How Close Are You To Leaving?

[El Diablo]

Happy with the direction of things at my place. Lots of new initiatives in last two years.

> free balls for our practice ground (that we don't have to collect);
> three bay 'rainy day' cover to one side of our practice ground;
> 3-player revetted-face practice bunker
> state of the art indoor swing studio;
> completely refurbished and extended pro shop;
> new hot drinks/soup area to side of main lounge;
> on-line competition entry booking;
> forward tees installed for young juniors;
> thriving junior academy (last Sat saw 27 under 10s on our chipping and putting ground)
> brilliant food and a great bar and dining room team (and it makes a good profit)
> thriving social side (i'm in our choir )
> minimal increase in subs this year - though a £40 levy added for course improvements.
> membership full
> plans for later this year to start on build of a 4 hole Par 3 course on our practice ground
> work to start on a new toilet block and facility for setting up BBQs etc between 11th green and 12th tee. (not a full half way house)

Downside? - our Saturday am roll-up has become too popular with existing and new members - nearly 40 of us last Saturday,

There are a lot of very good tracks in Surrey/Hants borders area so we have to compete very hard. And we seem to be doing that pretty well. This year sees my 14yrs at the club. Soon part of the furniture.

Sounds good, coming down for a chat next week - not fully decided yet.

How long does it take from pitching up to teeing off Saturday morning ?

 

[Imurg]

Left. Effectively
Still a member until April but new membership has begun, paid up until April 2018 so getting 3 months free..
Obvious reason is the encroaching HS2 debacle.
If HS2 wasn't happening, money would been invested in the course and it would have flourished as it did before and thoughts of leaving wouldn't be had.
But you can understand the owners not investing
Quality of the course has been declining year on year and now the membership year has changed to Apr - Dec, it implies they can't guarantee anything after that....

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Happy with where I am at the moment. Have been there for about 5 seasons and things have been improving. The overall course condition is better. Practice facilities although not great have improved. Have a great bunch of guys that I can get games with and the comps are generally well attended.

The only issue I have is that there are not enough comps available. I would like to see more but I suppose it is maybe suitable for the majority of the membership.

I have no plans to leave anytime soon and wouldn't want to as it is one of the better clubs in the area.

...and I'm just loving your subs

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Sounds good, coming down for a chat next week - not fully decided yet.

How long does it take from pitching up to teeing off Saturday morning ?

If you come for the 8am roll-up it's not long I think. Likewise the midday one.

The 10:30am one is the busy one - and it's the one the club likes to get new members into straight away as they get to play with, and know, lots of members very quickly - it is a totally random draw. Also means newbies know from the word go plenty of folks to join up with for comps during the year. If you need an early tee because you have another engagement or need to get home for some reason you can ask and you'll be allocated one. Otherwise we all just take our chances.

We register by 10:15am and make the draw immediately. Tee off from 10:30am. We are averaging about 6 groups of four balls at the moment - though we had 10 last weekend (a record). For six groups last tee off will be about 11:10am. We tee off 1st as soon as group in front is clear - and rounds take about 3.75-4hrs. If you are an early group you don't have to wait until all are in unless you want to - or if you think you may have won

As we get more late afternoon light, the clocks go forward and the comps kick in, the roll-up usually gets less subscribed as folk play matches and others choose to tee off later. If numbers keep high we will consider how we reorganise it.

 

[Snelly]

I could not be further from leaving my golf club. I love the place. Magnificent course, wonderful club, lovely people and it is one of my favourite places to spend my time.

I cannot envisage me leaving. I think the only possible reason to do so would be ill health or re-location and touch wood, neither of these are on the cards.

 

[Trojan615]

Ye, I have been looking at Scotty`s.... My poor Edel is... I duno what it is...

Ha.. I've just dumped my edel and gone back to an odyssey ... what club were you at ?

 

[Alex1975]

Ha.. I've just dumped my edel and gone back to an odyssey ... what club were you at ?

Have you, damn.... that's not helping at all!!

I was at AVGC for about 7 or 8 years.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I could not be further from leaving my golf club. I love the place. Magnificent course, wonderful club, lovely people and it is one of my favourite places to spend my time.

I cannot envisage me leaving. I think the only possible reason to do so would be ill health or re-location and touch wood, neither of these are on the cards.

Looking at the pictures you put up on Twitter I can see why you would love , looks a stunning course. There was a down hole Par 3 you showed that looked beautiful and seemed similar to the one on the dukes but longer.

