joining fees

Apologies if this has already been mentioned but isn't a joining fee a sunken cost. And all economic theory states that you should not take into account sunken costs when making a decision whether to invest more in the future.

So the fact that you have spent a grand on a joining fee should not influence whether you continue paying your yearly membership, as essentially that money has gone and rationally you are not getting any more value for money on your yearly membership because of it. Or something like that.
 
I've just moved house, and most of the clubs around me that I'd consider becoming a member of, all operate joining fees ranging from £200 over 2 years, to £500 over 5 years. My current club, Peebles, doesn't operate a joining fee but are putting subs up for the new season - I'm not affected, as I'm paid up until March 2014.

However, I'm likely to leave Peebles when my membership is up as its now double the distance for me to travel, and I won't be able to justify it once fuel costs are added to the cost of membership. I'd happily take a country membership there for when I'm down at the caravan on occasional weekends, as it would work out cheaper than visitor rates, but I don't qualify as i'm 10 miles inside the threshold.

As much as I'd rather avoid doing so, to join somewhere more local to where I now live, I'm going to have to pay a joining fee and I accept that.
 
On the point of the 'Seniors', I think most clubs have reduced fees for those of a pensionable age. Golf clubs see that a good few members have past retirement age and are now drawing a pension, some may have good pensions and others may not but either way giving seniors on a pension the ability to still be a contributing member of a golf club means they still have a stream of revenue coming in, be it from the green fees or the members bar.

As for joining fees, personally I think these are an antiquated method of squeezing cash out of people. Many clubs have done away with joining fees, if a club wants exclusivity for its members then they just charge an exhorbitant annual membership fee. One course up my way charges £1,800 for the year and that allows you play on the lesser of the two courses available, to play on both you have to pay over £3,000 for the year and if you want you own locker you have to pay a lot more.

Personally I wouldn't pay a joining fee, as has been mentioned it's a buyers market when it comes to joining a golf club, yes you may have to be vetted prior to approval, getting a recommendation and a be seconded by two existing members, but before handing over any cash I'd want to know where my cash would be going, what it would be spent on. If it was just going into the kitty to ensure the bar is fully stocked or keep the captains car park space spick and span, then I'd have second thoughts on joining the club, if however a good percentage was going to course improvement and maintenance then I'd be more inclined to part with my cash and join.
 
Just a point ,you don't get reduced fees just because your over 65. you must have paid full fees for over 25yrs. We have one guy that wont get them reduced till he's 85 lucky him eh
 
SocketRocket said:
Everything has it's price and we have the freedom to pay the price or buy something else, I dont see why it's a rip off! The club is owned by it's members, money is raised with the fee and spent on improving facilities for the membership, nothing wrong with that. As long as the club attracts suitable numbers they will continue to charge it, if you want to be a member you pay it. Simples!
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Quite - no one is ripping anyone else off. If you don't want to pay a joining fee find a club that doesn't have one. It's the club's decision on whether or not to have one and how it can be paid. I'd be less inclined myself to pay a joining fee to join a club that
was not a members club - but if it came to it that would be my decision. In a members club all income goes in the club pot to be spent on the club.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Quite - no one is ripping anyone else off. If you don't want to pay a joining fee find a club that doesn't have one. It's the club's decision on whether or not to have one and how it can be paid. I'd be less inclined myself to pay a joining fee to join a club that
was not a members club - but if it came to it that would be my decision. In a members club all income goes in the club pot to be spent on the club.
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i suppose it depends on the amount of clubs around you. myself a joining fee isnt a factor to put off joining a club. i looked around at a less than five courses to join in Ayrshire. after some consideration (well it was a no brainer) i joined Bogside, 11 minutes from my house a cracking golf course (although i had only played it once) nice clubhouse and a friendly membership.
yes they halfed the joining fee from £1200 to 600 which helped as it meant i joined a year earllier than i had planned. but one of my best descions.
i see the joining fee as my intention to stay and play at this club for years, (for life).
this club used to have a 7 year waiting list now there is none, its a sign of the times and golfers will move to cheaper places. hopefully we have a plan to cope with all this, and i mean ALL golf courses
 
Also I'll add - our entrance fee (not called a joining fee :)) is £1250 and can be spread over 12 to 24 months. Let's assume we get 30 new members a year - take away entrance fee and the exisiting membership has to fill the gap - £37500! Every year! hmmm.
 
bigslice said:
i suppose it depends on the amount of clubs around you. myself a joining fee isnt a factor to put off joining a club. i looked around at a less than five courses to join in Ayrshire. after some consideration (well it was a no brainer) i joined Bogside, 11 minutes from my house a cracking golf course (although i had only played it once) nice clubhouse and a friendly membership.
yes they halfed the joining fee from £1200 to 600 which helped as it meant i joined a year earllier than i had planned. but one of my best descions.
i see the joining fee as my intention to stay and play at this club for years, (for life).
this club used to have a 7 year waiting list now there is none, its a sign of the times and golfers will move to cheaper places. hopefully we have a plan to cope with all this, and i mean ALL golf courses
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.

Yup - agree with this. Though whether I stay for life...:-)

But it will be very unlikely that I will move club as long as I live in this area. Been a member 10yrs now. So my £1000 (or whatever it was - probably a bit less) equates to £100 a year - £2 a week.
 
Khamelion said:
On the point of the 'Seniors', I think most clubs have reduced fees for those of a pensionable age. Golf clubs see that a good few members have past retirement age and are now drawing a pension, some may have good pensions and others may not but either way giving seniors on a pension the ability to still be a contributing member of a golf club means they still have a stream of revenue coming in, be it from the green fees or the members bar.

