Guilt if I change clubs

[Mandofred]

There is a tendency here in the UK to join a club for life. I don't have that thinking. But.....seriously thinking about switching clubs at the moment, just to golf in a different place.....unfortunately in the same competitive area.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

dont see it as a problem

If you find the grass isnt greener, you can always rejoin, albeit posibly with joining fees (if you have that sort of thing)

A change is as good as a rest so they say

whats wrong with your current club, or what do you perceive is better at the others?

 

[Ethan]

You shouldn't. People get bored with their club or the condition suffers or the subs rise. You might decide to trade up to a better or more challenging club or downsize to a cheaper or more fun one.

 

[Mandofred]

dont see it as a problem

If you find the grass isnt greener, you can always rejoin, albeit posibly with joining fees (if you have that sort of thing)

A change is as good as a rest so they say

whats wrong with your current club, or what do you perceive is better at the others?

Nothing really wrong. I've always moved as an adult. One country to another.....changing places even in the same country. I tend to only play at the club I'm at....in 5.5 years, I've only played 4 other courses. I've not played competitive for my current club, but the one I'd move to is in the same district....5 minute further drive. Still just thinking about reupping at the current club and taking the other as a second club at about £600 for the year.

 

[Imurg]

Nothing really wrong. I've always moved as an adult. One country to another.....changing places even in the same country. I tend to only play at the club I'm at....in 5.5 years, I've only played 4 other courses. I've not played competitive for my current club, but the one I'd move to is in the same district....5 minute further drive. Still just thinking about reupping at the current club and taking the other as a second club at about £600 for the year.

If you think you'll get value for money then fill yer boots

 

[USER1999]

I guess it's if a question of it's about golf, or people / club. For me, and many, I know pretty much everyone at my club. I have so many friends there, leaving would be a wrench. To just go a bit down the road? Not for me. They would have to seriously pee me off.
For others the club is just a place for fixed price golf. If that is the case, knock yourself out, crack on, but you have never given your club the chance.

 

[Oddsocks]

There is a tendency here in the UK to join a club for life. I don't have that thinking. But.....seriously thinking about switching clubs at the moment, just to golf in a different place.....unfortunately in the same competitive area.

after 10 years at mine I kinda lost passion for the game and have joined somewhere else. If it don’t work I’ll learn by my mistake and go back, simple.

 

[BubbaP]

Nothing really wrong. I've always moved as an adult. One country to another.....changing places even in the same country. I tend to only play at the club I'm at....in 5.5 years, I've only played 4 other courses. I've not played competitive for my current club, but the one I'd move to is in the same district....5 minute further drive. Still just thinking about reupping at the current club and taking the other as a second club at about £600 for the year.

Little confused, are you thinking of being a member at two clubs? If so then why the guilt?

 

[jim8flog]

We regularly loose players to other nearby clubs and them to us.
Similarly players that have left to join other clubs come back.

My reasons for staying at my club for over 30 years is location, 2 courses, facilities and it closes the least due to bad weather.

I get plenty of opportunity to play other clubs via matches, opens and reciprocals.

 

[Mandofred]

I guess it's if a question of it's about golf, or people / club. For me, and many, I know pretty much everyone at my club. I have so many friends there, leaving would be a wrench. To just go a bit down the road? Not for me. They would have to seriously pee me off.
For others the club is just a place for fixed price golf. If that is the case, knock yourself out, crack on, but you have never given your club the chance.

Huh? Guess I don't get that one.....

 

[IanM]

There is a tendency here in the UK to join a club for life. I don't have that thinking.l.

I'm not sure that tendency is that common. Most of the people I play with have moved about.

I you want to move, you should move

 

[USER1999]

Huh? Guess I don't get that one.....

Because a golf club is way more than a golf course. It's people, roll ups, atmosphere, friends, a nice place to be.
If it's just somewhere to play golf, then you are missing out on half of what a golf club is.

 

[USER1999]

When it snows, the course is closed, on a Saturday, I still know I can go there at lunch time and there will be 20 of my friends come for lunch and a few beers. That is a golf club, rather than a golf course.

 

[Mandofred]

When it snows, the course is closed, on a Saturday, I still know I can go there at lunch time and there will be 20 of my friends come for lunch and a few beers. That is a golf club, rather than a golf course.

I agree. You seem to have taken what I've said and interpreted it to meet what you "think" I said. This isn't about the club, I thought I made that pretty obvious. This is about me needing a change. Nothing against the club at all, good people there. I've spent most of my life living out of the US, I've tried to change where I live every 5-10 years because I like the changes. I've left a bunch of people who I like each time I've moved....nothing against them, I just like the change. No way my wife is going to let me move again, so changing clubs is a way to make the changes that I enjoy......very likely I will try to stay with the club I'm at and just add the other club and then play a couple times a week at each (even more of the friends you talk about). Who knows, maybe I won't do a dang thing and just leave things as they are.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Nothing really wrong. I've always moved as an adult. One country to another.....changing places even in the same country. I tend to only play at the club I'm at....in 5.5 years, I've only played 4 other courses. I've not played competitive for my current club, but the one I'd move to is in the same district....5 minute further drive. Still just thinking about reupping at the current club and taking the other as a second club at about £600 for the year.

