Golf Club Clique's

Junior said:
We need to integrate new members better. Make them aware of swindles, hold new member evenings etc.
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I posted similar two years ago:

virtuocity said:
Job title: New Member Co-ordinator
Location: Every Golf Club
Salary: Kudos and Unlimited visitor passes

The Role:

On receiving an application from a prospective member, you will contact said applicant to than them for considering our golf club. You will act as a point-of-contact throughout the application process. On acceptance of their application, you will contact the new member to congratulate them and invite them to the club for an in-depth tour.

During this time, you will explain the competition procedures, guest pass and visitor rules and ensure that the new member is registered to use both our intranet and How Did I Do systems. To ensure that the new member is aware of the basic golf rules, etiquette and local rules, you should invite the new member to join you for a round of golf. You should show the new member around the practice area as well as the bar/lounge, changing rooms and snooker rooms.

The New Member Co-ordinator should encourage existing members (if desired) to contact the new member for games at mutually agreeable times. You will also be responsible for obtaining feedback from new members about their application process to ascertain initial satisfaction with the club, the course, its members and facilities and to collate feedback as to what improvements (if any) the new member would like to see during their tenure.




OK, this is a made up advert. However, do you think your club would benefit from someone doing this role? Or perhaps you already have something like this in place?
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Lump said:
this can make a huge difference to if your accepted or not, roll ups tend to be more a social thing. If you don't have half hour to sit down and make the extra effort to "fit in" you more than likely won't be asked back.
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I can understand why people and clubs want folk to spend more time in the bar before or after a round. But making an effort isn't really the correct term in this case.

Many golfers including myself have busy family lives so the extra half an hour / hour just don't fit into their schedule.
 
My experience is golf clubs are full of them - both male and female. I try to not get into any set group or have a set partner as I enjoy the variety of playing golf with different people. I tried to start a sort of roll up on a Thursday for those ladies that liked to play twice in the week (Tuesday being ladies morning). Plan was 3 games at home course and once a month or so an away day - usually via Smart Golfer so no green fee. We managed about a month before a smaller group decided they didn't want to be part of a clique so started to play earlier in their "exclusive - but not a clique clique". Does my head in.
 
when I joined my club I spent the first 6-8 weeks as a 'single'. Playing only on saturdays in competitions, I would find a 2-ball on the start sheet during the week, and join them to make up a 3-ball (all comps played in 3-balls). Have played with at least half a dozen of the people I met during this period since.

My club organises new members evening twice a year, including a talk by th epro, the captian, the secretary etc, and it's all about helping people to integrate. As part of the joining process you have a playing-in round with either the captain or vice, (I played with both), and they must have introduced me to over 40 members in the bar or on the course.

At the new members evening I met up with the bloke who is now my regular 4BBB partner, and in the 2 years since I joined we have grown to a regular group of 6 who play every weekend. All of us at one stage or another have introduced someone else to the group, either with the view to them joining us weekly or as a one-off.


On many occasions i have turned up midweek as a single, and on the few occasions that I have started on my own, I certainly haven't finished the round on my own.


IMO it's the responsibility of everyone to include other people (new members or not). I don't understand why people are clicquey, it makes no sense to me.
 
Keeno said:
I can understand why people and clubs want folk to spend more time in the bar before or after a round. But making an effort isn't really the correct term in this case.

Many golfers including myself have busy family lives so the extra half an hour / hour just don't fit into their schedule.
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We all have busy lives in this day and age.
I played sunday, had a quick drink and a chat with the other members I didn't play with, drove home, got changed and then drove 2 hours for a 10 hour night shift.
If you're making the time to play a round of golf (anything from 3 hours to 5 depending on course and how busy it is) an extra half hour in the grand scheme won't go a miss.
 
when i joined Nairn They have a new members evening that is to encourage integration and ensure new members have people to play with. We even have a role up time for all the non drawn comps where you turn up and get partnered with others.

i didn't go when i joined, as i had already been invited to join a clique;)
 
Lump said:
We all have busy lives in this day and age.
I played sunday, had a quick drink and a chat with the other members I didn't play with, drove home, got changed and then drove 2 hours for a 10 hour night shift.
If you're making the time to play a round of golf (anything from 3 hours to 5 depending on course and how busy it is) an extra half hour in the grand scheme won't go a miss.
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I do see what your saying. But is spending 3 to 5 hours chatting and playing golf with someone not enough. That's the main reason we join, to play golf.

