credit crunch good for golfers?

[kingshankly]

hi lads
couldnt help but notice what great value there is to be had at the moment in golf.course are offering great deals at the moment for green fees and i have noticed lots of course abolishing joining fees even presigous courses have reduced their joining fees greatly.on top of this golf equipment has never been cheaper especially here where we are noticing the strenght of the euro. think the internet can be thanked also for making the market more competitive

 

[Barney]

Me and four friends thought this also and so approached a local members club that we all wanted to join.
We very politely explained how good we thought the course was and expressed our desire to join as members but then explained that other local clubs offered us membership without a joining fee(which was not a lie) and asked if they would do the same for us.
Their reply was a big fat no.
We would love to join the club as it is the best around us but its knocking on a grand joining fee and around £70 monthly payment which is too much for us.
They basically said owned clubs are screaming for everyones money but members clubs like theirs are fine and will not be reducing their charges.
Even though I spoke to a member of this club a few days later who was shocked at their response as over 50 of their members had failed to return their renewal forms by the cut off date so they were obviously having to forecast that they will be losing these members.
?????????????????????????????

 

[TWM]

This post made me do a check on the course nearest to me.
No change I'm afraid. Joining fee £800, subs £810.
I prefer to travel an extra ten miles for golf at half the price.

 

[medwayjon]

Me and four friends thought this also and so approached a local members club that we all wanted to join.
We very politely explained how good we thought the course was and expressed our desire to join as members but then explained that other local clubs offered us membership without a joining fee(which was not a lie) and asked if they would do the same for us.
Their reply was a big fat no.
We would love to join the club as it is the best around us but its knocking on a grand joining fee and around £70 monthly payment which is too much for us.
They basically said owned clubs are screaming for everyones money but members clubs like theirs are fine and will not be reducing their charges.
Even though I spoke to a member of this club a few days later who was shocked at their response as over 50 of their members had failed to return their renewal forms by the cut off date so they were obviously having to forecast that they will be losing these members.
?????????????????????????????

Unfortunately, as I have discovered, there are many members clubs that are simply run by the clique of old farts (not being ageist, speaking from experience) who have zero knowledge of business, finance and the running of. They are long-standing members who have been put in power by their cronies who have also been at the club for 30 years so they basically have their heads up their arses and cant see the wood for the trees.

I know a club that is ridiculous like this, they wont allow weekend societies, no more than 1 guest before 12.30 at the weekend, no weekend visitors. Think at the money they are losing??? And all because a crowd of cronies are stuck in their old ways.

There is no flexibility. The club are advertising for new members but wont do anything other than the norm. There has been no joining fee for 3 years ok, but someone suggested a weekend only membership for the 9-5 people and it got shot down. why? it would be a great idea.

 

[muttleee]

...someone suggested a weekend only membership for the 9-5 people and it got shot down. why? it would be a great idea.

It would be a great idea for the 9-5 people alright but it would probably cost the club a fortune. They might pull in a few more weekend golfers if they have the capacity to take them but how many of the current 7-day members would switch to the new (and presumably much cheaper) option..?

 

[medwayjon]

good point there

 

[SammmeBee]

In the short long term I think shankly is onto something here, the problem is the credit crunch 'proper' has only really kicked in for the last 2/3 months and not many golf clubs have gone through their renewal process yet....there are 5/6 golf clubs that have closed due to financial reasons in the last fews months, a couple were 'members clubs'....any club that thinks they will escape the credit crunch are foolish....

Give it until May/June when the penny finally drops (see what I did there?) and the coffers are not as full as expected then you might see some 'panic' offers.....

 

[Imurg]

Agreed Sammme.

While fees and joining fees might be coming down (but not around here!) and shops try to buy some business from you, in the long run some clubs are going to go pop. Take my club. Part council sponsored pay'n'play with a club attached. We pay £505pa 7day. Many of us pay by DD. But the club has done a deal with a finance company whereby we pay them and the club get all the money up front.This cost us about £30pa. We only have 100 members. Many of them are Seniors who take out 5 day membership (£350). There is also an Associate membership at £110 and you pay reduced green fees. In reality not many use that option.

I would guess the clubs income from members is no more than £50k pa. That doesn't pay for the Centre Manager andthe Greenkeepers, let alone machinery, light, heat etc etc. The shop is contracted out to a Pro who pays a %age of his takings and the range takings. The bar is much the same.

