or play the game after years of being treated poorly.

 

[Orikoru]

I suppose it's not much different to cheaper rates for those who under 40, under 30 etc. Which is something I take advantage of at my club (31-40 rate).

 

[chrisd]

Under the law though they are not supposed to discriminate by gender.
This should protect men from paying more than women.
As long as everyone has the same opportunity to join / play I can’t see any real justification to have a discrepancy.

Juniors are different given they don’t have the income or resources.
But should stop at 18 yrs old.
The equality laws are very rarely used to protect men but there are to many get out clauses.

But has already been said, it is not illegal to offer incentives to under represented groups to play sports.

 

[Banchory Buddha]

An op isn’t going to change gender, only sex

You can't change sex

 

[clubchamp98]

Awww do you feel like you need protecting?

Maybe golf clubs feel they need to incentivise Women to join or play the game after years of being treated poorly.

Yes I do .
So a multi millionaire woman pays no joining fee at my club.
But a man on the minimum wage does
Woman to join as a full member £1250
Man to join as a full member £2500.
That’s not equality as I know it.
We have a very big waiting list as well.
I know for a fact some men are put off by the cost ,one of my pals didn’t put a form in when he found out the initial cost.

 

[clubchamp98]

But has already been said, it is not illegal to offer incentives to under represented groups to play sports.

I never said it was!
But everyone should pay the going rate to be a member of the club.

 

[doublebogey7]

Under the law though they are not supposed to discriminate by gender.
The equality laws are very rarely used to protect men but there are to many get out clauses.

The laws as currently written protect men and women equally. Have you ever considered that there may be a reason why women are able to make more use of them than men?

 

[doublebogey7]

I always think this when people moan about the discounted association fee (age bracketed).

On the one hand I can see why those paying full whack would be miffed - its not often the case that people in those age ranges are earning significantly less than those older any more so why should they get a discount.

However, on the other hand it becomes more of a question of who gets the most out of a membership. A person up to the age of 35 might be cash rich but time poor - juggling full time jobs with a young family. As such they might get out at a weekend and possibly one evening a week at best, and even then only for 4 month period of the year. Whereas those with older/adult children are more likely to get more value from their membership cost.

For me personally, as a 30 year old with a young daughter, I don't think I could justify the non-discounted cost of the membership even at our relatively modest club. As it stands at the moment though, it works out about 42 quid a month and is similar to a gym membership for me which is much more palatable.

From the clubs perspective, they have to strike a balance between losing their younger members and having an aging membership with a threat of obsolescence (as my club were close to experiencing not all that long ago), or keeping the younger members with the hope that they remain members for the next couple of decades.

Obviously if you're a club with a a waiting list then you can clearly afford to do away with discounted membership fees as the demand is there.

I have every sympathy with your situation but feel that points-based or flexible memberships are the answer for those that are time-poor, and not aged based rates. At my club, I would say the 25-35 age range is now overrepresented and many of them seem to live at the club.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

If a club signs up for and meets the criteria of the Women in Golf Charter, then one of the things that a club must do is develop initiatives to encourage more women to play the game…and stay within the sport as a member of a club.

https://www.randa.org/TheRandA/Initiatives/WomenAndGolfCharter

 

[Deleted member 29109]

I have every sympathy with your situation but feel that points-based or flexible memberships are the answer for those that are time-poor, and not aged based rates. At my club, I would say the 25-35 age range is now overrepresented and many of them seem to live at the club.

Which is probably the case due to many of them now working from home or having more flexible working conditions. This may change

Previously, if I played during the normal workday the vast majority of people at the club would be seniors, this is no longer the case. I wonder if some of the issue is retired golfers don’t have run of the place as they once did!

 

[chellie]

I was talking to the chairman the other day about my wife joining this year as she wanted to take it up.
When he told me it was the same price as me the idea was quashed there and then.
He did point out they had exactly the same options as us men so it should be equal,and let’s be honest they are always moaning about not have equality.

Massive generalisation.

 

[clubchamp98]

The laws as currently written protect men and women equally. Have you ever considered that there may be a reason why women are able to make more use of them than men?

Yes historically they have been held back in lots of ways.
But golf is a luxury not an essential thing.
I belive in true equality but giving one sex discounts over another is wrong imo.

more men go to football matches should PL teams discount tickets for women to get the numbers up.

 

[chrisd]

more men go to football matches should PL teams discount tickets for women to get the numbers up.

The idea is to give under represented groups a chance to PLAY a sport, not to watch it.

 

[clubchamp98]

The idea is to give under represented groups a chance to PLAY a sport, not to watch it.

That’s the problem for me .
By calling women an under represented group its treating them differently imo.
Members should pay the same
Dosnt matter who you are once over 18.
Treat everyone the same this goes away and nobody complains.

 

[HeftyHacker]

I have every sympathy with your situation but feel that points-based or flexible memberships are the answer for those that are time-poor, and not aged based rates. At my club, I would say the 25-35 age range is now overrepresented and many of them seem to live at the club.

I'd probably agree with that, and that is what I used to have at my previous club in Manchester.

But even they should be managed properly - at that club those on a flexible or points based membership weren't allowed to play in comps so effectively wrote off Saturday mornings - which is about a quarter of the already limited time I would have ?. Tee booking for those memberships was only 7 days in advance as opposed to the 14 days so it made it hard at weekends full stop.

The point on working from home is a good one, it means I'm far more likely to make it out in an evening now as I don't have a 40 minute commute to factor in. Its literally log off and jump.in the car.

 

[louise_a]

An op isn’t going to change gender, only sex

It is called gender reassignment surgery.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

It is called gender reassignment surgery.

Gender is a social construct, it's nothing to do with anything physical.

 

[chrisd]

By calling women an under represented group its treating them differently imo.

Yes, of course it is.

The same with reductions that many clubs give to under 35's.

I had a discussion with our club Chairman, as in my club a person who's been at the club for 20 years and of state pension age is entitled to claim a £100 reduction - he said that he was going to stop this and give it to (already benefiting by reduced fees) younger golfers as they had less disposable income than pensioners. I pointed out that most of the brand new cars in the car park were being driven by the under 40's and that only by means testing could he tell who was most likely to benefit, especially given that under 35's already paid less than I do as a pensioner, but in any case he'd never get it through an AGM as only the olden's tend to bother to turn out.