County fee ?

[Grant85]

Fairly sure it's compulsory. And it's only a few quid usually (Like under £5 I think?)

Remember there will be a few comps at your club where a win will put you into a country KO the following season.

I won handicap matchplay a few years ago and played in Dunbartonshire comp. Got a game up at Balmore (great course) and narrowly lost.
Also got into a texas scramble (also up at Balmore) and played a team comp at Dalmuir that was 4 people... scratch, someone under 10, someone over 10 and someone over 18.
Every club will have team events at county level that your club will be entered into... scratch, 5-8, 9-18 etc.

Appreciate it depends on region and club as to how much access you might have to these, but pretty good to get some decent competitive golf and likely play at a few other clubs for free.

 

[jim8flog]

Am I missing something or am I not getting discounted golf fees in England through my County Membership? Looking at Delamere which is £90 I can get a round in at £40 with County Membership. Job done surely.

If by County Membership you mean a County Card this has nothing to do with the Area Authority (The County sub of the National Union). It is a voluntary scheme to which each club can decide to be part of because it gives reciprocal golf for it's members. There was a time when you paid a much higher fee for the County Card and got free golf at other clubs.

 

[patricks148]

Fairly sure it's compulsory. And it's only a few quid usually (Like under £5 I think?)

Remember there will be a few comps at your club where a win will put you into a country KO the following season.

I won handicap matchplay a few years ago and played in Dunbartonshire comp. Got a game up at Balmore (great course) and narrowly lost.
Also got into a texas scramble (also up at Balmore) and played a team comp at Dalmuir that was 4 people... scratch, someone under 10, someone over 10 and someone over 18.
Every club will have team events at county level that your club will be entered into... scratch, 5-8, 9-18 etc.

Appreciate it depends on region and club as to how much access you might have to these, but pretty good to get some decent competitive golf and likely play at a few other clubs for free.

its about £15

 

[Diamond]

So is County Membership nothing to do with the County Card? Is it not an individual payment and something the clubs pays and rolls into the full membership fee?

 

[doublebogey7]

So is County Membership nothing to do with the County Card? Is it not an individual payment and something the clubs pays and rolls into the full membership fee?

The county card in England is distributed by county unions so yes it has everything to do with counties and would not exist without them.

 

[doublebogey7]

Surely the money you pay to the County Golf Union would be better utilised within your own club rather than being "spread" around other clubs in the area, minus the admin fees county fees and expenses to allow those people to feel important.

The club could use the money for improvements, junior coaching, development fund, prizes for opens, advertising, a better website etc etc.

And who would administer handicaps, provide competitions for elite golfers, provided delegates to Endland Golf etc. All organised sport have national/regional bodies to ensure consistency and provide pooled resources and to help their sport thrive. As for people feeling important, whilst I am sure there are some who do it just for the kudos, but in my experience the vast majority work hard for no or little remuneration.

 

[User20204]

its about £15

I am charged £14.50 SG fee and £3 county fee.

The cost of it isn't relative, the very fact I am forced to pay it, regardless of the amount is my issue.

 

[Jacko_G]

And who would administer handicaps, provide competitions for elite golfers, provided delegates to Endland Golf etc. All organised sport have national/regional bodies to ensure consistency and provide pooled resources and to help their sport thrive. As for people feeling important, whilst I am sure there are some who do it just for the kudos, but in my experience the vast majority work hard for no or little remuneration.

National Golf Unions

 

[jim8flog]

So is County Membership nothing to do with the County Card? Is it not an individual payment and something the clubs pays and rolls into the full membership fee?

The county card in England is distributed by county unions so yes it has everything to do with counties and would not exist without them.

Where I play (Dorset) the County Card is available by paying a separate fee. The clubs listed on it are all over the South of England not just Dorset clubs.

 

[jim8flog]

National Golf Unions

But then the National Union would be forced to hire more staff to cover all the functions currently performed by county and have to pay increased travelling expenses and overnight stay expenses because they are National not County so would probably end up charging the same fee to members to cover the cost.

 

[Jacko_G]

But then the National Union would be forced to hire more staff to cover all the functions currently performed by county and have to pay increased travelling expenses and overnight stay expenses because they are National not County so would probably end up charging the same fee to members to cover the cost.

I may be wrong but I'm sure it's SG up here that do that anyway not the county. I would need to double check that. Also why would you need to hire more people if it's all done via a computer program that is run at the club after the close of the competition?

Surely it's then automatically uploaded to the national/county computer?

 

[patricks148]

I may be wrong but I'm sure it's SG up here that do that anyway not the county. I would need to double check that. Also why would you need to hire more people if it's all done via a computer program that is run at the club after the close of the competition?

Surely it's then automatically uploaded to the national/county computer?

absolutely right, the countys up here organise jollies for themselves and arrange junior squads, all handicap stuff is done by the SGU

 

[rosecott]

Sorry but that is not the case, both my current club and my old club have members who do not pay either the county union or Endland Golf subscription.

I beg to differ. The County Union collects the affiliation fees and the bill submitted to the clubs is based on the headcount of male members (and a separate one for female members) irrespective of whether a handicap is held or not. If those two clubs you mention are not paying for every member, they are cheating the unions out of income.

Assuming your club is in Leicestershire, this is an extract from the Leicestershire and Rutland Union's Articles of Association:

"A condition of membership for each Member Club is that it shall collect from each of their male and junior male members the annual affiliation fee to the Company (determined at the AGM) and England Golf and pay these on demand to the Company"

Note that there is no mention of members who do not have a handicap - just members.

 

[User20204]

Yet women aren't obliged to pay the fee. It would only take someone to take them to court over that and they'd get their erse felt.

 

[doublebogey7]

I beg to differ. The County Union collects the affiliation fees and the bill submitted to the clubs is based on the headcount of male members (and a separate one for female members) irrespective of whether a handicap is held or not. If those two clubs you mention are not paying for every member, they are cheating the unions out of income.

Assuming your club is in Leicestershire, this is an extract from the Leicestershire and Rutland Union's Articles of Association:

"A condition of membership for each Member Club is that it shall collect from each of their male and junior male members the annual affiliation fee to the Company (determined at the AGM) and England Golf and pay these on demand to the Company"

Note that there is no mention of members who do not have a handicap - just members.

So how does the union determine the value of the bill, I can only guess from the CDH!

 

[rosecott]

So how does the union determine the value of the bill, I can only guess from the CDH!

The club is sent a proforma which requires the club to report the number of members, multiply that by the per capita fee, and pay that amount.

 

[rosecott]

Yet women aren't obliged to pay the fee. It would only take someone to take them to court over that and they'd get their erse felt.

Where did you get that from?

All our women pay the same fee as the men. In fact, the affiliation fee for women used to be higher than that for men but it's now the same in our County.

 

[jim8flog]

I may be wrong but I'm sure it's SG up here that do that anyway not the county. I would need to double check that. Also why would you need to hire more people if it's all done via a computer program that is run at the club after the close of the competition?

Surely it's then automatically uploaded to the national/county computer?

I think you need to read back through the posts to see what the County does. It is not just about handicaps adminstration.

 

[patricks148]

I think you need to read back through the posts to see what the County does. It is not just about handicaps adminstration.

i think you need to read the first few posts, this is about the SGU not the EGU, what you get and what we do are comp different

 

[rosecott]

I think you need to read back through the posts to see what the County does. It is not just about handicaps adminstration.

You should come to our club on a Monday evening when the County Junior coaching team take over the whole of our fairly large driving range. It's great to see the large number of Juniors of all shapes, sizes and sex.