First year membership question

[KenL]

Not sure that Links weather is particularly brutal, it certainly isn't most of the time.

Going into the trees all the time is more brutal than a bit wind.

 

[KenL]

It’s a lot nicer playing in wind and rain on a parkland or inland course with a bit of protection rather than coastal will full on see spray & gusts in addition to the rain…. But this is purely a personal view.

What are your thoughts on mud up to your ankles in winter?

 

[PaulMdj]

Personally I’d go with the links.

 

[KenL]

What is the links course @bigyin55 ?

 

[Backache]

It’s a lot nicer playing in wind and rain on a parkland or inland course with a bit of protection rather than coastal will full on see spray & gusts in addition to the rain…. But this is purely a personal view.

Sea spray really is rare on most courses.
Rain tends to fall on higher ground and is rarer at the coast.
If there's nae wind there's nae golf.

 

[bigyin55]

Links golf world be great for all year golf but links weather can be brutal and I’m not sure if I’d personally want it full time.

Does the 9 hole have two sets of tees effectively making it 18? It seems great value for a first membership. If you’re not a wet weather golfer it’s even better value compared with the others. Are there additional costs each time you play (ie reduced green fees)

I’d be opting for that for a year especially given such low costs, this would give you breathing space to try the others without a rash decision.

£220 around here would only get me 5 green fees even on two local full length 9 holer’s.

Yes the 9 hole course is usually played as an 18 hole round and has separate tee boxes. It is very reasonably priced ain't it

 

[bigyin55]

What is the links course @bigyin55 ?

West Kilbride

 

[Oddsocks]

What are your thoughts on mud up to your ankles in winter?

That’s a completely different hobby and it’s done out of hours.

My course doesn’t get muddy so I wouldn’t know

 

[Backache]

West Kilbride

A very nice course, where do you live?

 

[kp17]

Go with West Kilbride. If it’s affordable at that price then it’s a top course and club to get yourself into if going to be playing and a member for years to come

 

[sunshine]

West Kilbride

This is such a no brainer. Looks like a fantastic course. If you play once a week it’s only £20 a round.

 

[Swango1980]

I think you pretty much answered your own question. If you are swaying towards the £220 9-hole course, I don't see how anyone can definitively say that is the wrong answer. It seems a perfectly good choice, very cheap and gives you what you want. If you enjoy playing there for a year, and feel like you play enough to warrant playing a more established course that costs a lot more, then go for it (or even if you hate the 9-hole course, then another reason for you to go somewhere else).

Questions I'd ask myself, apart from how much it costs and where it is located, are:

• What competitions does it offer (which you've also looked into)
• How do you sign into competitions (simply sign in and then you are drawn in a group, or do you sign in with friends, meaning you either need friends to play with, or have to try and find golfers you don't know but that are happy to play with others, and not just their own buddies every week). I know guys who, as they are joining a club on their own, will only join if the club draw groups and you do not need to worry about finding your own group. One guy I know spend a grand joining a club a few years back, nearly an hour's drive away. Signed up to a competition, turned up, realised nobody had put their name down with him, and so had to drive home again. Never played there again.
• Do you know anybody at the club you can play socially with, as regularly as you wish to play socially
• Does the club have any events that allows new members to integrate with membership, like roll up competitions
• How easy is it to get a tee time for social golf? Some clubs it is fairly easy to book in, even fairly close to the day you want to play, at a time that suits you. Other clubs, it is fastest finger first as soon as slots are available, and if you are even a few minutes too slow, all slots may be completely taken up.

 

[patricks148]

Go with W Kilbride, not played it but been on my list for a while one of the guys who was on here for years The Craw was member for a while and the pics he showed me were pretty good.

 

[bigyin55]

A very nice course, where do you live?

Ardrossan.

 

[bigyin55]

I think you pretty much answered your own question. If you are swaying towards the £220 9-hole course, I don't see how anyone can definitively say that is the wrong answer. It seems a perfectly good choice, very cheap and gives you what you want. If you enjoy playing there for a year, and feel like you play enough to warrant playing a more established course that costs a lot more, then go for it (or even if you hate the 9-hole course, then another reason for you to go somewhere else).

Questions I'd ask myself, apart from how much it costs and where it is located, are:

• What competitions does it offer (which you've also looked into)
• How do you sign into competitions (simply sign in and then you are drawn in a group, or do you sign in with friends, meaning you either need friends to play with, or have to try and find golfers you don't know but that are happy to play with others, and not just their own buddies every week). I know guys who, as they are joining a club on their own, will only join if the club draw groups and you do not need to worry about finding your own group. One guy I know spend a grand joining a club a few years back, nearly an hour's drive away. Signed up to a competition, turned up, realised nobody had put their name down with him, and so had to drive home again. Never played there again.
• Do you know anybody at the club you can play socially with, as regularly as you wish to play socially
• Does the club have any events that allows new members to integrate with membership, like roll up competitions
• How easy is it to get a tee time for social golf? Some clubs it is fairly easy to book in, even fairly close to the day you want to play, at a time that suits you. Other clubs, it is fastest finger first as soon as slots are available, and if you are even a few minutes too slow, all slots may be completely taken up.

Thanks, great response.

I have taken note of all your points to mull over.

Things point to the municipal as a way into playing comps, getting my handicap etc. Id only really be interested in single comps at the moment anyway.

Easy to get on there aswell.

 

[bigyin55]

Go with W Kilbride, not played it but been on my list for a while one of the guys who was on here for years The Craw was member for a while and the pics he showed me were pretty good.

I should add, there is a joining fee for WK that I never noticed when reading the site but it's payable over 5 years. It is a top course though

 

[patricks148]

I should add, there is a joining fee for WK that I never noticed when reading the site but it's payable over 5 years. It is a top course though

Id imagine most links would have a joining fee esp down there. my Nairn one was £700, Dornoch is £1500 but they are the only ones now that have a JF