Joining fees creeping back ?

[BigPhil14]

Nearly every club that I have looked at in SE London has a joining fee, varying from £1,000 to £4,000. Some are to be paid fully up front, some paid over the first year. I have rarely seen ones that can be paid over longer periods, or got close enough to joining to see what happens if you decide to leave whilst still paying off the joining fee. I understand why clubs do it, it just becomes a major deterrent for a lot of people (which is maybe what they want!).

In my instance, I would love to join a club, but at the moment I don't know how long I will end up living in the area (even moving 5 miles away can mean an hours drive in traffic!), so paying £1-4k to join a club is a tough position if you can't guarantee you will live in the area for a least 5 years. I personally would much rather clubs charged a higher annual fee for the first 5 years or so to essentially cover a joining fee, than ask for everything up front or in the first year. I guess this is why clubs typically have an older, more geographically settled, membership demographic.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Nearly every club that I have looked at in SE London has a joining fee, varying from £1,000 to £4,000. Some are to be paid fully up front, some paid over the first year. I have rarely seen ones that can be paid over longer periods, or got close enough to joining to see what happens if you decide to leave whilst still paying off the joining fee. I understand why clubs do it, it just becomes a major deterrent for a lot of people (which is maybe what they want!).

In my instance, I would love to join a club, but at the moment I don't know how long I will end up living in the area (even moving 5 miles away can mean an hours drive in traffic!), so paying £1-4k to join a club is a tough position if you can't guarantee you will live in the area for a least 5 years. I personally would much rather clubs charged a higher annual fee for the first 5 years or so to essentially cover a joining fee, than ask for everything up front or in the first year. I guess this is why clubs typically have an older, more geographically settled, membership demographic.

Ours is on the border of SE & SW London, has a joining fee in the middle of your quoted range and apparently we have 112 on the waiting list.

Ours is not deter people but to encourage a settled membership.

 

[Slab]

No idea but do golf clubs hold a unique position in being able to charge a joining fee ?

Do you/would you pay a joining fee to be a member at a tennis club, gym, photography club or any other type of club/activity

 

[HeftyHacker]

No idea but do golf clubs hold a unique position in being able to charge a joining fee ?

Do you/would you pay a joining fee to be a member at a tennis club, gym, photography club or any other type of club/activity

Many of the posher gyms have a joining fee to be fair... not in the region of golf club fees though.

 

[Robster59]

A joining fee at a member's club gives you a stake in that club. I paid when I joined my club, and it still retains one now. We have a waiting list, but still charged a joining fee when we didn't. It isn't as large as it used to be, and could be paid over a few years. A club near to us ditched the joining fee to get new members in, which they did, but they then jumped onto the next best deal the following year. At our club, the joining fee is invested back into the course. It is extra income over and above the annual membership which can be used to do additional work.

 

[spongebob59]

Many of the posher gyms have a joining fee to be fair... not in the region of golf club fees though.

I be!I've they call it an admin fee, which reminds me that as well as the joining fee I'd also have to pay an admin fee to process the membership, think it's £40.

 

[Crazyface]

Just a thought, but will the younger people on lower fees be expected to pay a joining fee? This will sort of go against the reasons for letting them have this ridiculous lower rate anyway.

 

[Crazyface]

My club has a waiting list, for the first time ever. No sign of them introducing a joining fee.....yet. I have noticed some other local courses have though.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

A joining fee at a member's club gives you a stake in that club. I paid when I joined my club, and it still retains one now. We have a waiting list, but still charged a joining fee when we didn't. It isn't as large as it used to be, and could be paid over a few years. A club near to us ditched the joining fee to get new members in, which they did, but they then jumped onto the next best deal the following year. At our club, the joining fee is invested back into the course. It is extra income over and above the annual membership which can be used to do additional work.

How many new members do you get each year to allow any significant investment into the course from their joining fee?

And if you are buying a stake in the club. Are you allowed to sell that stake if you leave?

 

[Robster59]

How many new members do you get each year to allow any significant investment into the course from their joining fee?

I'm not sure off the top of my head, I'd have to check the accounts. But even a few thousand pounds can contribute to course improvements.

And if you are buying a stake in the club. Are you allowed to sell that stake if you leave?

No, because if you lose, that's your decision. I do know that when a local club member's club closed a few years ago, the remaining members got a share of what was left after the creditors had been paid.

 

[spongebob59]

When I paid the joining fee @ Dartford GC, I was told I was buying shares in the club, but never figured out what happened to these when I left ?

 

[Slab]

A joining fee at a member's club gives you a stake in that club. I paid when I joined my club, and it still retains one now. We have a waiting list, but still charged a joining fee when we didn't. It isn't as large as it used to be, and could be paid over a few years. A club near to us ditched the joining fee to get new members in, which they did, but they then jumped onto the next best deal the following year. At our club, the joining fee is invested back into the course. It is extra income over and above the annual membership which can be used to do additional work.

