Club Staff having free golf?

[Slab]

Free and heavily discounted products and services that businesses already make/provide are not only a nice perk for employees and very cost effective for the employer to give away. It has the side-benefit of making that employee a walking talking advert

Whether it’s a Big Mac, digital TV or a bunch of green fees, those employees will typically talk positively about that product, have far more product knowledge when at work and be able to have better conversations with customers/members

If there’s one thing we know for certain its that golfers love to talk about the round they’ve just played. So imagine when you order your post round pint and the barman you see every time you play asks ‘how was your game’ and you tell him about the good/bad/ugly on the 14th hole and they don’t just stare blankly at your tale (because he only asked to be polite) but instead can actually converse/celebrate/commiserate with genuine camaraderie and you feel that he actually cared and valued you as a customer/member… and that the same interaction can happen with visitors, potential members etc... all because the club gives its employees some free green fees to use

Substitute 'barman' for any other member of club staff and the reach and positive impact grows and grows. Surely a no brainer in any commercial venture

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Do people think that committee members should be given free or reduced membership?


Was speaking to our Head GK last night during a meeting and for him the last place he wants to be when he finishes is the golf club , any time he has played the amount of people coming up and asking him about the course and what’s wrong etc etc spoils it . They all go fishing after their finish apart from the one lad who is a member.

All our bar staff bar the three ladies are casuals - and not one of them has any interest in the game.

These are members golf clubs - the advert is the course itself and how it’s presented to people , all the green keepers take pride in their work and they love nothing more than hearing how well the golf course is and how good it is

 

[timd77]

Staff perks are all part of employee packages, it’s not a new thing and it’s not exclusive to golf clubs. Whether it’s free gym membership somewhere, private health insurance, cycle to work scheme, or being able to use your company’s services at a reduced cost or even free.

My mum worked at Tesco for years, think she ended up getting 20% discount off shopping, I guess that would equate to a similar amount to golf membership over the course of a year. Wonder if Tesco customers begrudge the staff getting a discount, or whether they’re just pleased for them in a society where everything has gone up and we’re being ripped off left right and centre.

Strange hill to die on this, but each to their own.

 

[KenL]

What about the captains who spend quite a bit of their own money during their time in office??

I’m not sure that’s the norm. They certainly shouldn’t be spending their own money.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Staff perks are all part of employee packages, it’s not a new thing and it’s not exclusive to golf clubs. Whether it’s free gym membership somewhere, private health insurance, cycle to work scheme, or being able to use your company’s services at a reduced cost or even free.

My mum worked at Tesco for years, think she ended up getting 20% discount off shopping, I guess that would equate to a similar amount to golf membership over the course of a year. Wonder if Tesco customers begrudge the staff getting a discount, or whether they’re just pleased for them in a society where everything has gone up and we’re being ripped off left right and centre.

Strange hill to die on this, but each to their own.

Staff do get perks

But golf membership isn’t one of them , it’s not cheap to run golf clubs and a lot of people pay a lot of money to be a member of one - including for us a joining fee and includes voting rights etc

Giving staff cheap membership to play golf would never get through any AGM

They get all the discounts in the bar and restaurants , they can play at reduced green fees etc

 

[Neilds]

I’m not sure that’s the norm. They certainly shouldn’t be spending their own money.

Technically it isn't their own money as they don't pay a membership fee for the year they are captain so effectively have a slush fund. Not sure how much each captain spends, things they put on varies year to year.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

I’m not sure that’s the norm. They certainly shouldn’t be spending their own money.

Most captains end up spending more than any budget they are given , it’s not cheap and one of the reasons why some clubs struggle to get people to do it

 

[KenL]

Most captains end up spending more than any budget they are given , it’s not cheap and one of the reasons why some clubs struggle to get people to do it

I don’t understand why anyone would do it. A load of hassle and hard work, plus it costs you money. No thanks.

 

[Robin Hood]

I haven’t read the full thread; however here are my views:
Pros should be allowed to play the course free, as well as other members of staff who play golf.
You have to have perks working for a company. I also believe all staff should get discounted food and drinks too.
Captains should get free membership for that year and this could offset their expenses.
I am also aware that there is an unwritten rule that gives visiting Pros the courtesy of the course and therefore don’t pay green fees.

I can’t imagine that the “loss” of income would make any significant difference to a clubs P&L.
You have to look after your staff, they are your clubs ambassadors.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

I don’t understand why anyone would do it. A load of hassle and hard work, plus it costs you money. No thanks.

