Course closed due to weather......refunds or not?

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Fairway dodger

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I play at Nizels normally but since the middle of Dec it has pretty much been closed due to being a swamp. The members are a little fed up, especially as it costs them about 135 quid a month to not use the facilities. The earliest the course will be open is likely to be mid to late Feb if there is no more rain....The owner, Club Company, has responded to requests for some form of refund by offering a free Full English, some guest vouchers and a no increase in annual subs.
I know all clubs suffer from the weather to some degree and members accept this. But when a course is closed for nearly two months, should some form of rebate/refund be in order?
 
Fairway dodger said:
I play at Nizels normally but since the middle of Dec it has pretty much been closed due to being a swamp. The members are a little fed up, especially as it costs them about 135 quid a month to not use the facilities. The earliest the course will be open is likely to be mid to late Feb if there is no more rain....The owner, Club Company, has responded to requests for some form of refund by offering a free Full English, some guest vouchers and a no increase in annual subs.
I know all clubs suffer from the weather to some degree and members accept this. But when a course is closed for nearly two months, should some form of rebate/refund be in order?
Click to expand...
No - shouldn’t be any form of rebate , you can always leave , but why should you get a rebate because of the weather ?

The course is only going to suffer more from a lack of income
 
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At my first club we had a very wet winter - cant remember exactly but it was late 90s early 00s - and the course was closed for almost a month.
The management decided to move the date for membership payments one month on, effectively giving us a free month.
Not convinced it was a sound financial move but nobody turned it down.
At the end of the day, and I feel your pain, if the course is going to get damaged by playing on it then you shouldn't be playing on it.
It's either fit for play or it ain't and it it ain't then it needs to be closed.
Playing on a course that should be closed is risking the future of the club..the course is the #1 asset
 
Fairway dodger said:
I play at Nizels normally but since the middle of Dec it has pretty much been closed due to being a swamp. The members are a little fed up, especially as it costs them about 135 quid a month to not use the facilities. The earliest the course will be open is likely to be mid to late Feb if there is no more rain....The owner, Club Company, has responded to requests for some form of refund by offering a free Full English, some guest vouchers and a no increase in annual subs.
I know all clubs suffer from the weather to some degree and members accept this. But when a course is closed for nearly two months, should some form of rebate/refund be in order?
Click to expand...

Are you able to play any of the other clubs they own whilst this is going on? I know they own Chartham park and I believe that's slightly better in the wet

Both lovely courses
 
When you join a golf club it's a given that there will be closures for weather, and all sorts of other reasons, most clubs would be bankrupt if they were to refund members during these closures.
 
chrisd said:
When you join a golf club it's a given that there will be closures for weather, and all sorts of other reasons, most clubs would be bankrupt if they were to refund members during these closures.
Click to expand...

Especially in Kent which is largely sat on clay, clay not being renowned for its drainage qualities.
 
No to refund. It's closed for it's own protection. Giving members money back paralyses it further. If it is such a major issue, especially every year, members are free to leave and join a course that is open during the winter.
 
My home club has been shut a lot the last couple of months and I tend to agree that no refunds should be given as such.

However I can see it from the other side also. If you pay a gym membership and it shut for extended periods you would want your money back. Also saying your free to leave is true but if a lot of members left it would hit the club a lot harder than a month free etc.

Just points for discussion...
 
If a club would have to refund (let’s say) 10 % for closures, wouldn’t they just increase the subs by that? Same money in, and even a little more if they have a good year with less closure.
 
Another thing to consider. What does the club advertise as weather policy? Has the club been shut a lot in the past?

Some clubs around me advertise as open 365 days a year no temps. If you joined one of these for that reason and it closed then fair enough.

Did you know the course shuts due to the weather when u joined?
 
Neeko1988 said:
Another thing to consider. What does the club advertise as weather policy? Has the club been shut a lot in the past?

Some clubs around me advertise as open 365 days a year no temps. If you joined one of these for that reason and it closed then fair enough.

Did you know the course shuts due to the weather when u joined?
Click to expand...

I work with one of the management teams husband and he always told me the course is a bog in the winter
 
Commercial business making a commercial decision on how to keep customers on side..... they cant legislate for the weather, but at what point will members think annual sub isn’t worth it?

Contractually no obligation to to anything (I assume) but they rather folk rejoin when subs due.
 
No, not in my view. Membership is an annual fee, not monthly. You can kick the proverbial out of membership in the summer, and you don't pay any more, and you play less in winter.
 
How much would be sought as a refund for a compensation for loss of golf - and how many members? Do the sums and ask if he club could afford it...

Afraid not. A pain but just life...
 
murphthemog said:
No, not in my view. Membership is an annual fee, not monthly. You can kick the proverbial out of membership in the summer, and you don't pay any more, and you play less in winter.
Click to expand...

membership is what you sign up for, ive signed up for annual membership and ive signed up for monthly membership in the past
 
If it was a member's club I would agree.

However, if this is a business looking to make a profit then it is entirely different.

If you joined a private gym that was closed for 2 months you would not be happy to pay a monthly fee.
 
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