 

[Alex1975]

have to laugh, he chooses this year to put the price up too, not a huge amount but enough to smart considering the current condition

Not very commercial hu.. We had all those people from the other local club come and join, so a big influx of money. That should have been a green light on a number of projects and a huge retention of membership.

 

[Trojan615]

Have you, damn.... that's not helping at all!!

I was at AVGC for about 7 or 8 years.

Yeah .. I went on a Quintic last weekend and showed how awful my edel was for my stroke... pro said I def needed a toe down putter so I went and grabbed my other from the car...

Night and day...

I went back to knebworth after a couple of years away .. still so damn slow and the refuse to deal with it. Can't wait to move on

 

[stevek1969]

Think this could be my last year coming up been a member for 17 years now and only stayed on as its the bi centenary year this year. Don't seem to enjoy it as much these days.

 

[patricks148]

Think this could be my last year coming up been a member for 17 years now and only stayed on as its the bi centenary year this year. Don't seem to enjoy it as much these days.

off to St Andrews?

 

[Snelly]

Looking at the pictures you put up on Twitter I can see why you would love , looks a stunning course. There was a down hole Par 3 you showed that looked beautiful and seemed similar to the one on the dukes but longer.

Quite similar but not quite as steep a drop as at Woburn and much longer at 195 yards off the medal tee. My recent hole in one was from the winter tee though - 160 yards ish. I don't like to mention it too often of course......

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Quite similar but not quite as steep a drop as at Woburn and much longer at 195 yards off the medal tee. My recent hole in one was from the winter tee though - 160 yards ish. I don't like to mention it too often of course......

Yep I saw that

The flowers in bloom made it look lovely

 

[stevek1969]

off to St Andrews?

Thats the plan mate, take up my option of a Competiton Ticket and join the St Andrews Club:thup: , if work picks up as forecast i might be able to both tho

 

[shivas irons]

Left a club I was a member at for 20 years because after a series of owners the place went to rack and ruin,I used to love the place but the condition of the course and facilities became appauling also the chav staff that were taken on were useless so I have been playing pay and play all over the place in the last year and a half.I went back to the club I left a few weeks ago for a look around and the place has a new owner new staff and has been totally transformed,a lot of money has been spent there and the course and facilities look fantastic its very very impressive, the membership fee's also have only had a very slight increase,i'm looking to re joining in the next couple of months

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Very happy where I am. Subs are only going up £30 which isn't significant, especially losing the Red Bull revenue. Once the fees go up to a price I consider out of line with what I'm getting then it'll be time to reconsider. Not yet and to be honest can't think of too many places I'd consider going to locally

 

[Bigfoot]

I joined a second club two years ago but stay at the first because of the friends I have there and the starting age for seniors. I am a senior at WP (55+ ) but not at E (60+) so get more comps at WP. Enville is a heathland course so drains much better but the ultimate deciding factor will be the greater quality of the two courses at Enville. Decision time will come as I approach 60.

 

[Maninblack4612]

I've been a member of the same club for 60 years. There are three courses within 3 miles of where I have lived all my life. One gets so wet in the winter that they are sometimes closed when we aren't on temps even. Another is a really poor layout & I never enjoy playing there. My own course is built on limestone, quite bleak at this time of the year but playable virtually every day, I've not played on temporary greens this year. After years of neglect we finally refurbished the clubhouse & installed new lockers. The course is always well maintained. The Greenkeeper does a great job, although it's made easy by the way the course drains. There is always at least one project carried out during the winter.

All my friends, some of whom I've known for 50 years, play there. I can find someone to play with every day of the week.

So to answer the question, how close am I to leaving? Depends on how long I've got left to live!

 

[Alex1975]

I've been a member of the same club for 60 years. There are three courses within 3 miles of where I have lived all my life. One gets so wet in the winter that they are sometimes closed when we aren't on temps even. Another is a really poor layout & I never enjoy playing there. My own course is built on limestone, quite bleak at this time of the year but playable virtually every day, I've not played on temporary greens this year. After years of neglect we finally refurbished the clubhouse & installed new lockers. The course is always well maintained. The Greenkeeper does a great job, although it's made easy by the way the course drains. There is always at least one project carried out during the winter.

All my friends, some of whom I've known for 50 years, play there. I can find someone to play with every day of the week.

So to answer the question, how close am I to leaving? Depends on how long I've got left to live!

Very cool.