Flexible Membership

[Neilds]

I am looking at joining a club using their flexible membership scheme - buy credits and rounds cost a different amount depending on the day/time- lots on a weekend, just a few on weekday afternoons. You get full rights, handicap, reduced rates for guests, discount in bar etc. Wondered if anyone else had this type of membership and if there are any downsides?

 

[Britishshooting]

It completely depends on an individual basis, if you can't get up regularly but want all of those rights you mentioned then it's great. It suits someone like my dad who has a knock with me once every couple of weeks or so.

If you plan on playing in weekend competitions etc. or find yourself with free time or a few days off you'll burn through your allocated 'points' very quickly.

 

[jim8flog]

With our club it is a simple calculation. Work out roughly how many times a year you are going to play and work out the difference in cost .

Where I play if you play more than 30 times a year it is cheaper to have full membership

The only downside I know from someone who has it is he has to be very careful about when he uses it and often misses out on things arranged within our group.

 

[IanM]

My wife used to have membership on a basis of a much smaller annual fee, and £10 everytime she played.... great if you didnt play every week, she kept her eye on spending to see if she ever got to the point where full membership was more cost effective - she never did! If the weather was bad, she didnt play!

Where in Wiltshire are you, as interested in which club you are looking at.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Just signed up on a flexible membership as young family means less time for golf and I play quite a variety of courses with friends depending on who I'm playing with.

Worked great so far, I could see that you can burn through credit, but my club let's you buy more if needed so I would never be near a full membership price.

I guess downside is just playing less in general then you may not be part of a group in the same way as playing every sat so harder to arrange comps/matches which aren't randomly drawn or tee sheets.

 

[rulefan]

If flexible membership is too generous it may be a sign that the club is struggling.

 

[LIG]

It completely depends on an individual basis, if you can't get up regularly but want all of those rights you mentioned then it's great. It suits someone like my dad who has a knock with me once every couple of weeks or so.

If you plan on playing in weekend competitions etc. or find yourself with free time or a few days off you'll burn through your allocated 'points' very quickly.

This happened to me!
Joined a club on the basis that I would only play mid-week but ended up playing in weekend comps galore!
Topped up and burned through that... Topped up again and.... Well you get the picture.

 

[Neilds]

Where in Wiltshire are you, as interested in which club you are looking at.

Live in Chippenham but work in Bristol so looking at joining Bristol GC

 

[Neilds]

This happened to me!
Joined a club on the basis that I would only play mid-week but ended up playing in weekend comps galore!
Topped up and burned through that... Topped up again and.... Well you get the picture.

Will mainly be playing weekdays as it is easier to get time off from the work boss than the home boss 😉

 

[IanM]

Live in Chippenham but work in Bristol so looking at joining Bristol GC

Have you considered The Players Club? On the way home, better set up (in my view) - not sure how their offerings compare with Bristol. (Played Bristol last month, it has matured nicely!)

http://www.theplayersgolfclub.com/membership/membership-levels/

 

[Neilds]

I like the Players but heard lots of bad stories about overcrowding with societies leading to long rounds, and also a bit out of my price range

 

[DCB]

If flexible membership is too generous it may be a sign that the club is struggling.

My thoughts as well. No way can a Club budget properly based on "flexible" memberships.

Next 10 years are going to be interesting for a lot of Clubs.

 

[Neilds]

My thoughts as well. No way can a Club budget properly based on "flexible" memberships.

Next 10 years are going to be interesting for a lot of Clubs.

With this deal they have your money, same as with a normal membership, so where is the issue with budgets?

 

[MendieGK]

I like the Players but heard lots of bad stories about overcrowding with societies leading to long rounds, and also a bit out of my price range

This is my home club and that’s absolutely note true, unless you play weekends PM where they may sometime put societies on, the weekend is ALWAYS locked out for members. In fact I can’t think of a time I’ve ever been hindered by a society

You realise they do a country membership their now? I signed up to it this year moving off the full membership. Based on what I played last year I would have saved about £300. This year I have been out injured for 3 months so I’ve saved a fortune.

Course is in incredible condition at the moment too.

 

[LIG]

Will mainly be playing weekdays as it is easier to get time off from the work boss than the home boss 

and what the Home Boss doesn't know...

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

With this deal they have your money, same as with a normal membership, so where is the issue with budgets?

They have your money but probably a lot less of it. That's the problem.

 

[shortgame]

My thoughts as well. No way can a Club budget properly based on "flexible" memberships.

Next 10 years are going to be interesting for a lot of Clubs.

Absolutely. Sad in a way to see some clubs that once had 'healthy' waiting lists now offering these memberships. Must be desperate, undervaluing themselves.

I totally get the advantages to the consumer and not so long ago considered taking one out at a 2nd club (where you could play several clubs using points).

 

[rulefan]

All the fault of the R&A who 20/30 years ago said there weren't enough golf clubs around so every man and his dog decided to build one. No we have massive overcapacity

 

[Grant85]

My thoughts as well. No way can a Club budget properly based on "flexible" memberships.

Next 10 years are going to be interesting for a lot of Clubs.

Dont know that much about golf club finances, but I don’t necessarily agree with this. It’s just a different way of thinking.

Instead of getting c.£1,000 off everyone in March they get less up front and more throughout the year. Sure, bad weather is going to harm them, but this will even itself out with early springs and Indian summers in other years.

Now if you work the flexible model with your similar number of members, it is probably not going to work. But the main thing is overall increasing participantion levels. This will benefit all golf clubs in the long term.

Currently an adult beginner is not going to spend £1,000, but many might spend £200 or so and get into golf that way.

Also think of regular players, they may take up membership at multiple clubs and spend a similar amount of money on annual fees.

Golf must must must be more flexible and more like a business as the participation levels are not improving and too many clubs are not doing their bit to arrest the decline.

 

[Neilds]

I think it is a good idea for clubs to offer 'discounted' joining options. I am looking at paying about £600 for the flexible membership (with extra credits). As these credits roll over I reckon it will be £400-500 per year for me. If I was to join a club it would be upwards of £800 (some nearer £1000) which I can't justify so I wouldn't bother joining and continue being a nomad. This way, they have got some money, which is better than nothing. Also, 3 or 4 of my colleagues have also joined when the wouldn't have normally so I think the club has come out on top.