Golf clubs low on membership

[Papas1982]

Curious as to why don't you want to play the same course every week? Conditions are never the same from one day to another so the course is never the same.

Tbf, I only pay £650 for a 5 day membership due to a work offer so can justify my weekend golf elsewhere as well as society and the meets from here, BUT i can see where he is coming from. I like my course, and have a good group of 8-10 people i'll enjoy a kcock with. That said, if 6/7 clubs in the area did a joint membership that cost me £1200 instead i'd happily pay that. Variation isn't a bad thing in my opinion.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Tbf, I only pay £650 for a 5 day membership due to a work offer so can justify my weekend golf elsewhere as well as society and the meets from here, BUT i can see where he is coming from. I like my course, and have a good group of 8-10 people i'll enjoy a kcock with. That said, if 6/7 clubs in the area did a joint membership that cost me £1200 instead i'd happily pay that. Variation isn't a bad thing in my opinion.

I know the likes of Crown Golf do a scheme where you can play at any of their clubs and use the vouchers purchased as membership but I guess the question would come down to how adjacent these courses were for a golfer to be able to choose where to play and not rack up ages in a car to get there

I like being a member of my club but it's a double edged sword sometimes. Great for convenience, knowing people and getting a game etc, but I do wonder if playing the same course all the time can breed a form of familiarity where you know the yardages, trouble etc and so sometimes you may not give a shot the attention it deserves.

I think in time more and more clubs will recognise the benefits of a flexible membership scheme and take it up in some format or another.

 

[Homer]

Do some research. In America, to be a member of a club as we would term it (i.e. with unlimited access to your course, competitions, handicap, trophies etc.) is probably in the range of $10,000 starting, with bug joining fees or buy ins. Most will have minimum spends on food and beverages ($100 pm), most will insist on caddies ($80 to $100) and might have a cart fee as well. A lot are now struggling and having to drop fees for younger people.

The alternative is you play public courses or municipals. You don't belong to a club, can't really have a proper handicap or play in competitions. Typically these will be $50 to $100 a pop and weekend rounds will take upwards of 5 hours as they are obviously a money making operation and try to get 4 balls of the 1st tee every 8 minutes.

If thats the model that you think is healthy for parts of the UK, then it's going to be a pretty bleak existence for the weekend warrior living in the home counties.

I meant higher standards in terms of accessibility. If you are an Open venue you should be more accessible or you can continue to do your own thing in private and not benefit from the massive public spectacle. This has improved in recent years, but still has some way to go. In my view, the R&A basically bowed to public pressure with regards to male only clubs and if the media hadn't made an issue of it, the Open rota courses would have continued as they had been.

If you think elitism is good for the game of golf, then you are wrong and I would suggest you are part of the problem. Elitism does no good for the sport. It turns people off, it prices people out of the game and ultimately makes the game smaller and in time there will be a knock on effect on the sustainability of courses, tournaments, manufacturers etc.

Some of us don’t want to play with the great unwashed though so are quite happy with the status quote - as are all those clubs with full memberships.

 

[Jacko_G]

Some of us don’t want to play with the great unwashed though so are quite happy with the status quote - as are all those clubs with full memberships.

😂😂😂

Why if I spray some Lynx and slap on a bit of Brut?

Might mask my unwashed aroma.

😂😂😂

 

[Dave1980]

Completely agree with this. A good way of keeping lapsed golfers in the game and also introducing new golfers to the sport without coughing up a full years fees.

What would be any acceptable flexi membership? For example if your annual subs was £1200, would you pay £300 upfront and then a green fee of £15 or half the visitors green fee?

 

[Orikoru]

That’s absolutely fine, but it blows your argument about it being financially based out of the water,

It is clear that if you play the same course regularly (weekly) (especially dahn sarf) , then membership is probably cheaper than nomad golf.

It’s good to have the choice 👍

No. That's like saying "ah but if you sold your house, then you COULD afford it!" That would also be a choice.

 

[Orikoru]

Curious as to why don't you want to play the same course every week? Conditions are never the same from one day to another so the course is never the same.

Christ, because that would be dull obviously. There are lots of courses near me that we like playing, sometimes you fancy playing a particular course for a particular reason, different challenges and so on. Some days you want an easier flat course, some days you want more of a challenge. Variety is the spice of life as they say.

