Golf Club Joining Fees - Crippling Diversity

[D-S]

Private Members Club. However, the land is rented.

So what are they going to do with all the extra money? They can’t just let the bank balance grow and grow, the money will have to be spent on the club and therefore be a benefit to the members both old and new.

 

[Albo]

So no different to golf's clubs having joining fees then. I understand why you may choose not to pay a JF, actually I never have and doubt I will now pending a lottery win, but I find it difficult to understand how you can be against them as a matter of principle.

I’m very much against them on a personal level, not so much as a matter of principle.
If you run a golf club it’s very much your right to do that, be that for profit or for the course gain (in the case of a private owned club versus a members club). I have no issue with you doing so, I just wouldn’t join your club.
As I say from a personal viewpoint, one of the things that is a must for me, is the ability to move at the drop of a hat, so to speak (realistically at the end of a membership year). Paying a joining fee, for me, prevents that, or at least makes the decision more painful.
Equating that to a mortgage, isn’t really the same thing. I don’t want to pay a set up fee for a mortgage, but I don’t have that choice personally, so I do so. The alternative is to move my family from our home to either rented accommodation or a much cheaper house that would mean I don’t need a mortgage.
The 2 things are vastly different

 

[Deleted member 31467]

Joining fee = more revenue for club = better condition/facilities = better for members.

It's not difficult really.

 

[BiMGuy]

Joining fee = more revenue for club = better condition/facilities = better for members.

It's not difficult really.

It’s really not that simple. I’ve seen staggering sums of money wasted by people running golf clubs.

 

[Albo]

Joining fee = more revenue for club = better condition/facilities = better for members.

It's not difficult really.

While that is true to a degree, it’s not that simple.
Joining fee = less churn = less incoming joining fees = not much change in course/facilities = minimal benefit for members.

Increase in membership fees and having a joining fee might work out

 

[D-S]

While that is true to a degree, it’s not that simple.
Joining fee = less churn = less incoming joining fees = not much change in course/facilities = minimal benefit for members.

Increase in membership fees and having a joining fee might work out

You’re absolutely right, it is such a bad business model that more and more clubs are now dropping them - oh, wait, hang on I might have got that wrong.

 

[Deleted member 31467]

It’s really not that simple. I’ve seen staggering sums of money wasted by people running golf clubs.

Oh OK, I guess it's just clubs with joining fees that waste money

 

[Deleted member 15344]

While that is true to a degree, it’s not that simple.
Joining fee = less churn = less incoming joining fees = not much change in course/facilities = minimal benefit for members.

Increase in membership fees and having a joining fee might work out

that will come down to it individual club

We have a joining fee and below is a list of items that we have done to improve the club using the income from the joining fee

rope drainage across all greens

New fairway irrigation across 4 holes with poor drainage

Full course coverage of a watering system

That above is close to £700k maybe more and the recent influx of members over Covid with those joining fees helped pay for those items

And that’s amongst multiple other improvements in the club house

That full course watering allowed us to be one of the only courses in the county to have green fairways last year

 

[Deleted member 31467]

While that is true to a degree, it’s not that simple.
Joining fee = less churn = less incoming joining fees = not much change in course/facilities = minimal benefit for members.

Increase in membership fees and having a joining fee might work out

Not sure of your logic. If a club has no joining fee then it has even less income and therefore less money to spend on improvements.

 

[Albo]

You’re absolutely right, it is such a bad business model that more and more clubs are now dropping them - oh, wait, hang on I might have got that wrong.

Who said it was a bad business model?
I just said that it won’t generate enough money to have a material impact on the course or facilities.

 

[Albo]

that will come down to it individual club

We have a joining fee and below is a list of items that we have done to improve the club using the income from the joining fee

rope drainage across all greens

New fairway irrigation across 4 holes with poor drainage

Full course coverage of a watering system

That above is close to £700k maybe more and the recent influx of members over Covid with those joining fees helped pay for those items

And that’s amongst multiple other improvements in the club house

That full course watering allowed us to be one of the only courses in the county to have green fairways last year

How much are your joining fees? And how many members of the club?

 

[BiMGuy]

Oh OK, I guess it's just clubs with joining fees that waste money

That’s not what I said, is it!

 

[Albo]

Not sure of your logic. If a club has no joining fee then it has even less income and therefore less money to spend on improvements.

Absolutely right. I wasn’t arguing that having no joining fee was going to get more money. I said I didn’t think it would make a material difference and that increased membership fees and a joining fee would

 

[Deleted member 31467]

That’s not what I said, is it?

It's what you implied. If it isn't, what did you imply?

 

[Deleted member 31467]

Absolutely right. I wasn’t arguing that having no joining fee was going to get more money. I said I didn’t think it would make a material difference and that increased membership fees and a joining fee would

Sorry you have lost me. Are you saying that a joining fee would make a difference?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

How much are your joining fees? And how many members of the club?

Joining Fees are around £1150 and we have around 600 members but of various categories

 

[Albo]

Sorry you have lost me. Are you saying that a joining fee would make a difference?

Read my original post. It’s quite clear in there.
The key part is “minimal benefit to members “
That’s not none now is it??

 

[Albo]

Joining Fees are around £1150 and we have around 600 members but of various categories

So that’s almost a full membership churn to get to 700k

 

[BiMGuy]

It's what you implied. If it isn't, what did you imply?

Exactly what I said. But to keep it simple for you.

More money does not automatically = better conditions/facilities.

 

[Deleted member 31467]

Read my original post. It’s quite clear in there.
The key part is “minimal benefit to members “
That’s not none now is it??

Interesting. Not sure how you equate extra revenue to the club as 'minimal benefit' to members but each to their own.