do we need membership

[clubchamp07]

Just looking through GM this month (havent read it yet) but got thinking do we really need to be members of a golf club. Can we not just keep our handicaps and play in open weeks or open competition's. I'm sure there is a reason why we pay out hundereds of pounds to be members, but why cant we just join the golfing unions and play as freelance golfers.
Bring it on!

 

[MVP]

I guess people join clubs because of the practice facilities, some clubs have a gym and swimming pools.
I joined a club because it worked out cheaper to pay for a membership and play when you like.

 

[muttleee]

I'm sure there is a reason why we pay out hundereds of pounds to be members

Yes, because golf clubs need to make money! If everyone stopped paying their annual subs and stuck to cheap open weeks etc, first of all open weeks would stop being so cheap and second of all, clubs would be going bust like there's no tomorrow. And for those clubs, there wouldn't be! Apart from that, without a solid core of members at a club, there would be little or no competitive golf week in, week out for most of the year. Is that really what we want?

 

[GB72]

Fair point but I have seen a number of examples whereby members are treated worse than those that pay and play and are seen simply as a cash cow that can be milked whenever the club needs funds.

There need to be benefits to membership and these do not exist in many cases yet we are still subjected to joining fees as if we should be priveleged to be allowed to be part of a club.

 

[viscount17]

I think you need to separate the two aspects; the season ticket, which pays for the course, and the club, which deals with handicaps and competitions. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that it's in the private members clubs that the fees are astronomical because both aspects are combined.
I don't know how widely recognised the golf unions are. It appears that a non-club handicap is viewed with suspicion in some quarters, though why that should be I also don't know. Handicaps should be transferrable.

 

[Parmo]

I don’t mind memberships, it’s the silly joining fees that make me sick, it might be alright for some but others can not justify spending hundreds and receive nothing in return and yet have to fork out yet more hundreds for the subs.

I understand clubs have to make cash but I would of thought that dropping joining fee's would increase customer base, but hey who am I to moan about the old chap slap on the back sport which we love.

 

[GB72]

Many clubs seem to see the joining fee as a way of keeping hold of members. If you have just paid a large joining fee, you are not going to leave after only a year or so. This keeps golfers nicely handcuffed to one club.

I would suggest that the economics of the matter not in favour of joining fees. Get rid of them, increase membership and make back the lost revenue through more people being in the bar etc.

It even used to be in my area that if you were looking to join one of the local clubs in April but showed an interest at this time of year and they were down on members, they would sign you up on the spot and give you the period to April free just to get your money there and then. I approached 3 clubs last week about membership for my birthday, one did not bother to call me back, one would take my money now but would not start the membership until April and the other wanted a £300 joining fee and then would start my membership in April. At a time when I am hearing that memberships are down and money is tight at all 3 of these golf clubs it is no surprise that people are not queing up to sign on the dotted line.

 

[stevelockie]

I don’t mind memberships, it’s the silly joining fees that make me sick, it might be alright for some but others can not justify spending hundreds and receive nothing in return and yet have to fork out yet more hundreds for the subs.

I understand clubs have to make cash but I would of thought that dropping joining fee's would increase customer base, but hey who am I to moan about the old chap slap on the back sport which we love.

I do agree with you Parmo, I think the joining fee puts a lot of people off joining a club.

 

[USER1999]

I am a member of a club for the clubby side of things. I know every one, I have lots of different people to play with, there are swindles to play in (the saturday one is about 40 people, and there are three different ones), there is a good social scene, the breakfasts are good, there are fun comps, serious comps, days when the course is closed except for members (ie: any comp day, no pay and play or societies), there is a lot of rivalry with the lads over scores,etc.

Also, having paid my subs, I play a lot more golf. I try to play monday and wednesday nights, friday afternoons and saturday mornings. This would cost a fortune to do individually. I also play in all sorts of weather, because I have already paid. If I paid and played, I would probably hang up my clubs in september, and not play til may (may be never again, who knows). I certainly would not pay to play in the rain, so a lot of weekends there would be a huge temptation to stay in bed.

If you have never been a member of a club (ideally a members club where they own the course), then you are missing out big time.

The joining fee is a pain in the short term, but soon forgotten.

 

[geronimo]

I have just joined my first club.
I was going to join one in kilsyth as it has uspga greens but a £400 joining fees (reasonable if you ask me) but went for westerwood hotel course as they have dropped there joining fee until Christmas, apart from saving the joining fee i have always liked the course and it is closer to my home.
there is a lot of work being done on the course just now so it should get better.