As for joining fees, personally I think these are an antiquated method of squeezing cash out of people. Many clubs have done away with joining fees, if a club wants exclusivity for its members then they just charge an exhorbitant annual membership fee. One course up my way charges £1,800 for the year and that allows you play on the lesser of the two courses available, to play on both you have to pay over £3,000 for the year and if you want you own locker you have to pay a lot more.

Personally I wouldn't pay a joining fee, as has been mentioned it's a buyers market when it comes to joining a golf club, yes you may have to be vetted prior to approval, getting a recommendation and a be seconded by two existing members, but before handing over any cash I'd want to know where my cash would be going, what it would be spent on. If it was just going into the kitty to ensure the bar is fully stocked or keep the captains car park space spick and span, then I'd have second thoughts on joining the club, if however a good percentage was going to course improvement and maintenance then I'd be more inclined to part with my cash and join.
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I'd like to think that a members club can still have an element of social awareness (if that is the right word) by recognising that in general pensioners have less money to spare than they did when working and that paying their golf subs could be difficult.

Further, in many communities the golf club is still a social meeting place and fairly important to the community - so one of the places pensioners can go to meet up. Yes I know that that is a fairly idealistic view on things, and possibly a bit old fashioned and out of kilter with the economic realities of today - but i think it is something that can easily be lost on the younger and on incomers to an area - but is actually important to many older folk of the community.
 
I have seen all of this before in the 1990's.
There were clubs and members then who were very hoity toity and thought that they could easily survive the financial down turn.
They did not take into consideration all of the new clubs built around then. This resulted in the same number of golfers with a greater choice of clubs to join. Quite a few of those 'Posh' clubs never recovered and are struggling to this day.

The problem is that golfers are generally selfish and inward looking.

Of course clubs cannot survive with a large senior membership paying reduced fees.
Naturally clubs must do all they can to attract younger members and lady members.
Clubs should operate more varied membership options. An example would be a cheaper restricted membership with a limited number of rounds to be played.

Reduced fee members should not be able to vote at an AGM as they have their own agenda.

For all you senior haters. Remember that many of these guys kept the club going through the bad times and will probably have done voluntary stints and committee work.
 
There are 3 top quality courses in the Bournemouth area, they all have joining fees between £750 and £2000 and 2 of them have waiting lists to join. There are also a few other clubs that have no joining fee and are struggling for members. VERY few people leave these three clubs other than for reasons such as moving out of the area etc.

Maybe there is a moral in the story.
 
scratch said:
There are 3 top quality courses in the Bournemouth area, they all have joining fees between £750 and £2000 and 2 of them have waiting lists to join. There are also a few other clubs that have no joining fee and are struggling for members. VERY few people leave these three clubs other than for reasons such as moving out of the area etc.

Maybe there is a moral in the story.
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Changing golf clubs and just spoke to the sec of the one I want to join .
Membership not due until the first of April but if I join now free golf until then .
No joining fee
Option to pay in full or direct debit five day membership £430.00
Full membership £610.00
 
Doon frae Troon said:
I have seen all of this before in the 1990's.
There were clubs and members then who were very hoity toity and thought that they could easily survive the financial down turn.
They did not take into consideration all of the new clubs built around then. This resulted in the same number of golfers with a greater choice of clubs to join. Quite a few of those 'Posh' clubs never recovered and are struggling to this day.

The problem is that golfers are generally selfish and inward looking.

Of course clubs cannot survive with a large senior membership paying reduced fees.
Naturally clubs must do all they can to attract younger members and lady members.
Clubs should operate more varied membership options. An example would be a cheaper restricted membership with a limited number of rounds to be played.

Reduced fee members should not be able to vote at an AGM as they have their own agenda.

For all you senior haters. Remember that many of these guys kept the club going through the bad times and will probably have done voluntary stints and committee work.
Click to expand...


And what? Why do they deserve a medal or worse a reduced membership fee? I'm helping keep my golf course go through a real slump. At a time where fuel and living is at a ridiculous high I could easily decide to spend my money else where but I don't I pay my fees. I don't expect to get anything back when I turn 65. I know what the fees are I know that I can choose to leave.

I don't buy into this nonsense that I paid for the club when you were in nappies. Well guess what I'll be paying for this club when your pushing up daisy's. Its swings and roundabouts.
 
thecraw said:
And what? Why do they deserve a medal or worse a reduced membership fee? I'm helping keep my golf course go through a real slump. At a time where fuel and living is at a ridiculous high I could easily decide to spend my money else where but I don't I pay my fees. I don't expect to get anything back when I turn 65. I know what the fees are I know that I can choose to leave.

I don't buy into this nonsense that I paid for the club when you were in nappies. Well guess what I'll be paying for this club when your pushing up daisy's. Its swings and roundabouts.
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Yea, you tell em. And I bet that on the way to the course they would all of been driving at 15mph in their 8 year old Rovers that have done 1400 miles, with one brake light not working, staring blankly and not moving when they get to a mini roundabout as they can't understand it, holding everyone up. ;)
 
Khamelion said:
As for joining fees, personally I think these are an antiquated method of squeezing cash out of people. Many clubs have done away with joining fees, if a club wants exclusivity for its members then they just charge an exhorbitant annual membership fee. One course up my way charges £1,800 for the year and that allows you play on the lesser of the two courses available, to play on both you have to pay over £3,000 for the year and if you want you own locker you have to pay a lot more.
Click to expand...



Im Curious / Interested...........Which Club is this......??
 
scratch said:
There are 3 top quality courses in the Bournemouth area, they all have joining fees between £750 and £2000 and 2 of them have waiting lists to join. There are also a few other clubs that have no joining fee and are struggling for members. VERY few people leave these three clubs other than for reasons such as moving out of the area etc.

Maybe there is a moral in the story.
Click to expand...

Parkstone, Broadstone and..........?
 
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