Clubs Changing fees mid-season...

[Crazyface]

The club I was at last season had an offer of £225 for the year. No voting rights and can't play on comp day. Full membership is £785! I used it for a season, didn't like the place so have gone back to my old club. They still have the offer in place tho. I wonder if they have any full members left? I had to laugh when I received an e mail from the greens chairman regarding repairing pitch marks and raking bunkers. At £225 do they really think people will do that? Yoooooooooou plonkers !!!!!

 

[patricks148]

These sort of deals are happening all over the country. My club is struggling for younger members and has introduced a 18-30 offer that pay no joining fee (700) and less than half the normal membership £270 (670) and bypass the waiting list. You would feel agrieved if you had just waited 2 years and paid full whack only for a 18-30 get in straight away and paid less than half and no joining fee.

The club thinks its a good idea, but i did notice the list on the club notice board of folk not paid their fee's half of them where in this new cat!!!

 

[DCB]

Thing is Patrick, a lot of the 18-30 members will go elsewhere next season when they see a 'better' offer elsewhere. They are only an associate member really so don't have any tie to the club. Big test will be to see how many of these members actually move into full membership when they reach the age of 30. We've got a similar scheme going at present but another local club has pitched their 1 age range up to 35 so it'll be an interesting time seeing how it pans out.

One thing is for sure, no club can sustain that sort of offer indefinitely. It has to come to an end one way or another at some time, Join the club or move on...

 

[LIG]

Over the past few years, I've noticed that many of my old nodding aquainances have been moving clubs every year just to get the cheapest golf they can find. It's noticeable too that there are several groups who all move together. Was chatting about just such a group on Sunday - over 25 of them!
How can the clubs NOT see that this sort of offer is unsustainable? Or are they just hoping to stay alive for a few years until the good times are back? In the meantime, survival of the fittest!

 

[patricks148]

Thing is Patrick, a lot of the 18-30 members will go elsewhere next season when they see a 'better' offer elsewhere. They are only an associate member really so don't have any tie to the club. Big test will be to see how many of these members actually move into full membership when they reach the age of 30. We've got a similar scheme going at present but another local club has pitched their 1 age range up to 35 so it'll be an interesting time seeing how it pans out.

One thing is for sure, no club can sustain that sort of offer indefinitely. It has to come to an end one way or another at some time, Join the club or move on...

just like you say, they will just move on to a better deal. thing is we are a club in a posh ish retirement area, we are always going to have lots of older members and with a small town with 2 top courses we should make the most of our exclusivity and stature by not just giving away memberships.

 

[GMAC88]

If you read my original post, I fully understand the position the club is in at the moment, and am glad they have done something to try and attract new members, but to charge someone more than 60% less than a current member is ridiculous!! One of the things that was voted against was asking 'life members' to pay some sort of subscription, now I dont doubt that some of these guys have given up their time and money to support the club over a number of years, but thats a hell of a lot of members that could have raised a fair chunk of the £20k no?

An also at prices ranging from £130-£360...theyll have to attract a fair few new members in to make that sort of cash!

 

[GMAC88]

It may well be your club, and there are around 30 people who fall into the age brackets on the offer, I wonder how many of them will feel aggrieved at the fees on offer in comparison to what they paid only 4 months ago.

Yes the club needs income, but when the offer is rolled out to ALL members come October, how do they cope with the loss of revenue from the 30 folk who have paid full what this season?

 

[Stuey01]

So is this an introductory offer or a permanent reduction in fees for age groups, that you have just missed the boat on?

If the latter then I'd say you have reason to feel agrieved.

 

[duncan mackie]

It may well be your club, and there are around 30 people who fall into the age brackets on the offer, I wonder how many of them will feel aggrieved at the fees on offer in comparison to what they paid only 4 months ago.

Yes the club needs income, but when the offer is rolled out to ALL members come October, how do they cope with the loss of revenue from the 30 folk who have paid full what this season?

I guess you would be really miffed if the offer is withdrawn just prior to renewal, or restricted to new members only then.....

As you suggested at the begin inning the place to discuss this was the AGM, and the minutes should provide all the discussion that took place (without you) - what I'm really surprised at is that it wasn't all set out in the documentation prior to the AGM?

 

[williamalex1]

I guess you would be really miffed if the offer is withdrawn just prior to renewal, or restricted to new members only then.....

As you suggested at the begin inning the place to discuss this was the AGM, and the minutes should provide all the discussion that took place (without you) - what I'm really surprised at is that it wasn't all set out in the documentation prior to the AGM?

An AGM doc.was set out prior to AGM ,posted on notice board and emailed to all members who gave an email address'
It stated ,any current member who falls into the age group 18 to 30, would be offered the opportunity to be assimilated into this discounted category at the start of the next financial year. when all categories of fees will be payable over 2 installments

 

[duncan mackie]

An AGM doc.was set out prior to AGM ,posted on notice board and emailed to all members who gave an email address'
It stated ,any current member who falls into the age group 18 to 30, would be offered the opportunity to be assimilated into this discounted category at the start of the next financial year. when all categories of fees will be payable over 2 installments

Cheers William,
So for the OP it comes down to differential treatment for the balance of the year, followed by a benefit going forwards associated with steps designed to increase membership in his category ie the current perception of a loss combined with a future real gain.
Of course people don't see things that clearly

 

[williamalex1]

Cheers William,
So for the OP it comes down to differential treatment for the balance of the year, followed by a benefit going forwards associated with steps designed to increase membership in his category ie the current perception of a loss combined with a future real gain.
Of course people don't see things that clearly

I agree, if people would go to the agm where they can ask questions and get it explained in plain english instead of being assimilated . pretty scarey for trekkies,btw. .