 

[MVP]

My joining fee was 600 pound but i get to pay it monthly with my annual subscription. till its paid off.

 

[madandra]

Bugger that .... I am £460 all in and that is for a course designed by James Braid.

 

[geronimo]

cant make up my mind about joining fee's.

Suppose it depends on how much it is and what you get for it.

Another course in cumbernauld dullater is about £600 joining fee and nearly the same in green fee's, this gets you 2 courses and a good club house. However they are selling 1 course for a housing development so they will probably destroy the club as it seems it is now about getting money rather than building a club for its members

 

[Parmo]

I think the joining fee included in the first year is a good idea, what about cutting the joining fee by half and then add it to the first year membership so members see a difference and something to stay a member for, and the club gets to advertise free joining fee and exsisting members get the orginal price and everyone is happy?

 

[TWM]

Well I joined the senior section at my club and it is worth club membership alone. Good company and great banter.

 

[Leftie]

The terms "supply and demand" and "horses for courses" come to mind.

There is a very high population density in this area and it seems that they all want to play golf when I do. There are a lot of very good courses around here - private members clubs, pay & play and private clubs where pay and play is very actively encouraged. I used to belong to the latter but eventually got totally p&&d off with the queueing up on Saturday/Sunday mornings trying to book a 4 ball time for a fortnight in the future not knowing if I or my partners would definately be available. OK many of the better members clubs have to have booking systems but the problem there towards the end of my membership was that pay&play and sometimes a small society was allowed at weekends after 12.30ish. They did it because the demand was there.

Even during the week it was advisable to book tee times or you could not be certain of getting on the course.

Eventually I decided to bite the bullet, took out a second mortgage and joined my present club. It was the best thing I could have done. We have 2 very nice courses always in the best condition that the prevailing weather conditions allow and even if one course is completely closed for a corporate day (very unusual case) or there is a competition on, I can still just turn up and virtually walk on.

If I can play 2 or 3 times a week, it is cheap and convenient golf.

 

[sbrandon]

Me and the brother in law both joined our local club in april. We looked about at other local clubs but found ours to have the friendliest members, as well as a good bar and excellent food.I think part of the reason we were so warmly welcomed was the fact that we spend quite a lot of time and money in the bar,,(welcomed especially by the bar manager!).Seriously though, i think that if you make a commitment to join a club, we need to support the whole culture - pro shop, bar and green fees.

 

[DCB]

I think to answer that you have to ask yourself what you are looking to get out of your golf. If you want to play lots of courses then membership of one club is probably not for you. If however you are looking for somewhere to play your golf and to 'belong to' then a club is the ideal place.

I have been a member of my club for 23 years. It has been a great club to be a member of over that time. Yes, in the mid eighties there were still tighter dress codes etc, but as time has moved on so has the club. It's a club with a playing membership who all seem to know each other. New faces seem to quickly integrate and get to grips with the main reason for being a member, playing golf.

My annual subs are equivelent to the season ticket that a friend pays to watch football at Ibrox. I was fortunate, I joined a long time ago and paid about £250 as an entry fee, I wouldn't like to pay todays equivalent, but if I had to move, for my work for instance, one of the things high on my priority list would be where is the nearest golf club.

I enjoy my golf, my bounce games, my nights out with a half set for nine holes on a balmy summer evening (ok not that often then!) and the various Saturday Medals and Meetings. The highlight of the year is the Club Championship, two weeks of qualifying and then matchplay. It's the big event of the season. The Finals day is a good day out. Get to the club for lunch, then out to watch the afternoons golf and hopefully a worthy champion. As a Cat 2 player I can only dream about the main event. I would dearly like to qualify some year just to be able to say " I was there" but more often than not I manage to qualify for the second string. All good fun whether you're cannon fodder in the first knockout round or go all the way.. (well semi final anyway)

Thats what belonging to a club means to me. Good mates, good fun, good place to relax and unwind after a hard week at work and sometimes even good golf!

 

[RGuk]

I'm not following this whole thing at all. The point of being a member of a club is to enjoy the course, the club, keep your h'cap serviced and play lots of golf for minimal expense (twice a week, 50 weeks/year = £5 a round???).

PS, sorry to sound a dim-wit but what is a "bounce game"? everyone (on here) uses this expression, never heard it in real life....


Dave

 

[DCB]

Dave,

A bounce game, just turn up and play with your mates for honour and a pint at the end. Just for fun.