Joining fees - did you have one?

[jp5]

Wouldn't join a club with a joining fee. Maybe it's a generation thing, but paying for the privilege of paying membership fees isn't right to me. The club will get my loyalty with a decent course, competitions and friendly atmosphere, not through the fact that they have an extra £1k of my money.

 

[GB72]

I paid a joining fee at my current club and my last one. I am not a big fan of them but around me all of the clubs that I would want to join (the non hotel courses) charge a joining fee and so there is no option really to head for a club that does not charge one. That said, I am not convinced that it creates the loyalty of membership that it is meant to. If there were reasons for me wanting to leave a club then I would do so rather than struggle on at a place that I was not happy with (in fact I left my old club in the same year that my final payment towards my joining fee was made). Around my area the joining fee is tolerated simply because everyone still charges them (and they also seem to charge pretty much the same annual fees). I would be interested to see what would happen if a club broke ranks and ditched the joining fee (I certainly new members at my old club who were looking to move on but would not do so because of the joining fee at other clubs).

 

[DCB]

I have answered yes, didn't mind at all but then it was 32 years ago and things were very different then.

This is NOT an implied criticism of anyone but in those days the only time you were likely to change club was if you moved from the area.

In any event the dreaded Waiting Lists made it impractical.In the late 80's you could wait in excess of five years to join some of the clubs round here, including our own.

Ah... the good old days We had some clubs where you were actually waiting to fill dead mens shoes

I joined my current club in Aug 1985 the joining fee then was about £250 and annual subs about the same.

 

[Imurg]

No Joining fee for me and if there was one I'd have to think twice about whether I could afford it.
Even a graduated JF, say 200 quid a year for 5 years (or more) could put membersbip on a knife edge.
A few bigger clubs around here have them but the JF addex to ghe higher subs anyway just put them so far out of reach..

 

[Keeno]

There was no joining fee at my place and I don't think there has been for the past 4 years. Most clubs in the area do have joining fee's but there are murmering that some are starting to feel the pinch.

To my knowledge we are quite a good position members and finance wise.

 

[ger147]

My experience is the opposite to what many would think.

I joined a golf club for the 2012 season and had to pay a joining fee of £1,200 (spread out in installments over 4 years) as well as my year's fees. Come the end of 2012, due to a number of issues I had with the way the club is run, the main one being medals/comps were never drawn and as the existing membership didn't want to play with new members, I actually wasn't allowed to take part in the medals as I had no-one to play with or mark my card (yes, 100% true!!), I decided I wasn't going to renew and resigned my membership.

I knew at that point I would be liable for the £1,000 I hadn't yet paid of the joining fee but I paid it and left as golf wise, it was a miserable experience for a newbie member who didn't know anyone.

I joined my current current club in Feb 2013 which has no joining fee and the difference is night and day. It's a very friendly club, new guys are made very welcome, almost all comps are drawn and when I went to the new members evening and enquired about how I could meet some other new folks to play in some of the pairs comps, the immediate past captain volunteered to be my partner. We got to the QF of the Foursomes, losing by 1 hole on the 18th.

I know quite a few guys there now that I've played with/against in various medals and comps, I'm on friendly terms with the current captain who is a very nice guy and puts in lots of work for the club and I'll have no hesitation in renewing when the letter drops through my door in the not too distant.

IMHO, there is a lot more to trying to ensure new members renew after Year 1 than having a joining fee.

 

[mcbroon]

I had to abandon the idea of joining my club 3 years earlier than I did because I couldn't afford the JF and first year's fees up front. Then they introduced an option to pay the JF spread over 5 years, so I was happy to pay it (although I'd clearly have preferred it if it wasn't in force at all).

We have an EGM coming up which I think is going to consider scrapping it altogether.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Yes paid a joining fee ( pretty big one. ) but didnt mind

 

[stevie_r]

I had to abandon the idea of joining my club 3 years earlier than I did because I couldn't afford the JF and first year's fees up front. Then they introduced an option to pay the JF spread over 5 years, so I was happy to pay it (although I'd clearly have preferred it if it wasn't in force at all).

We have an EGM coming up which I think is going to consider scrapping it altogether.

Your club website is already saying no JF mate.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Wouldn't join a club with a joining fee. Maybe it's a generation thing, but paying for the privilege of paying membership fees isn't right to me. The club will get my loyalty with a decent course, competitions and friendly atmosphere, not through the fact that they have an extra £1k of my money.

You are not really paying for the privilege of paying a membership fee. You are helping keep subs down and demonstrating some commitment to the club that helps in it's financial planning.

