Guilt if I change clubs

[brendy]

Most clubs have withdrawn an entry/joining fee in the last decade or so, I find clubs becoming more like gyms where people will chop and change as they see fit.
I've just left my club of 15 years moving to another club locally, it has better courses, better club house, better practice facilities and their social media knocks the socks of the previous place. I'd say if in doubt, go try it, the worst that can happen is a change of scenery for a year.

 

[Mandofred]

Most clubs have withdrawn an entry/joining fee in the last decade or so, I find clubs becoming more like gyms where people will chop and change as they see fit.
I've just left my club of 15 years moving to another club locally, it has better courses, better club house, better practice facilities and their social media knocks the socks of the previous place. I'd say if in doubt, go try it, the worst that can happen is a change of scenery for a year.

That right there is my main thinking. Try the other club as my second club.....I like where I'm at, but who knows....I might like it better there. Worse case.....just stick with where I am after a year.....or even try another one, why not?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

@banjofred the answer is obviously to join both, invite a select few guests to play both, have a night out in Harrogate, and then post round 2 we can discuss the merits of the two clubs.

I'll offer my services, I'm a giver ??

 

[Mandofred]

@banjofred the answer is obviously to join both, invite a select few guests to play both, have a night out in Harrogate, and then post round 2 we can discuss the merits of the two clubs.

I'll offer my services, I'm a giver ??

Pssssst.....it's not Oakdale I'm thinking about....

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Pssssst.....it's not Oakdale I'm thinking about....

. You've let me down . As long as it's not Rudding I'm still in. They are all good around you .

Is it the course still just 5 minutes from your home? Lots of squirrels running up the trees on course?

 

[Voyager EMH]

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......

My club has something close to your perfect world. We have a reciprocal arrangement with 3 other clubs where we can go and play for a £5 green fee on non-competition weekdays. Absolutely brilliant idea, been running for a few years. It is retirees like me that use it most, obviously.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

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.

Sadly the people who craved almost the opposite, struggle to connect with that way of thinking and on here they just say that if you find the right club you would see it as they do. It doesn't work like that for some people. Thankfully we are not all wired the same, the world would be a boring place if we were.

Whilst not the same as you, staying at one club, playing one course, seeing the same group of 'friends' over and over again would not cut it for me for any length of years(upto this stage in life, maybe things will change, who knows what life chucks at you and you have to change/adapt). Thankfully my playing partner(wife) goes with the flow and so we tend to change things around. Makes for more excitement, making changes are good...

Something to think about if you can afford it, consider two memberships to just introduce that element of change to your routine. So you could hold two membership with flexible cheaper memberships at a slightly higher overall price. Found it works for me, whether it would for you, pass, only you can answer that ?

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Liverbirdie]

I dont know your work hours/circumstances or availability to play, but depending on what both the clubs may have as membership options, you could stay at both if they have the following:-

1. Points based system where you buy, say, 20 round pa for £500 (as an example).

2. Twilight membership (ours has) - must play after 4pm in the week, but any time on the weekend, can go in 90% of the comps (just not 3 of the major matchplay ones) and can't access reciprocals.

3. 5 day (or 6 day membership)

4. Others / country membership / 2nd club membership.

If the local one was close, could play that after work in the week on a 5 day membership, the other on the weekend?

Instead of joining both as "full", you could mix and match.

 

[Mandofred]

Sadly the people who craved almost the opposite, struggle to connect with that way of thinking and on here they just say that if you find the right club you would see it as they do. It doesn't work like that for some people. Thankfully we are not all wired the same, the world would be a boring place if we were.

Whilst not the same as you, staying at one club, playing one course, seeing the same group of 'friends' over and over again would not cut it for me for any length of years(upto this stage in life, maybe things will change, who knows what life chucks at you and you have to change/adapt). Thankfully my playing partner(wife) goes with the flow and so we tend to change things around. Makes for more excitement, making changes are good...

Something to think about if you can afford it, consider two memberships to just introduce that element of change to your routine. So you could hold two membership with flexible cheaper memberships at a slightly higher overall price. Found it works for me, whether it would for you, pass, only you can answer that ?

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

That's what I'm leaning towards at the moment. I think I'll be paying a bit under £1000 (with the Covid discount ), and the other club I'm considering is only about £600 if it's the 2nd club. I was thinking about trying to play twice at that club and 2 or 3 times a week at the current club. My current club has a nice open field to practice on.....it seems there aren't too many other clubs that have something like this. I just take a shag bag full of balls (about 85 in the bag)....put out cones at 40/60/80 yrds and run up and down through the clubs (at least 50% of shots are wedges)....just go pick them up and hit the next bag full. A couple of clubs have ranges.....but the cost to practice is a bit harsh for the cost of the balls you are hitting. The other club that I'm thinking about is a fair bit different as well which helps....an old 9 holes that has some blind shots and other interesting shots and then a new 9 that's more like what I'm on at this time. This club is also almost 800yrds shorter which would make a good change. 6500+ is getting a bit long for me these days on the current course.

I dont know your work hours/circumstances or availability to play, but depending on what both the clubs may have as membership options, you could stay at both if they have the following:-

1. Points based system where you buy, say, 20 round pa for £500 (as an example).

2. Twilight membership (ours has) - must play after 4pm in the week, but any time on the weekend, can go in 90% of the comps (just not 3 of the major matchplay ones) and can't access reciprocals.

3. 5 day (or 6 day membership)

4. Others / country membership / 2nd club membership.

If the local one was close, could play that after work in the week on a 5 day membership, the other on the weekend?

Instead of joining both as "full", you could mix and match.

I've got the money, the extra £600 a year isn't a big deal (I'm retired). The only thing I've been thinking about is the drive.....my current course is just under 20 minutes usually. This other club is almost 25. Still....I don't mind the drive, but you don't just "pop over" to play. There is a club nearby that is real close (about 1.7 miles walking)....and if it had a practice ground I would consider just switching to that club full time. I enjoy practicing.....so that kind of put the kibosh to that (but I'm still thinking about it).