Club Membership Mid Year...

[Diamond]

Evening
Just looking at club membership for 2020 and some web sites state subscriptions 1st August and there is no mention of pro rata charges. August seems an odd time and I was just wondering what the rationale would be behind that.
I can understand 1st April and I have noticed that some clubs state pay now and nothing else until April 2021 so you get 3 months free.
Is anyone at a club where fees are due 1st August and if so how does it work when you sign before or after that date?

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Ours are due 1st July, the resean being to discourage those who might join just for the summer then leave.
Of course if you join after then, the first year pro-rata.

 

[Diamond]

Ours are due 1st July, the resean being to discourage those who might join just for the summer then leave.
Of course if you join after then, the first year pro-rata.

So if I join now I pay for 6 months?

 

[Bunkermagnet]

So if I join now I pay for 6 months?

Yes

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We recently changed our membership renewal date from late autumn (can’t remember the precise month) to align with normal end of financial year. Apart from making finances a bit easier - we are more likely to have reduced non-renewal if renewal is at the start of the ‘full’ playing year rather than at the end of it when we were paying up with the prospect of four months winter golf looming.

And even if it is only one of a number of factors - we find our membership full with a waiting list.

 

[Grant85]

Evening
Just looking at club membership for 2020 and some web sites state subscriptions 1st August and there is no mention of pro rata charges. August seems an odd time and I was just wondering what the rationale would be behind that.
I can understand 1st April and I have noticed that some clubs state pay now and nothing else until April 2021 so you get 3 months free.
Is anyone at a club where fees are due 1st August and if so how does it work when you sign before or after that date?

Agree, August is a bad time. I was in a club where the membership year started 1st October and it was indeed and absolute sickner to pay your fees at that time of year when you were basically putting you clubs away for 4 months.

Rationale will just be something along the lines of 'we've always done this'.

And also makes it a real jeopardy for the club to offer pro-rata offers as people could join 1st May and pay half fees to basically play the whole season. Then just move on the following year.

Clubs with membership years starting March (or spring) it is much easier to do pro-rata, if clubs want to encourage mid-season membership.

Also, I don't feel that a club should be obliged to offer pro-rata membership and a lot of clubs will state that if you pay monthly you are committing to a full year, so can't pay £75 to £100 pm for May, June, July, August, then cancel your payment and go somewhere else the following May.

 

[patricks148]

both Nairn Clubs membership starts end Jan and Kings in Inverness is end of April, though it used to be 1st Jan

 

[Deleted member 1147]

It's most likely just to fit in with the accounting year end

 

[Blue in Munich]

Ours was calendar year but was moved to the start of April with the addition of a couple of rules in order to stop people “going social” with claimed medical issues over winter then rejoining pro rata for the rest of the year once the weather improved...

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Ours was calendar year but was moved to the start of April with the addition of a couple of rules in order to stop people “going social” with claimed medical issues over winter then rejoining pro rata for the rest of the year once the weather improved...

Easy way to make such naughty behaviour a poor option is to have a joining fee...applicable to rejoiners as well as new joiners

 

[Blue in Munich]

Easy way to make such naughty behaviour a poor option is to have a joining fee...applicable to rejoiners as well as new joiners

We have a joining fee thank you, and they weren't leaving & rejoining; they were changing membership categories.