It’s very much a no win situation

There are still those that are ok to do it but it does need a very supportive family as well

Some will of course want to do it for the “kudos” and then forget to actually do much work o

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Staff do get perks

But golf membership isn’t one of them , it’s not cheap to run golf clubs and a lot of people pay a lot of money to be a member of one - including for us a joining fee and includes voting rights etc

Giving staff cheap membership to play golf would never get through any AGM

They get all the discounts in the bar and restaurants , they can play at reduced green fees etc

I bet you had free flights via the RAF when you were there. Whether that’s returning from duty/excersize/ jump on as going that way flight.
Every serviceman I know has done. Should you and they all be charged?

 

[Slab]

Do people think that committee members should be given free or reduced membership?

Despite it being know to be voluntary I'd say yeah they probably should get cheaper/free.

Members golf clubs appear to be very (over?) reliant on volunteers to operate & ppl on committees are undervalued, but anyone who's done committee for any length of time knows the rewards are meagre compared to the effort put in

simple fact is. No volunteers = no members club... or they'd need to employee & pay ppl to do those tasks,

Which is cheaper? 1) A few discounted annual memberships for volunteers or 2) pay staff to run club? Seems some Members clubs take a 3rd option; get volunteers and give nowt for it

 

[Arthur Wedge]

I bet you had free flights via the RAF when you were there. Whether that’s returning from duty/excersize/ jump on as going that way flight.
Every serviceman I know has done. Should you and they all be charged?

I was flown to work by the company for an exercise - in what way was that a benefit of perk

If wanting to fly back to the UK for holiday I had to pay to go on the flight

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

I bet you had free flights via the RAF when you were there. Whether that’s returning from duty/excersize/ jump on as going that way flight.
Every serviceman I know has done. Should you and they all be charged?

WOAH man calm down, if that ever happens i'm going to be flying a lot less

I refuse to pay to be flown home

@Arthur Wedge

I was flown to work by the company for an exercise - in what way was that a benefit of perk

If wanting to fly back to the UK for holiday I had to pay to go on the flight

Depends what you're flying on, a voyager is a massive perk compared to freezing your balls of on an A400 or C130 with the tail open

Did you ever take advantage of the cheaper PAX flights though or full price Civ Air

 

[Slab]

Staff do get perks

But golf membership isn’t one of them , it’s not cheap to run golf clubs and a lot of people pay a lot of money to be a member of one - including for us a joining fee and includes voting rights etc

Giving staff cheap membership to play golf would never get through any AGM

They get all the discounts in the bar and restaurants , they can play at reduced green fees etc

Its not cheap to run a digital satellite broadcaster (insert any business) and ppl pay a lot of money for telly/broadband, but when you call sky the person you're talking to is likely sitting on 1.5k of 'freebies' ... just for answering the phone!

So if you can accept the above, Why shouldn't the person cleaning the clubhouse bogs after you've used them get a similar financial perk?

 

[jim8flog]

When it comes to PGA Pros they can go to any golf course and get a courtesy round (or that is the way it used to be) so why charge them at your own course. Our pro shop is open 12 hours a day and I cannot see any one of them working that many hours in a day in summer so they will be playing in their own free time.

Green staff (as said in the other thread) one of the major benefits of them playing the course is they get to see it from a players perspective.

Office and bar staff several of our staff for these posts are members (and were before becoming employees). Their hours of work (day off etc) give them enough time to play in their own free time. Those that are not, to the best of my knowledge, do not play any way.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Its not cheap to run a digital satellite broadcaster (insert any business) and ppl pay a lot of money for telly/broadband, but when you call sky the person you're talking to is likely sitting on 1.5k of 'freebies' ... just for answering the phone!

So if you can accept the above, Why shouldn't the person cleaning the clubhouse bogs after you've used them get a similar financial perk?

Not sure there should be comparisons between billion pound companies that make huge profits every year to a little golf club that is hugely dependant on income to try and break even as well as bringing in funds to help improve the club

We have asked for levy’s over the years to help pay for projects so given memberships away cheap takes out funds

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

We couldn’t possibly have the plebs on minimum wage getting such perks as free golf. They would be cluttering up the course. We can’t be having that.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

WOAH man calm down, if that ever happens i'm going to be flying a lot less

I refuse to pay to be flown home


Depends what you're flying on, a voyager is a massive perk compared to freezing your balls of on an A400 or C130 with the tail open

Did you ever take advantage of the cheaper PAX flights though or full price Civ Air

When I was in Cyprus and flying back for work or courses etc it was via the PAX , for Holidays etc it was via Civ Air flights

There was no joy in flying Herc all the way to the gulf from Lyneham

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

When I was in Cyprus and flying back for work or courses etc it was via the PAX , for Holidays etc it was via Civ Air flights

There was no joy in flying Herc all the way to the gulf from Lyneham

Hope you got the PAX free especially if it was for courses if they charged you they stitched you up as part on any course JI is free travel,

Try an A400M from the Arctic circle with a broken tail lift. Bloody freezing ! The Herc though its weird seatbelt system on a journey that long must've been fun