Correlation between membership fees and green fees

[Jaco]

I find it odd that clubs with expensive green fees often have very reasonable annual fees.
We played Newquay last week, course was wonderful, and fees fifty quid. That’s broadly in line with my local clubs £ 45 fee, but membership at Newquay is not much more than half the £1200 of my home village club, which is often closed during heavy rain, as it’s parkland.

Some of the good links courses (not Open Rota, but just below) have big green fees of £100 to £200, and don’t list membership fees on their websites, as they have waiting lists, but I’m guessing most of them aren’t huge.

Its just something I find interesting, and maybe the thinking behind it is to limit the amount of traffic over the course?

 

[IanM]

There's lots of reasons, some or all can apply to many courses.

Subs at Clubs in Devon and Cornwall can seem relatively cheap... due to lower wages in the region and they top up income on holiday makers green fees.

I'm a member of a club that doubled its green fees because the membership is full and they wanted to reduce demand.

Another example. Silloth. £655 full membership a year!! Stick that on the Kent/Hampshire Coast and I wonder what the subs would be?

Edit. Just checked Hayling. £1550 pa and £2600 joining fee. I love Hayling, but Silloth is probably better... but its miles and miles from most places.

 

[PJ87]

My boss is a member of carne in Ireland, it's gone up now but it was 400 euros a year. Think it's 700 now

Green fee went up to 100 euro plus. Why? The yanks. They believe if you pay more you always get better

So they were advised to up their price to attract the yanks

Soon as they put the prices up the yanks arrived

His members guest rate is like 20 euro or something

 

[IanM]

Yep. Being hosted in Scotland soon... green fee £125. Guest rate? £15

 

[Genu9]

Green Fees, depending on where your club is located, can be set too low in the hope of attracting more visitors. But the downside to that is the quality of the visitors you get. Four and a half hours following hackers, is no fun for members who have effectively paid to subsidise those visitors.

More, is not necessarily better. And 'we need the money' is a weak excuse.......

 

[Jaco]

There's lots of reasons, some or all can apply to many courses.

Subs at Clubs in Devon and Cornwall can seem relatively cheap... due to lower wages in the region and they top up income on holiday makers green fees.

I'm a member of a club that doubled its green fees because the membership is full and they wanted to reduce demand.

Another example. Silloth. £655 full membership a year!! Stick that on the Kent/Hampshire Coast and I wonder what the subs would be?

Edit. Just checked Hayling. £1550 pa and £2600 joining fee. I love Hayling, but Silloth is probably better... but it’s miles and miles from most places.

Wow, mind blowing. 2600 joining fee . I thought the reintroduction of 500 JF at my local was cheeky enough.

I‘d join Newquay in a heartbeat if I lived close, because of the low cost and year round golf, but have actually decided not to join my local club as the fees of 1200 plus (885 a couple of years ago) would put too much pressure on me to play regularly, and work makes that difficult. I just pay to play when convenient.

 

[Jaco]

My boss is a member of carne in Ireland, it's gone up now but it was 400 euros a year. Think it's 700 now

Green fee went up to 100 euro plus. Why? The yanks. They believe if you pay more you always get better

So they were advised to up their price to attract the yanks

Soon as they put the prices up the yanks arrived

His members guest rate is like 20 euro or something

Really interesting. Guest rate at my local is 20, but full is only 45.

 

[Deleted member 15717]

guest fees subsidise the membership fee.

if a Club doesn’t have visitors, the membership fee is probably going to be extremely high

 

[sunshine]

I bet the annual subscriptions at the Open rota courses are peanuts (relatively). At £1000+ per tee time you only need a handful of visitors slots per day to subsidise the membership.

 

[Viewer]

There's lots of reasons, some or all can apply to many courses.

Subs at Clubs in Devon and Cornwall can seem relatively cheap... due to lower wages in the region and they top up income on holiday makers green fees.

I'm a member of a club that doubled its green fees because the membership is full and they wanted to reduce demand.

Another example. Silloth. £655 full membership a year!! Stick that on the Kent/Hampshire Coast and I wonder what the subs would be?

Edit. Just checked Hayling. £1550 pa and £2600 joining fee. I love Hayling, but Silloth is probably better... but it’s miles and miles from most places.

Which one?

 

[patricks148]

I bet the annual subscriptions at the Open rota courses are peanuts (relatively). At £1000+ per tee time you only need a handful of visitors slots per day to subsidise the membership.

ive got two mates who one is Carnoustie member the other Troon, both were less than my Nairn membership i believe. an old friend thats a city trader still had the bright idea to buy a Holiday home in or near Casrnoustie and that had a very very long waiting list. Ive asked several times the two guys who are members of Muirfield and they were tight lipped about it to say the least

 

[Captain_Black.]

Lots to do with the population of the area, the catchment area & lower wages.
Devon & Cornwall generally have a lower membership fee & higher green fees to catch the visitors for holiday golf & opens.
Staunton Sands membership fee is very reasonable for 36 holes of quality golf, but the green fee is pretty steep.
Same for Burnham & Berrow.

 

[IanM]

Waiting lists at both of those though, but the guest rates are decent value!

 

[Oddsocks]

Green Fees, depending on where your club is located, can be set too low in the hope of attracting more visitors. But the downside to that is the quality of the visitors you get. Four and a half hours following hackers, is no fun for members who have effectively paid to subsidise those visitors.

More, is not necessarily better. And 'we need the money' is a weak excuse.......

100%.

As a once a week golfer my cost per round is £40 roughly. During the winter when every where else is closed, we often offer a 4 ball at £150 with bacon rolls. Effectively it’s cheaper to be a nomad.

As we have 1 mat over 27 holes and no temps, I’ve always said if courses are closed, you could double the price and half the traffic and it would still be full.

 

[need_my_wedge]

Yep. Being hosted in Scotland soon... green fee £125. Guest rate? £15

Don’t tell everyone

 

[IanM]

Don’t tell everyone

That's west of you... but I might be in contact when we plan the drive south! (if that's ok)

 

[AussieKB]

I am over in May so am sure that there is a special rate for the Old Enemy......

 

[Springveldt]

I find it odd that clubs with expensive green fees often have very reasonable annual fees.
We played Newquay last week, course was wonderful, and fees fifty quid. That’s broadly in line with my local clubs £ 45 fee, but membership at Newquay is not much more than half the £1200 of my home village club, which is often closed during heavy rain, as it’s parkland.

Some of the good links courses (not Open Rota, but just below) have big green fees of £100 to £200, and don’t list membership fees on their websites, as they have waiting lists, but I’m guessing most of them aren’t huge.

Its just something I find interesting, and maybe the thinking behind it is to limit the amount of traffic over the course?

It's not odd at all, the visitor green fees are subsidising the membership fees.

I joined a links course last September and the AGM was last night, not heard how it went yet but I know a few of the members were going to reject the membership fee increase of £640 to £700 due to the green fees the club receives from visitors over the year. They think the increase isn't needed. Here I am thinking £700 is a bargain as my other parkland course has put the fees up to nearly £900 yet only has qualifiers from mid April to the end of September and has been closed way more than open since October. Both clubs are within 12 miles of each other.