That said I my feeling is that of new members are going to be put off from joining by a non-refundable joining fee - then the joining fee could be repackaged. My idea (and I appreciate that it is unlikely to be a new one) is that new members pay an up front 'loan' to the club that will be repaid to you over a period - in part or in full - through annual credits by the club onto your clubhouse tab. If you leave then you forfeit whatever of the agreed loan repayment amount remains. The longer you remain a member the more of the 'loan' you'll get back.

Key is to make available a number of 'repayment' periods with short periods having a smaller loan but a larger residual (arrangement fee) retained by the club if you don't renew membership at end of your chosen period. Planning to remain a member for ten years plus? £1000 loan up front repaid in 10x£100 credits to your tab. Maybe you only see yourself being a member for 5 yrs to start with - then £750 repaid in 5x£125 credits. But in latter you in effect pay the club £125 as the 'arrangement fee' for chosing the 5yr option if you don't renew. 3yr option - say £500 and 3x£125 with £125 arrangement fee.

Maybe in addition to this you have for all - a fixed non-refundable up front JF of say £300.

 

[stevie_r]

We don't have a joining fee and if we did have then I wouldn't have joined. I've got probably 25 clubs within a 30 minute drive and could therefore shop around. Those that still have a joining fee invariably also have higher subs (as previously alluded to by another poster) and that would push costs beyond my means.

On that magical Friday when my numbers finally come up however, then I will be more than happy to chuck a significant sum at Archerfield for my debenture.

 

[Oddsocks]

Was a member of a local course as a junior for around 3 years, I left and went back to mx but then returned back to the club as a cult member and they waved the joining fee as I'd already been a member, I was there from 18-23/24 and then left and went back to the motor cross....

Went to rejoin as a full adult member 2/3 years ago and was told I had to pay a grand joining feel I explained that I had a lot of history with that club and would want to rejoin there but wasn't prepared to pay the joining fee as my golf had effectively I been played there pretty much all it's life... They wouldn't meet me half way so I joined elsewhere.

Personally I can't see how most clubs can ask for a joining feel great if it's a top 100 course... But for local members clubs.... I just don't see it.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Personally I can't see how most clubs can ask for a joining feel great if it's a top 100 course... But for local members clubs.... I just don't see it.

Limit joining fees to top 100 courses? - interesting as they are the least likely to need the money. Besides - I suspect that most if not all members clubs have the joining fee as your formal purchase of your shareholding in the club ltd company. In fact I still have the Certificate of Shareholding I received when I joined my previous club back in 1984 (£100 joining fee).

Aside - I wonder what - if any - rights a shareholder in a golf club has when no longer a member?

 

[smange]

Mandatory joining fee at the club in Ireland...eye watering amount of money but I'll get value out of it over the next 30 odd years!

Which club in Ireland are you a member of?

 

[Shaunmg]

The two clubs closest to where I live have joining fees. For that sole reason, 4 years ago I joined a club a bit further away. I am still a member. This was not out of any kind of protest or principle, but purely financial.


I can understand members reluctance to get rid of them after they had to fork out themselves, but unless your club is thriving and has waiting list, then they have to be abolished. Spreading it out over a number of years is no compromise. There are too many clubs out there without them

 

[Evesdad]

Ours was £600 or £500 if paid upfront. I paid up front as had the cash at the time. I didn't want to pay it obviously but like others have said no choice really as all the clubs had it. 3 years later it has been scrapped. A little miffed but not drastically.

 

[chellie]

Joining fee for us and there's a waitlist for men wanting to join.

 

[beau d.]

A joining fee is just like anything else we buy..... There are many categories of golfer out there and many golf clubs. Someone who doesn't take it too seriously and only wants to play occasionally will go for a club where there are no joining fee amd low annual subs, someone who is serious about the game and wishes to play at a top course with all the practice facilities etc will expect to pay a joining fee and much higher subs, that's just how it is supply and demand.

 

[Imurg]

A joining fee is just like anything else we buy..... There are many categories of golfer out there and many golf clubs. Someone who doesn't take it too seriously and only wants to play occasionally will go for a club where there are no joining fee amd low annual subs, someone who is serious about the game and wishes to play at a top course with all the practice facilities etc will expect to pay a joining fee and much higher subs, that's just how it is supply and demand.

Are you real..?
I'd love to play at a top quality course with good practice facilities and take my golf "seriously" but unfortunately I don't earn 30+ grand a year.
So I have to bum it around at a cheap course that doesn't have a joining fee as I'm not wealthy enough to be serious about the game.........and you can't be serious about your golf unless you pay a joining fee....?

 

[richart]

Are you real..?
I'd love to play at a top quality course with good practice facilities and take my golf "seriously" but unfortunately I don't earn 30+ grand a year.
So I have to bum it around at a cheap course that doesn't have a joining fee as I'm not wealthy enough to be serious about the game.........

Yes but your job does have its compensations.