How much extra subs would you pay next year to support your Club if closed for 4 months?

[Robster59]

There must be a lot of People who are emotionally involved in their golf clubs to pay


Good for you. I have paid £680 for 6 months golf to actually play golf. It must be my mistake then that I was paying to keep the golf club going for the existing members and not to play golf.

That's the difference between just wanting to play golf and someone who wants to support their club.
And yes, I am emotionally involved in my club. I've admitted as much on here and explained in detail why. It's a damned good course and club.
I should point out I'm not paying any more than I normally would. I'm simply not cutting and running.

 

[robinthehood]

A question for those not wanting to pay extra.

If you broke your leg and couldn’t play for six months. Would you appreciate your club suspending membership or be happy to keep paying as the leg break is your problem and not theirs?

Ah some good old fashioned whatiffery. ?

 

[Papas1982]

Ah some good old fashioned whatiffery. ?

On you job

thanks for the opportunity to increase the post count though

 

[Diamond]

That's the difference between just wanting to play golf and someone who wants to support their club.
And yes, I am emotionally involved in my club. I've admitted as much on here and explained in detail why. It's a damned good course and club.
I should point out I'm not paying any more than I normally would. I'm simply not cutting and running.

Well I am 6 weeks into my golf career and not getting a refund when fully paid up is not good customer service.

 

[Robster59]

Well I am 6 weeks into my golf career and not getting a refund when fully paid up is not good customer service.

Then I'd suggest you ask for a refund. I've explained in detail why I'm not.

 

[Diamond]

Then I'd suggest you ask for a refund. I've explained in detail why I'm not.

I am sure I am not the only person, in fact a lot of golfers will have already cancelled direct debits, especially if placed on unpaid leave.
As my original post stated if the reports are true regarding the lockdown lasting throughout the summer a lot of golf clubs will struggle. There will be those people who are emotionally attached (like yourself) to the club but will that be enough to keep all of them going?
If the club I am a member at offered 2 months off next years membership it would go a long way to tying me in for another year.

 

[Robster59]

I am sure I am not the only person, in fact a lot of golfers will have already cancelled direct debits, especially if placed on unpaid leave.
As my original post stated if the reports are true regarding the lockdown lasting throughout the summer a lot of golf clubs will struggle. There will be those people who are emotionally attached (like yourself) to the club but will that be enough to keep all of them going?
If the club I am a member at offered 2 months off next years membership it would go a long way to tying me in for another year.

I understand and people will cancel because their finances have changed and so they can't afford to continue membership.
All I'm saying is that if everybody didn't support their club, very few would survive. They just don't have resources that deep.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

I am sure I am not the only person, in fact a lot of golfers will have already cancelled direct debits, especially if placed on unpaid leave.
As my original post stated if the reports are true regarding the lockdown lasting throughout the summer a lot of golf clubs will struggle. There will be those people who are emotionally attached (like yourself) to the club but will that be enough to keep all of them going?
If the club I am a member at offered 2 months off next years membership it would go a long way to tying me in for another year.

If you cancel a direct debit then in my opinion you are effectively resigning your membership.

You would then need to re apply for membership.

I know you are new to a club but some have been at clubs for years through thick and thin and some golfers are very loyal to there clubs. You will more than likely be that person one day.

 

[garyinderry]

My club has frozen DD from everyone.

Seems they intend to ride it out.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

My club has frozen DD from everyone.

Seems they intend to ride it out.

Is that in house direct debit or through a separate company Gaz?

 

[garyinderry]

Is that in house direct debit or through a separate company Gaz?

I think its just in house.

 

[ExRabbit]

I paid in January for the full year but I was going to halt my membership for 3 months next January and only play during the summer thereafter on the summer deal we have. I've been told that the membership has been put on hold and will restart when the club is opened again. Obviously it looks like I'll be losing a fair bit of summer membership for winter membership, but so long as the club continues I'm happy with that.

 

[Diamond]

My club has frozen DD from everyone.

Seems they intend to ride it out.

Any idea what they have done or members that are fully paid up in advance?

 

[Jacko_G]

If you cancel a direct debit then in my opinion you are effectively resigning your membership.

You would then need to re apply for membership.

I know you are new to a club but some have been at clubs for years through thick and thin and some golfers are very loyal to there clubs. You will more than likely be that person one day.

I know of one club in my area who has told members that if they cancel their DD/subs then apply to rejoin again in May/June/July (whenever) they will be liable/charged the full years fees.

I've paid in January for the year, I got very little golf in up till now due to the wettest winter I can remember and now this Covid crap has kicked in this is probably going to be my most expensive year for golf ever when you take it cost per game.

 

[patricks148]

I know of one club in my area who has told members that if they cancel their DD/subs then apply to rejoin again in May/June/July (whenever) they will be liable/charged the full years fees.

I've paid in January for the year, I got very little golf in up till now due to the wettest winter I can remember and now this Covid crap has kicked in this is probably going to be my most expensive year for golf ever when you take it cost per game.

same here, played very little at Nairn in the last 3 months since i paid my fee's mainly because the course works being done.

I don’t get the mentality of those who think they should get money back?? What do they expect the green keepers to have worked for nothing , machinery not paid for and bills not left unpaid.

If you expect to only have to pay when the course is at its best and when you want, just pay a green fee every time, see how much that costs if you wanted to play a lot, you are not paying for a service you are paying to be a member

 

[Imurg]

At Whipsnade it's in the constitution that if your fees, due 31/3, are not paid by 30/4 then you cease to become a member and cannot rejoin for a year.

 

[Robster59]

There will be people who will cancel their memberships, then when the situation is over, apply to join the club again and then complain if the club should decide to charge a joining fee. How do they think the course has been kept open over the all those months? How do they think the bills will be paid.
They certainly won't give a thought to all those who contributed to the club to keep it going. They'll just walk on and play without a care in the world.
They probably think us who continue to pay our membership are stupid, but I see it as ongoing investment. I'm in my club for the long haul. I know how much it costs to run, and I've seen too many clubs go to the wall even before this. I'm grateful our club is in a better position financially than others in the area but no club can afford to run with no money coming in.

 

[garyinderry]

Any idea what they have done or members that are fully paid up in advance?

I'd imagine their subs will kick back in when the golf comes back.

The whole thing will create a mess no doubt.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

You can't be furloughed and work for the same employer! So the green staff can't work for the club.

I'd rather my club kept paying the head greenkeeper plus one other to maintain course during the it's closure. Remainder of the team can be furloughed. I've a feeling that one of the greens team is bunking down in the head greenies house on the course.

My thoughts on this are 100% aligned with @Robster59's and that's not just as he's from where I was brought up and family lived for 50yrs. I have a great affection for his club as I was a member moons many ago.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Paid the yearly subs, not sure why I would pay more. The clubs, just like me needs to cuts it costs to a minimum if that means you need to furlough some of the greenkeepers it needs to happen, to ensure clubs can survive, as would have a guess after 6 plus months of this/semi-lockdown and the knock on effects on jobs/business, quite a number of people will not be able to afford subs in future years.

Depending on business levels/job loses generally after this, I may well be dropping a number of the memberships, as would imagine my business level will drop by 25-50% at a guess and every failure will be a sad case.

All very sad tbh, but I wont be paying anything above my yearly subs.