Golf courses like restaurants

[Threeoffthetee]

Imagine if you will that you want to go to a nice restaurant. It is an expensive one, but you have decided that it is worth it and that you can afford it. You've booked the table, checked the menu online, but just as you are walking through the shiny doors you are stopped and asked for your £200 booking fee, extra to the cost of your meal. What do you do? Well if you follow the golf model, you thank them, pay your two hundred pounds and sit down for your meal glad that you were allowed in.....I don't think so!

So, if you excuse the thinly veiled metaphor, why do we accept joining fees?

I am sure that there are arguments for joining fees, however they pass me by, if you need the money, charge more for membership.

I am afraid that I hold a deep seated fear that this is simply a way for exclusive clubs to make sure they only get the "right" members. If a club has an expensive green fee, with a payment plan then maybe normal people could afford it, but how many people can afford this, AND a thousand pounds or more up front.

I am prepared for the backlash....if it's any comparison I also do not like restaurants that charge extra for the privilage of having some vegetables or chips with your meat.....as if anyone would only order a steak or chicken and nothing with it....just charge more and make it inclusive (seem familiar?).

 

[RichardC]

I think it's a way of clubs almost "guaranteeing" that you will remain a member for longer than 1 year, therefore making forecasting easier and making sure they budget correctly.

There are plenty of clubs that do not have joining fees, but also there are plenty that can charge it and still get members.

 

[SAPCOR1]

Golf Clubs have to adapt or die. The "top" clubs will always have their place as will the ones at the so called lower end.

It is the huge band it the middle that will suffer, just like everything else in life: cars, hi-fi, watches etc

 

[SocketRocket]

Until recently there were waiting lists to join many clubs. The clubs charged a joining fee because they got more money out of you and you had no choice to pay it if you wanted to join.

'RichardC' also makes a good point that it almost guarantees that you will stay a number of years. I think there is something to this argument as I know it is much easier for a member to say that they will not join again next year as they may be busy at work or a bit hard up, then join again the following year as there is no joining fee.