 

[GMAC88]

Unfortunately I wasnt able to make the AGM William, and due to other commitments in the winter, I dont play much golf so havent been at the club, except for the Emergency meeting that was called back in December. It is also interesting that they chose to email the stuff out considering the abuse they received at the emergency meeting for communicating through these lines.

As I have previously stated, I understand the position the club are in, but feel it is verging on the ridiculous that they feel 2 people in the same age bracket can join for 2 vastly different sums of money! I have been given the opportunity to go to the next council meeting to put my point accross, Ill go, noone ever died from asking!

The new financial year begins in April no? Or when fees are due again? There is no mention on the website advertisement or the facebook advert that the offer is open to new members only?

I would be interested to find out how many members it had actually attracted as I spoke to a member of staff who deals with memberships and she said she hasnt yet dealt with any of the prices quoted on the advert.

 

[williamalex1]

Unfortunately I wasnt able to make the AGM William, and due to other commitments in the winter, I dont play much golf so havent been at the club, except for the Emergency meeting that was called back in December. It is also interesting that they chose to email the stuff out considering the abuse they received at the emergency meeting for communicating through these lines.

As I have previously stated, I understand the position the club are in, but feel it is verging on the ridiculous that they feel 2 people in the same age bracket can join for 2 vastly different sums of money! I have been given the opportunity to go to the next council meeting to put my point accross, Ill go, noone ever died from asking!

The new financial year begins in April no? Or when fees are due again? There is no mention on the website advertisement or the facebook advert that the offer is open to new members only?

I would be interested to find out how many members it had actually attracted as I spoke to a member of staff who deals with memberships and she said she hasnt yet dealt with any of the prices quoted on the advert.

I would ask if i were you it won't do any harm for them to make it clearer. The way i read it, new members in your age cat. pay so much in March the rest in october.
As you have paid in full up till next october, when october or maybe March comes you will be asked to pay the same as the new members pay in 2 installments So you have then been assimilated their words not mine ,i may be wrong . so do ask . BTW i wasn' at any of the meetings , but i did get the email which is as clear as mud .
best of luck

 

[MadAdey]

It is like people have said already regarding going into a shop 2 months later and demanding a refund as they are now selling your TV cheaper. If you are happy at your club and think it is value for money then I would forget about it and move on, do not become bitter over it.

I understand you are probably really frustrated with what has happened, but you are not going to change it. You are in a position where you have 2 choices, accept it or move clubs.

 

[steveh]

I think I'd be feeling a bit hard done by in your situation, but it sounds like you've been a victim of unfortunate timing. Good luck with the appeal though.

I'm looking at this from the opposite perspective though. I'm just coming to the end of my first year as a club member and I joined on an introductory offer. I've decided not to renew for this year as circumstances mean I can't justify the full subs for the amount I'll be able to play. So I'll be joining another local club on an introductory deal to keep the cost manageable. I can see this pattern continuing for at least the next few years until either I get the opportunity to play more regularly or clubs stop offering such attractive deals!

 

[Stuey01]

I think I'd be feeling a bit hard done by in your situation, but it sounds like you've been a victim of unfortunate timing. Good luck with the appeal though.

I'm looking at this from the opposite perspective though. I'm just coming to the end of my first year as a club member and I joined on an introductory offer. I've decided not to renew for this year as circumstances mean I can't justify the full subs for the amount I'll be able to play. So I'll be joining another local club on an introductory deal to keep the cost manageable. I can see this pattern continuing for at least the next few years until either I get the opportunity to play more regularly or clubs stop offering such attractive deals!

I see why you're doing this Steveh, and I totally understand it and think it is an inevitable consequence of introductory deals. The flipside of the coin is a member like me who was drawn in, in part at least, to the attractive member rate but am staying put at full rates because I am enjoying being a member of the club and want to stay around for at least the medium term.

I think clubs who do this need to understand that there will be people who come in just for the member rate, and I don't think that in itself is a bad thing, it's all money in the coffers and if there is headroom in the membership then why not. The ongoing benefit is you will get some longer term members out of it too.

 

[Stuey01]

If you look at the positives GMAC, you're going to get cheaper golf next year, which you wouldn't otherwise have done. Who cares what someone else pays this year, it doesn't affect you one bit. You already made the decision to renew at the rate that was applicable to you.

 

[GMAC88]

Its completely different to buying anything from a shop and then it dropping in price, the level or quality of my membership does not deteriorate through time!

I am beginning to feel a little bitter about it, as I feel that had this been planned, then current members could have been offered the rate before renewing as they were fully aware of the financial position they were in. Alternatively, as other people have suggested to me, could it have been voted in for the beginning of the new financial year, and therefore no one is aggrieved about paying over the odds!

 

[duncan mackie]

Its completely different to buying anything from a shop and then it dropping in price, the level or quality of my membership does not deteriorate through time!

this doesn't make sense - the product being bought in the example doesn't inherently deteriorate in level or quality either, the retailer simply changes the price to be paid. If you buy at the higher price you get miffed when it's reduced in price the next day/week etc that's all.

it happens, the older you get the more it will happen to you.

as William infers in his earlier post, you can obviously take your case forwards (and have been invited to do so) but do remember that anything done for you would have to be done for everybody else, and will already have been considered ie don't get even more bitter if they don't change the situation.