Is this normal?

[HTL]

Just been to have a look around a Golf club I was hoping to join, I was very impressed and get a superb deal on fees due to myself being under 25.

However, due to not having a handicap I would only be allowed to join the clubs Golf academy and go through a year of playing rounds with new golfers hacking huge divots etc I would also have to pay £550 for this experience of only off peak golf and have lessons with the clubs pro, regardless of wanting to stick with my current coach.
I would only play to receive my handicap during the final few weeks of this year?

The course is par 71, I have played municipals of this level and never shot over 100, I usually shoot about 90.

Is it really worth a year of brown nosing and putting up with crap golfers for a year to join a cracking club? Or shall I call back in and explain that I have been playing for nearly a year, received a lesson nearly every other week and am not too bad at golf? But how do I do this without sounding a ***?

Really need your help folks…….

Thanks Hywel

 

[HTL]

SORRY SAME POST AGAIN, FOR SOME REASON IT DID NOT SHOW UP WHEN I LOOKED AT THE PAGE AFTER POSTING? I HOUGHT IT DIDNT WORK SO POSTED AGAIN..... DOH!!!

 

[Parmo]

Strange that because I posted and it didnt show... hmm.. anyway I said:-

But how do I do this without sounding a ***?

Just be your usual self

 

[HTL]

Cheers buddy. The page is playing up, very strange!

 

[clubchamp07]

HTL I never heard such rubbish. If you join a cub your in and thats it. They may have rules but I've never heard rules like this before. Can you name the club?

 

[medwayjon]

To be honest I would tell them to do one.

Look at the club I joined, its great and I am sure that there are plenty near you, you surrey boys are all minted anyway!!!

Good luck with whatever you do mate.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Name names. This seems ludicrous. They either want you to be a member and therefore you get members playing rights or they don't.

If they doon't shift their stance I'd be disappearing over the horizon sharpish. Let some other mug pay that sort of money

 

[MVP]

Funny little Set up HTL id look else where, they are probably trying to get 2 years out of you to guarantee money .....

 

[Marko77]

htl, it's not normal - never heard of this practice anywhere before.

if you are paying and joining as full member you should be entitled to put your 3 cards in, get your handicap and get playing competitions. If your 3 cards don't indicate at least a h/c of 28 then they could have cause to ask you to participate in some lessons before playing comps.

I would phone, or write to query this and state your level of playing ability and probably state you would be more than happy to go out with a member of the Committee / Professional to prove such ability.

That is, if the club is worth such hassle? good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[golfcitydweller]

get onto `gm` and get them to name and shame them in the mag,then tell to stick it where the sun don`t shine!!!

 

[Junior]

wow, never heard of that before. There is so much competition for membership in the NW at the minute clubs snatch your hand off ! Try and have a conversation with the committe explaining you know the rules and that etiquette is important etc etc

If that doesnt work take your business elsewhere

 

[billyg]

My god you too!

I thought the club ive just left was the only one that tried to pull this sh1t anymore.

Knowing no better at the time I signed up for five day membership at 3/4 of the seven day membership fee as without a H/C of 24 or below I couldn't join as seven day member. I was obliged to have ten lessons at membership rates, a formal evening interview and play a round with (busybody) board members despite that not being regular practice.

I wasn't even allowed on the course until the lessons were completed(although the pro rata membership costs didn't kick in until this point to be fair)

I work and like most can only really play at weekends. After a short burst of summer golf on longer afternoons complying with the 'not before 3pm' rule on Sat/sun for 5 dayers we hit a wall when the clocks went back.

After looking very closely at the sunrise/sunset times throughout the year and setting that against our weekend playing limits it turned out we could only have got in about 30 or 40 rounds a year even if we were fanatical about it and many of those would be fighting dusk.

The whole thing was riddled with contradictions such as 7 day members austencibly being off minimum 24 for men and 36 for women and not being re-tested yearly to ensure this standard. Having seen many of these utter t1ts out on the course I would conclude that they wouldn't have met their own standards - and they knew it.

Even if we had reached their golden standard (which with only 30 rounds a year to play was never going to be easy) the weekend mornings were chock full of half p1ssed 'fat harrys'- having a little swindle (no women to be seen before 11am of course).

It's was only a slightly warped and misguided reverence for the hallowed institution of 'the club' that really prevented enlightenment from coming sooner (a mistake I was not about to repeat in the choosing of the next club )

I'm really quite bitter about it but temperence prevents me from naming and shaming. That and the fact that the pro is a really decent bloke.

I take a degree of satisfaction that i'm not the only idiot to be palmed off with this racket but urge you to tread carefully before becoming a willing supplicant yourself.

Look more widely, find a club that's better and join it then write the first club a letter telling them exactly which orifice they can shove their membership up. Do it in that order and allow a sufficient interlude for the new club to become familiar with you before despatching your thoughts to avoid combacks.

Revenge is a dish best served cold