Info needed on de vere hotel courses

[beggsy]

I'm just looking for info on tee time availability for members at these courses as I know they do hold lots of cooperate events so are tee times priority given to members or is it tough if there is a event on

12 of us are looking for a new club and don't want to be given diff info off secretary's ect

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

If it's a viable option, I would avoid these types of courses like the plague and join a private members club if at all possible. They are generally run as money making machines first and everything else second after that.

 

[woody69]

Depends what you want from a course/club.

I am a member of Devere Venues. Essentially you purchase 100 points and use these points to play at the course. It's incredibly cheap as the points are £315 for the year and due to the amount I can play, I have never had to top up. You also get use of the facilities etc like Leisure club if they have one. It's run as a proper club though with comps, official handicaps, etc.

Downsides are obviously the hotels have a lot of hotel residents wanting to play, which can make for slow rounds, or busy (outside of comps) so tough to get a tee time (they offer first come first serve policy). The green staff are also on a retainer contract so often do the bare minimum as their contract isn't really at risk. We have had a few issues, but that is slowly being addressed. The club does have a budget of it's own though to spend on the course/membership as it see's fit.

It suits me as I can only play perhaps once or twice a month, but if you are looking to play all the time, I'd probably join a private members club.

 

[beggsy]

This won't be a points membership it's full at around £1000 we just don't want to commit to them if we turn up for a comp on a weekend to be told we can't play as our times have been handed to a society ect

 

[Fyldewhite]

We had a group of around 30 members up sticks and go to a nearby De Vere about 3 years ago when the points based "De Vere Club" memberships were introduced. Nearly all are now back.....'nuff said.

 

[jamielaing]

Not De Vere in particular but generally courses which are part of a resort are best to stay away from. Some have very good courses and are tempting due to the standard you expect but you will come last in terms of the business concerns of the place. I have heard of people arriving to play a medal to find that a society had booked so they cancelled the medal. Groupon or special deals going out for stay and play which means your course is packed full.

If possible try to find a course that is private members. You will get a lot more of it and the staff are there to serve you, not as an addition to the many other things going on.

Think of it this way, they get £1000 a year from you and for that you want x,y and z. If a group of 50 book at £50 per head for one days golf do you think your x,y and z matters to them that day?

 

[Smiffy]

If it's a viable option, I would avoid these types of courses like the plague and join a private members club if at all possible. They are generally run as money making machines first and everything else second after that.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
He's not wrong.

 

[woody69]

This won't be a points membership it's full at around £1000 we just don't want to commit to them if we turn up for a comp on a weekend to be told we can't play as our times have been handed to a society ect

Well at our course that never happens. Comps are booked for the entire year and reserved. If you are in the comp then you will be playing (unless it gets cancelled for other reason, i.e. a fire!)

Booked tee times are also not handed to societies as you can book up to 2 weeks in advance as a member and I don't believe they take society bookings within that window.

 

[hovis]

If it's a viable option, I would avoid these types of courses like the plague and join a private members club if at all possible. They are generally run as money making machines first and everything else second after that.

I couldn't disagree more. i think you'll be hard pressed to find a club as money hungry as the belfry. Yet they plough alot of money back into the facilities such as


New range mats
Regular change of balls
Well kept greens
Top rate drainage
Winter comps
Members alloted tee times.

You won't hear me on this forum moaning about temp greens, frost delays, fairway mats or course closures. Why? Because they have the money to prevent said things..

 

[woody69]

Not De Vere in particular but generally courses which are part of a resort are best to stay away from. Some have very good courses and are tempting due to the standard you expect but you will come last in terms of the business concerns of the place. I have heard of people arriving to play a medal to find that a society had booked so they cancelled the medal. Groupon or special deals going out for stay and play which means your course is packed full.

If possible try to find a course that is private members. You will get a lot more of it and the staff are there to serve you, not as an addition to the many other things going on.

Think of it this way, they get £1000 a year from you and for that you want x,y and z. If a group of 50 book at £50 per head for one days golf do you think your x,y and z matters to them that day?

Never happened at our place. Not saying it doesn't at other De Vere venues as I have no idea

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Which course are you looking at? Seeing your location it states Leeds. There are soooooo many good courses in and around Leeds that I would have thought one of those would be a safer bet than going to a hotel course. I have played a few hotel courses around there, Oulton Hall and Hollins Hall being the ones that immediately spring to mind, and whilst they were enjoyable you do get screwed in the bar and the courses are flogged to death. They are desperate for corporate and societies and members tend to be neglected.

Saying all of that, I play at a hotel course, Linden Hall, but they are awful at marketing and so the course is lovely and quiet. I don't think DeVere are quite so inept.

 

[jamielaing]

Never happened at our place. Not saying it doesn't at other De Vere venues as I have no idea

As a said, not De Vere in particular just from the experiences I have heard of from other resorts. At the same time I do appreciate that there are courses that are great at these places so you do need to take them on a case by case basis. For example in Edinburgh we have Dalmahoy golf course which is part of Marriott. Great course and facilities but if I came second to hotel guests I would have to reconsider.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I couldn't disagree more. i think you'll be hard pressed to find a club as money hungry as the belfry. Yet they plough alot of money back into the facilities

They can afford to because they are living off their past Ryder Cup glories and cashing in on the demand that creates. Probably the exception to the rule.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I couldn't disagree more. i think you'll be hard pressed to find a club as money hungry as the belfry. Yet they plough alot of money back into the facilities such as


New range mats
Regular change of balls
Well kept greens
Top rate drainage
Winter comps
Members alloted tee times.

You won't hear me on this forum moaning about temp greens, frost delays, fairway mats or course closures. Why? Because they have the money to prevent said things..

A lot of that will be aimed towards the visitors expirence and having the course open more to get more through the tills

 

[JohnF]

I'm a member of the Carrick which was a part of the De Vere group. I never had a problem coming in 2nd to a hotel guests or society groups. As someone said you have a calendar with medals every weekend to book. Also at the Carrick the first tee off times where put aside for members wanting to play in the medal.
The only time the course has been closed for members is when the EuroPro tour turned up which was from Wednesday to Friday

 

[hovis]

A lot of that will be aimed towards the visitors expirence and having the course open more to get more through the tills

Thats fine by me. If a by-product of them bending over backwards to please customers and genarate cash is giving the members the facilities and course condition we get then so be it

 

[hovis]

They can afford to because they are living off their past Ryder Cup glories and cashing in on the demand that creates. Probably the exception to the rule.

Not the point i was making. The belfry is motivated purely by profit. They would steel the hole out of your last polo. However, your statement of profit first, members second may be correct but second place at a course making a humongous profit is better than first place at a exclusive members venue such as ''litte Aston " where they have just asked members for financial help to mend a mower and reapir a roof!!!

Another example is beau desert. They cant even afford to replace the range mats that are harder than granite and have to cherry pick what bunkers get the small amount of sand they can afford