I enjoy the social aspect, but it has to play second fiddle to a busy weekend.
 
Keeno said:
I do see what your saying. But is spending 3 to 5 hours chatting and playing golf with someone not enough. That's the main reason we join, to play golf.

I enjoy the social aspect, but it has to play second fiddle to a busy weekend.
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I understand this, since I joined I would stay for 2-3 drinks and get to know everyone, which I think is the case now. But my weekends are getting fuller all the time, I can see now the reality being playing and have a quick drink and heading off...or if it's a rollup just heading off straight away.

Expect this won't win me huge amount of friends at the club, but need to compromise these days.
 
virtuocity said:
And yet, I bet he/she failed to acknowledge my initial idea in his/her acceptance speeches. Selfish.
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I know - shocking behaviour mate

I'll ensure its mention at the next committee meeting :thup:
 
Our Pro will introduce new members to roll ups of which there are quite a few at various times during the week in the mornings and a few on non-competition days at the weekends, there are no low handicap or age cliques, it's all very open and everyone is welcoming, we even have some New Member Competition nights during the summer where new members that joined during the year play in a stableford competition against each other with a sprinkling of existing members and inclusive of the Captain, sometimes the President and the Pro and/or his assistants, it's a very welcoming experience :thup:
 
virtuocity said:
But seriously- glad it's working, makes complete sense to me.
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Yeah I think he introduced it about 3 years ago when we started to over under 30 discounts - I got involved this year and will be doing more this year. Our swindle has grown to around 30 from 20 in the last year
 
When I joined my club I was totally new to the area and so didn't know anyone. I played a few times with different people then turned up one day and hadn't realised it was Captain and Vice-Captain day. The Pro said just go ahead and play, no problems. I was stood on the tee and one of the members walked up to me and said we're an 11, would you like to make up a 12? I said yes, thanks and joined them. Well what a great day it was. On the 4th tee one of the lads got out a kiddies plastic thermos flask filled with gin, a bottle of tonic and a tupperware box full of sliced lemon (I kid you not). Up the next hole another lad started producing bottles of Bud out of his bag like Paul Daniels, then on the next the third got out a flask of Rusty Nail. We then proceeded in this manner to the 10th tee where a tent was set up with various drinks and a barbecue. Suffice to say I had to ring home and asked to be collected :D

At the end of it all they asked me if I wanted to join them every Saturday which I accepted and will this year be 10 years as part of the group (I can't believe it's been that long).

In fairness a couple of other groups asked me to join them as well afterwards when I played some of them in medals but as these lads asked first I took their invite.

Cliques or groups? What's the difference? Our group is not just about the golf but chatting before and after the game, going on golfing holidays together and having the odd night out as well. Everybody is made welcome and the people in it have changed over the years, the number who turn up every week change and (sadly) a couple have passed away but the spirit of the group lives on.
 
It's two months since I joined my club as an Academy member (which is basically a 5 and a half-day membership for beginners with coaching thrown in.)

I generally play 4 times a week. 2 games are with a mate who joined at the same time, the other 2 are on my own. I've not had any encouragement from anyone at the club to do anything else, and have no idea what rollups exist, when they are, or whether I'd be welcome to join them.

I did ask the pro before Xmas to put me in touch with any other new members who might also be looking for someone to play with. He said he would, but nothing has happened.

I'd rate my experience since joining as 5/10. I am hooked on the game, really enjoy playing with my mate, don't mind playing on my own too much, but feel the club could have done a lot more to integrate me.
 
Our mens comps appear to be the same groups every week, but they do have mid week roll ups where you but your ball in a bag and teams are drawn, anyone can join in, I have even played in it myself.

Our section is more friendly, you can only play with the same person once a month, all our majors are drawn as are our rollups.
 
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