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How hard can it be joining a golf club ?

Just had exactly the same experience you are having. Emailed 3 to 4 clubs and got no response at all. Also I don't understand why you need to try different ways of contacting them if you don't get a response
 
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devonlad said:
Just had exactly the same experience you are having. Emailed 3 to 4 clubs and got no response at all. Also I don't understand why you need to try different ways of contacting them if you don't get a response
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You are contacting clubs via e mail about joining? You want your bumps felt. Get in the car with your clubs and go to the courses wander about and get a feel for the place. Preferably on a weekend. See if the Pros a nice guy. Get a free round. You're about to part with a lot of money. For example. I've a course 5 minutes from my house. Blurg. (although in it's defence, the Pro has now gone and the nasty piece of work he employed and the new head green keeper seems to know what he's doing I'm keeping tabs on it's progression) I play 20 minutes ride away.
 
My club is hopeless at responding to e-mails and updating its website, it's still a great course and the members are fantastic. It's renowned locally as being a friendly club.

Their just a bit backwards when it comes to technology :)

I personally wouldn't write them off but maybe keep it at the back of your mind when you go to visit/speak to them on phone.
 
I emailed Minehead GC yesterday regarding plying there next month, and got in from work today to a reply, so it can be done and I'm only parting with £15 not £1500
 
full_throttle said:
I emailed Minehead GC yesterday regarding plying there next month, and got in from work today to a reply, so it can be done and I'm only parting with £15 not £1500
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Lad in the pro shop there is switched on, was there a couple of weeks ago. The place is absolutely loaded with second hand gear, a lot of it rare stuff or classics like 983 drivers or eye 2 irons.
 
For me this depends on what you are asking for. If I am contacting loads of clubs for them to send me info then I am going to do it online. However think about who you are contacting. Do you want to come across well as they may have selection criteria going forward, do you want to ask some questions and get an idea of how they are. Personally the fact that you have picked up the phone shows your interest. You can also gauge theirs on the phone. Just remember that golf clubs can still have waiting lists. When someone is making a decision on who to allow to join are you wanting to be the guy who emailed saying how much is your membership or the guy that called, had a chat, asked good questions and built a rapport with him? I know who I'd be giving a membership to.

I called and emailed a lot of clubs when looking for a new one. Loads didn't respond, some sent back badly constructed emails. Some didn't answer the phone, some were rude on the phone. You can get a lot of information about how the club is run and how they treat their members by the way they act when you contact them.

When I joined my club I phoned, had a very nice chat with the secretary and a few emails went back and forth.The whole thing suggested professionalism and I got a real sense that the man I was speaking to was going to be there to help me. I wasn't wrong.

My previous club were unhelpful on the phone and on emails and, guess what, useless every step of the way through my membership.
 
Slab said:
3-4 days and the OP didn’t have any acknowledgment from 60% of the clubs they contacted. If that’s not dreadful service then its smacks of elitism (we’ll get back to you when we’re good and ready) Although it’s probably just the former to blame

I guess it’s easy to give clubs an easy-ride just because the Membership Sec might be a ‘volunteer’ or the office is only staffed part-time but that just doesn’t cut it these days
(surely that would be referenced on the website or auto-reply anyway, i.e as our membership sec is a voluntary part-time role it may take us several days to fully respond to e-mails etc etc & the OP would know and adjust expectations)

And why would someone who can’t answer an e-mail be assumed to be available each day 9-5 over the phone if the OP calls instead (& if the initial point of contact changes to the pro-shop or office admin staff if the OP were to call instead then the e-mail should also have been managed by them)
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Does it really matter if you are keen to join the place. You've got no idea why they might not have answered - and if you suspect elitism or disregard you'll soon find out from a telephone call and visit. Cut off nose to spite your face comes to mind.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Does it really matter if you are keen to join the place. You've got no idea why they might not have answered - and if you suspect elitism or disregard you'll soon find out from a telephone call and visit. Cut off nose to spite your face comes to mind.
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Not really, more like handle with care. There are always exceptions to the rule but lets be honest most of the issues are more likely to indicate issues than positives aren't they.
 
I'd phone or pay them a visit. I've been offered a courtesy round and had the chance to actually see what the facilities/course/people are like. It'll help you form a good decision of what club to go with.
 
When coming back from NZ I e-mailed 3 clubs in our likely relocation area and all replied fairly promptly . Once back I phoned the one on a Monday morning to see if it was possible to play there on the day and by the time I arrived the Chairman had gone out of his way to ensure I had a courtesy round , which he played with me and by the end of it he had managed to sign up both myself and my wife. :)
 
I'm with a lot of others on here and to be brutally honest would rather turn up, check the place out and speak to someone in person and get a feel for the place. First impressions are important and give a good idea of what to expect
 
If you read this months edition of GM you'll see that using 'social media' etc. It is pretty much considered essential for a professionally run modern club.

Email has been my core way of quickly communicating for at least a decade, if a club can't be bothered to organise itself to handle a modern business process then , to me, it says they are in serious need of change.
 
I still hope to join the Gogs when my wee one is older, it's less than 10 mins drive from my house and can be 20 mins from work.

Still a few years away but I hope I can cross any barriers such as requiring referrals.

Also I hope break90 doesn't say anything to scare them off...
 
But that's the whole point of asking for info beforehand - I don't want to turn up to a club that I then find out I can't afford

And all the clubs that haven't yet replied do not publish rates in line - you have to email or complete a contact form

They really dont make it easy for you!!

HomerJSimpson said:
I'm with a lot of others on here and to be brutally honest would rather turn up, check the place out and speak to someone in person and get a feel for the place. First impressions are important and give a good idea of what to expect
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gmhubble said:
But that's the whole point of asking for info beforehand - I don't want to turn up to a club that I then find out I can't afford

And all the clubs that haven't yet replied do not publish rates in line - you have to email or complete a contact form

They really dont make it easy for you!!
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Yes this, it does seem people are not reading or maybe not understanding the point. He wants to know the costs of many local clubs so he can decide which ones to go and visit so he via email asked for the costs and many haven't replied and this is poor.

Once he knows the cost and see which ones will suit him and he can ring up, arrange visits and hopefully play a round as well....
 
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