I understand what you are saying, because I moved around the country as a kid due to dad's job. I did the same as a "young" adult with less problem that I imagine others have if they try. But I settled in one of the places where I lived as a boy a long time ago and rejoined a club in 1989 that I'd been a member of as a junior. Been there ever since and still in the same house. If I lived (near Knaresborough is it?) then I would be making a b-line for Pannal. Can't imagine why I would want to drive to somewhere further away. But you will have to make your own decision for your own reasons - and in this respect, unlike other important life-choices, you can do what-the-hell you like. So enjoy making the decision with an open mind.

 

[Mandofred]

I understand what you are saying, because I moved around the country as a kid due to dad's job. I did the same as a "young" adult with less problem that I imagine others have if they try. But I settled in one of the places where I lived as a boy a long time ago and rejoined a club in 1989 that I'd been a member of as a junior. Been there ever since and still in the same house. If I lived (near Knaresborough is it?) then I would be making a b-line for Pannal. Can't imagine why I would want to drive to somewhere further away. But you will have to make your own decision for your own reasons - and in this respect, unlike other important life-choices, you can do what-the-hell you like. So enjoy making the decision with an open mind.

I looked at Pannal...waiting list. Supposed to be poor in wet weather, but is considered the best course in the Harrogate area.....at least without going more towards Leeds. Thought about Wike as well, about the same drive as Ripon but would constantly have to go through Harrogate and south which gets slow traffic a fair bit. Oakdale is real close....but also has water issues when wet. It takes me almost 20 minutes to get to Knaresborough as it is. The easiest thing to do is just leave things as they are......it's the wimpiest thing to do.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I cant say what it would be that would cause me to move but it would have to be something pretty drastic and so wouldn’t feel guilty. I am fortunate that the three clubs I’ve been a member of have been splendid members clubs, EastRen, Filton and Farnham.

Members of Filton when I was there put up with a lot of very significant disruption during a long period of major course rebuilding but I dont recall that many abandoning ship. I guess some did and that might be the sort of thing that would cause me to move if i strongly disagreed with what was being done, but my affections for the club and members kept me there.

Been over 17yrs at Farnham and never had any inclination to move - even though i rarely play anywhere else I am never bored playing the course - every round throws up a new challenge for me - sometimes it feels like a magical mystery tour.

 

[nickjdavis]

after 10 years at mine I kinda lost passion for the game and have joined somewhere else. If it don’t work I’ll learn by my mistake and go back, simple.

I did exactly that. Back in 2010 after 9 years at my club. Had spent about 4 years on the committee and was getting disillusioned with the committee work/grief v. golfing enjoyment ratio. Just couldn't enjoy the golf at all. Left, became a nomad over the summer trying various courses in my area so see if any would suit when I decided to take up membership again. Late in the year got probationary membership at arguably the most prestigious club in the area. Thoroughly enjoyed myself there (the course is excellent and only a couple of miles from home) for the 6 months before my full membership commitment was due to start (incl. the payment of a hefty joining fee).

I always knew deep down that I'd re-join my old club (just too convenient and a great set of people not too) but whether that was as a second club or merely on its own was unknown at that time. Over the winter the wife and I had started talking about moving house in the next year or two in synch with my daughters education/schooling....as a result, when it came to the crunch I didn't feel like I could commit to the joining fee so reluctantly did not accept full membership (though in hindsight we were never going to really move that far away and membership of the new course would not cause a travelling issue...the previous course was a 25 minute drive from home but just a 5 minute detour off my commuting route). In the spring of 2011 I re-joined my previous club....so an absence of maybe 10 months.

Within 3 months I was Club Champion, within 2 years I was back on the Committee (some folks never learn), Captain in 2014 and again last year.

It wasn't so much that the decision to leave was a mistake....it was definitely the right thing to do and if I hadn't left then in all likelihood I wouldn't be playing golf today.

So now coming back up to 10 years since I rejoined...do I have the same I dunno...."7 year itch" you could call it, feelings? Yes I guess they are there, there are things that frustrate me about the course and how its maintained, there are frustrations about my own game...but ten years on, having been through this all once, I'm in a better place to recognise what's going on and manage the situation accordingly and perhaps bend like a tree in the wind, rather than push back against what's going on around me.

 

[Mandofred]

In a perfect world......

Just had to start it like that.....back in the 90's I spent a couple of Christmas in Florida with some friends from the UK (I was in Germany). If my memory is correct, there were courses where you could join and you would be a "member" with several courses automatically...same owners I guess. I thought that was great, you could join and then could flick to several different courses getting a little different type of golf course. In my perfect world I'd be a member at three type of courses.....1. Parkland style like Knaresborough...which is fairly wide open but getting a bit long for me. 2. Links style 3. Target golf style, where you really need to put your shots into the right places or you get in trouble.

At this time, I have 7 greens I'm pretty happy (1 or 2....a miracle) if I can get on in regulation. The other course I'm thinking about adding is almost 800 yards shorter from the yellow tees (6556 to 5780)....that should make for a different golf experience. Crazyface has nightmares about that course though......

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

One thing I might do is see if I can get a country membership of Chesterfield Walton as my MiL lives 5 mins from it and I might find myself up there a fair bit over the coming few years, not the same as changing horses I know but could see myself playing up there quite a lot as it’s a nice track and friendly membership (from my little experience in any case)