Asking because i truly don't know, but in a practical sense, what does a 'stake' allow you to do V's members club without joining fee. I'm not even a member at a club
(maybe I'm reading it wrong though, do you mean stake as in an anchor etc to help keep you as a members)

 

[Bamberdele21]

A joining fee would put me right off.

Imagine paying a big lump fee with the idea that it would vouch for a long term investment.

Anything can happen tomorrow…

 

[HeftyHacker]

Just a thought, but will the younger people on lower fees be expected to pay a joining fee? This will sort of go against the reasons for letting them have this ridiculous lower rate anyway.

I'd imagine that clubs with a significant joining fee wouldn't offer discounted memberships anyway.

SAOL is the same joining fee regardless of membership type I believe, they have 5 day and 7 day but no discounted memberships (in the mens section).

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm not sure off the top of my head, I'd have to check the accounts. But even a few thousand pounds can contribute to course improvements.


No, because if you lose, that's your decision. I do know that when a local club member's club closed a few years ago, the remaining members got a share of what was left after the creditors had been paid.

I always feel a little sad when mention is made of the demise of Eastwood…as played there so many times and enjoyed it.

On joining fees, well I have put a lot of money into my club over the last 20yrs, and much of that has gone into improving the course - albeit gradually, to the point that we now have a course capable of hosting tournaments of reasonable standard.

But if we want to make the next step in quality and challenge, including upgrading the clubhouse as that has been secondary to the course, then we need to make further significant investment over a short period. I think it reasonable that we ask new joiners to make a significant contribution to this required investment through the joining fee, they will benefit if they stay, and if they don’t then for as long as they are members they get the benefit of many years of member investment in the course.

And with a waiting list of over 100 and a market for our product I think we are OK. The waiting list itself present us with a problem. How do we keep those on the list happy, and happy to wait. Plus we have strong junior and adult academies…for whom offer of membership is expected once they have been on the academy for the duration (2yrs). Juniors are no problem and we have an Intermediate adult membership category with limited playing rights, but for many adult academy members full membership is the expectation. With 100+ on the waiting list taht is difficult, but something that we must manage, and are trying to do so by setting up separate tracks into membership for waiting list and academy members.

The risk to the club from the waiting list and academy is complacency from us being in a good position financially and members numbers at the moment, but I think we are aware of that.

 

[Ser Shankalot]

I'm not sure off the top of my head, I'd have to check the accounts. But even a few thousand pounds can contribute to course improvements.


No, because if you lose, that's your decision. I do know that when a local club member's club closed a few years ago, the remaining members got a share of what was left after the creditors had been paid.

When Wimbledon Park was sold to the neighbouring tennis club, it was reported that existing members got £85k each from the sale. Don't know if and what size their joining fees were prior to sale.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

When Wimbledon Park was sold to the neighbouring tennis club, it was reported that existing members got £85k each from the sale. Don't know if and what size their joining fees were prior to sale.

MarkT would be able to give you a better idea as he was a member there. Think the £85,000 was accurate. This article quotes a joining feem of £3,000 https://www.golfnews.co.uk/features/wimbledon-park-members-agree-share-64m-windfall/

 

[IanM]

When that news about Wimbledon broke, I brought up the (hypothetical) discussion in the club bar... So, if a developer wanted to buy our course for housing, at what price would you agree to sell?

Some foamed at the mouth and said "never!!!" and, "over my dead body!" etc Others were far more easily bought! (and for not a lot of money either!)

Of course, if we abandoned joining fees and had some members who were not effectively shareholders, they'd have no vote and no dividend. Not that this would ever be an issue..

 

[sunshine]

A joining fee isn't an investment in the financial sense, unless this is actually a bond or debenture. It's more of an emotional investment.

For private members clubs, the members own the club, and it is run as a not for profit organisation. So cash windfalls are either invested in the club or returned to the members. If the club is dissolved the proceeds are shared out to the members (e.g. Wimbledon Park).

A posh gym typically isn't owned by the members. Like a proprietary golf club, it is owned by a company or individual. Cash windfalls are just bonus revenue and more profit for the owner.

 

[sunshine]

When that news about Wimbledon broke, I brought up the (hypothetical) discussion in the club bar... So, if a developer wanted to buy our course for housing, at what price would you agree to sell?

Some foamed at the mouth and said "never!!!" and, "over my dead body!" etc Others were far more easily bought! (and for not a lot of money either!)

Of course, if we abandoned joining fees and had some members who were not effectively shareholders, they'd have no vote and no dividend. Not that this would ever be an issue..

But surely all full members have an equal vote, whether they paid a joining fee or not?