 

[Jacko_G]

Christ, because that would be dull obviously. There are lots of courses near me that we like playing, sometimes you fancy playing a particular course for a particular reason, different challenges and so on. Some days you want an easier flat course, some days you want more of a challenge. Variety is the spice of life as they say.

I can sort of understand that. I got bored a few years back playing the same course week in week out and would enter Opens just to get away. I was sick of medals taking 4+ hours and sickened myself. I was questioning if I still liked golf which was crazy, I'd just got sick of the same bland mundane golf course I think is the honest answer. Not many people understood where I was coming from right enough so I don't expect you to get much slack or sympathy on here!!!

People just expect you to love your home golf course!

Since moved on and love where I'm now playing, every day is a different challenge despite it being the same track.

I think when you get to that stage of golf being a chore or you don't enjoy playing the same course then it's time to move on/branch out, reassess what your aims and goals are.

 

[chellie]

Christ, because that would be dull obviously. There are lots of courses near me that we like playing, sometimes you fancy playing a particular course for a particular reason, different challenges and so on. Some days you want an easier flat course, some days you want more of a challenge. Variety is the spice of life as they say.

Sorry, I just cannot comprehend the "It would be dull" argument. Unless of course it's a crap course.

How can this be dull. Oops, sorry for large picture size

 

[Jacko_G]

Anything can be dull if it doesn't float your boat.

 

[Orikoru]

Sorry, I just cannot comprehend the "It would be dull" argument. Unless of course it's a crap course.

How can this be dull. Oops, sorry for large picture size

Over the course of a whole year I would definitely miss the variety of playing a host of different courses. No matter how good my home course was. It's like, I love pizza, but I wouldn't want pizza for dinner every day for a year would I?

 

[Parsaregood]

Each to their own and all that, you can play loads of opens through the year for little money. Not sure id like not to be a member anywhere wouldn't really feel like a proper golfer i dont think, not having somewhere to go and play a few holes or practice for an hour, not for me

 

[chellie]

Over the course of a whole year I would definitely miss the variety of playing a host of different courses. No matter how good my home course was. It's like, I love pizza, but I wouldn't want pizza for dinner every day for a year would I?

Still can't comprehend. I could play our course every day of the year and not get bored with it.

 

[shortgame]

Still can't comprehend. I could play our course every day of the year and not get bored with it.

Beat me too it, was going to say exactly the same 👍👍

 

[Papas1982]

Sorry, I just cannot comprehend the "It would be dull" argument. Unless of course it's a crap course.

How can this be dull. Oops, sorry for large picture size

Do you ever play away courses?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Beat me too it, was going to say exactly the same 👍👍

Have to agree. My course is parkland but we have an abundance of wildlife, decent facilities and a course which is more than challenging and interesting enough for me (especially off the whites) to try and tame on a daily basis. Add in the great group of friends I have up there to play with regularly and I can't really see why I'd not want to be a member there and be up there playing as often as I can. Sadly a stupid thing called work gets in the way or I really would almost live up there

 

[Blue in Munich]

Christ, because that would be dull obviously. There are lots of courses near me that we like playing, sometimes you fancy playing a particular course for a particular reason, different challenges and so on. Some days you want an easier flat course, some days you want more of a challenge. Variety is the spice of life as they say.

Indeed variety is the spice of life. That's why I choose to play as many club matches as possible; small match fee to cover the cost of the food and a free round on an away course. Home matches get to meet people from other clubs you'd like to play & pick up an invite as a member's guest.

 

[shortgame]

Indeed variety is the spice of life. That's why I choose to play as many club matches as possible; small match fee to cover the cost of the food and a free round on an away course. Home matches get to meet people from other clubs you'd like to play & pick up an invite as a member's guest.

club logoed shirts are damned expensive though!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

club logoed shirts are damned expensive though!

Naughty, funny though.

Orikoru, will you ever live that down? Worse things to be remembered for though

 

[williamalex1]

Gr

Completely agree with this. A good way of keeping lapsed golfers in the game and also introducing new golfers to the sport without coughing up a full years fees.

Grant, the best thing people can do is to start a monthly direct debit as soon as they pay their first years fees. OK you're paying in advance, but still better than paying the full lump sum every year. You really don't miss it , especially if taken from the joint account