Therefore the club has to rely on pay'n'players to make up the funds and actually make money. If I tell you that I could turn up at any time except Tuesday am (Seniors) and Sat/Sun am (members) and just walk on you'll get the idea that this club is on a knife edge.

If the club goes bust next week, I am still liable to pay my DD up to the end of April. In the region of £140 - for no golf.

That's why I'm looking around. The club I have my eyes on is £60 a month by DD, but you can stop the payment and leave at any time - no tie-in. Sounds an altogether better deal for a better course as well.

 

[GB72]

No change at my club. Apparently they still have money in the bank so will not be cutting joining fees. Seems reasonable at the moment as none of the local clubs are ditching the joining fee. I think if one changes their mind and cuts fees before the end of march renewal then the others may see a bit of an exodus and the others may follow suit.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Still waiting for the figures for next year to be published but I can see a significant rise and no drop in joining fees fornew members. I know we are already short of the numbers required for a projected break even and so if more leave as anticipated we could start to struggle. If the club continues to raise fees for existing members to cover some of the shortfall they risk driving even more members out who can go to local pay and play for a fraction of the cost.

I've no answer on how to encourage new members other than dropping joining fees but it would seem that in seemingly affluent areas like Ascot there isn't the numbers interested in joining a private club. I know other clubs (Mill Ride, The Berkshire, East Berks, Sand Martins etc) are all advertising for members so it isn't just affecting my club.

 

[Billser]

top name kingshankly!!

 

[SammmeBee]

Still waiting for the figures for next year to be published but I can see a significant rise and no drop in joining fees fornew members. I know we are already short of the numbers required for a projected break even and so if more leave as anticipated we could start to struggle. If the club continues to raise fees for existing members to cover some of the shortfall they risk driving even more members out who can go to local pay and play for a fraction of the cost.

I've no answer on how to encourage new members other than dropping joining fees but it would seem that in seemingly affluent areas like Ascot there isn't the numbers interested in joining a private club. I know other clubs (Mill Ride, The Berkshire, East Berks, Sand Martins etc) are all advertising for members so it isn't just affecting my club.

Homer - how many members have the club estimated they will lose when the fees need to be paid?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Not sure. They lost around 20 at the end of last March but some of those were older guys who found the course too long and hard (especially compared to the short track we had inside the racecourse). Several were unhappy about the way the club was run and I think a few either didn't want to pay the fees or just moved away.

I think they are looking about the same number again this year possibly more now that money is getting tighter. The problem is we simplay aren't attracting enough new members.

 

[kingshankly]

just noticed a couple of illustrious clubs near me now accepting societies which i never thought i would see must be feeling the pinch

 

[Parmo]

My club is simlar to Imurg's, its a council municipal track but the club is seperate but is desperate for pay and play golfers to use the bar so any golfer can if they have played a round. The season ticket is/as last year £340 7 day membership + £135 club subs for comps and the likes, 10-15 years ago they had over 500 members now its down to 170 and 140 playing members! The problem I have found that its not a draw comps and mostly team matches, meaning that new members struggle like myself to even get cards in. In its prime golfers from Moortown, Sandmoor and cobble hall used to play at their tracks and come to my track for the social scene it had!! Long gone are them days as the bar closes now at 9pm and doesnt open until 12pm.

credit crunch good for golfers?

How can it be? Courses are struggling which means clubs could go under leaving members in a catch 22 with having to find funds for a new joining fee in the current climate. Also with lack of funds for clubs means cut backs on the course and staffing levels decreasing the level of service supplied.

You might find some online retailers selling off last years stock as bargins but overall people are not spending £300+ on a new driver when a £150 can be justified, so in the long run they are loosing out as is the case with most things in a recession.

 

[Herbie]

Having looked at the latest regarding the credit crunch, there is a lot more trouble on the way yet and I dont think the majority of people believe that maybe the worst is yet to come.

 

[Twire]

Having looked at the latest regarding the credit crunch, there is a lot more trouble on the way yet and I dont think the majority of people believe that maybe the worst is yet to come.

I'm just pleased my 2009 subs have been paid.....if nothing else, at least I have a years golf to look forward to.