chillicon
Assistant Pro
They may let you join on a temporary/trial basis for 6 months and then join full time if you like it. They offer that at my place.
Joining Fees
- Thread starter virtuocity
- Start date
D
Deleted Member 1156
Guest
Like it's been said before, you generally get what you pay for. If you want to be a member of a top quality club then chances are you will have to pay a joining fee. If you don't want to pay one then be prepared to play at a lesser quality club. That's life I'm afraid.
And as I've said before, paying a joining fee promotes a sense of loyalty to the club, you are less likely to walk away after a short time if you've paid one.
Just make sure you do your research to make sure it's the right club for you before signing on the dotted line :thup:
And as I've said before, paying a joining fee promotes a sense of loyalty to the club, you are less likely to walk away after a short time if you've paid one.
Just make sure you do your research to make sure it's the right club for you before signing on the dotted line :thup:
FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
Absolutely, it's just one extra thing to consider when joining a club. I'm not against them per se. In my case it was the decisive factor in ultimately not joining but had everything else been perfect I'd have just sucked it up.
virtuocity
Tour Winner
My point is being lost just a tad. While joining fees annoy me, I'd pay it in a second if I could guarantee that I'd want to stay at that club for 3 years or beyond. I want to know if I'm going to be liable to pay a full joining fee if I find that after 6 months I hate the place.
It might be better for me to be upfront and honest when approaching clubs.
It might be better for me to be upfront and honest when approaching clubs.
each club will be different- I asked at mine and you join agreeing to a joining fee (payable over 3 years) if you leave you pay the balance.
If you paid it all when joining would you expect to get it back if you left 6 mths later?
Hammertoe
Assistant Pro
We have a joining fee of £500, which is payable over 5 years, honestly don't know what happens if you leave before that. I wasnt particularly happy paying it but the fees themselves are very reasonable and the 5 year payment option lessens the load considerably, plus I don't ever see myself leaving the Club so if it had to be paid it had to be paid.
Liverbirdie
Ryder Cup Winner
I'm in the same situation, if accepted at one in the next year, but most you have to pay in one go, so no second chance.
However, I'm seeing it as a 20 year decision.
Keeno
Challenge Tour Pro
What courses are you thinking about?
Val
Ryder Cup Winner
Generally if it still has a few to join they are selective to who gets in therefore it may be worth the fee.
Where are you thinking? Some quality courses near you.
Where are you thinking? Some quality courses near you.
SVB
Challenge Tour Pro
make sure you know who you owe the money to - in taking a spead over n years option some clubs offer this through a finance scheme so the club gets the bulk of the money up front but your debt is with a finance house - more difficult to just walk away from!
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
This can be difficult to do and is one of my beefs about joining fees.
You can do all the research you can, think you've found the right club but then, 9 months down the line when you've experienced life as a member, you realise that its not really what you want and you're potentially stuck with having to pay your way out, staying put until the joining fee is paid ( assuming you have to keep paying it over a number of years) and not enjoying it or having to pay a very large amount of money for a year's golf.
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
I've never agreed with joining fees, to me your subs are your joining fee. You wouldn't join a gym if it was £xxx per month membership plus £xxxx over 3/4/5 years for the privilege of being a member.
To me it's almost a blackmail token in an effort to get members to stay on for atleast the period of their joining fee. The only clubs that warrant a fee to me is the 100% members clubs that don't allow green fees at weekends etc, but even then it should be realistic and not £1500+
Times have changed an so has the acceptance towards joining fees
To me it's almost a blackmail token in an effort to get members to stay on for atleast the period of their joining fee. The only clubs that warrant a fee to me is the 100% members clubs that don't allow green fees at weekends etc, but even then it should be realistic and not £1500+
Times have changed an so has the acceptance towards joining fees
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Agree, fair play to those clubs who's facilities/waiting list can warrant it but not something I'd agree to pay (& if that takes some nice courses off my choice to join then c'est la vie)
As said earlier if leaving early while still paying a joining fee then I'd have to go in eyes open expecting to lose all that money but I'd still look for a way out of paying it if I could find one
I think most clubs would/should look at instances on a case by case basis such that if a member of the armed forces got unexpectedly moved (especially to a conflict etc) then I'd want the club to waive any balance. Members emigrating I think the club might look to reduce the balance etc
I did wonder on the earlier comment about informing local clubs of defaulters. On what grounds can a club pass on this information? (legally)
Johnny H
Medal Winner
The club I'm looking at joining has started doing a joining fee but it's only £150, and the membership is only £580 at the moment.
It will be going up soon due to a new owner who is spending ALOT of money doing the club up.
They have offered me a deal which is because I'm new to golf, if I take a 3 month trial for £99 which includes 5 lessons and then take on a full 12 month membership after at £580 they will give me the £99 back and there will be no joining fee, so that's 15 months golf for the price of 12 with no joining fee. Good times.
It will be going up soon due to a new owner who is spending ALOT of money doing the club up.
They have offered me a deal which is because I'm new to golf, if I take a 3 month trial for £99 which includes 5 lessons and then take on a full 12 month membership after at £580 they will give me the £99 back and there will be no joining fee, so that's 15 months golf for the price of 12 with no joining fee. Good times.
virtuocity
Tour Winner
Nail on head. I recently moved back to Ayrshire and took a few months scoping out some modestly priced courses, met with members and played the courses a few times. Finally, I made my mind up, paid my fee and off I went (ironically, the club I joined dropped the joining fee two days before I joined). Long story short, I was enjoying my golf a lot (see handicap reduction) but not hugely loving the course. In fact, I haven't returned since September and rejoined my old course in Lanarkshire for the winter.
Imagine that I still had circa £600-£1000 of joining fee left to pay. Disaster.
G
guest100718
Guest
Nonsense, joining fees are a throw back to when some thought being a member of a golf club was a status symbol.
Duckster
Tour Rookie
Not necessarily, quite a lot of members clubs have "joining fees" where you actually buy a share in the club which means the club is truly owned by the members. The yearly fee is then the money that runs the club. That has nothing to do with status symbols or being a throw back to the olden days.
I think that most courses near me which don't have joining fees are usually propriety owned so are set up to make profit for someone else.
G
guest100718
Guest
Someone at every course is trying to make a buck
D
Deleted Member 1156
Guest
but you would have known about it- same as the annual subs-
