Member Retention

Why should "Older" members get a any reduction in fees? Some of them have 5 day membership and are there every bl00dy morning using the facillities. Also, most have no mortgages to pay and have final salary pensions, the jammy g1ts, so are on more money than me. If I hear one more of them wittering on about where they are going (abroad) on their winter break and about when they will have to change their car soon as the three year deal is coming to and end we will have a few vacancies in the senior section.
Click to expand...

Using the facilities…what, is that not what's supposed to happen. How do you know they earn more than you, are you in a low paid job. Winter breaks and new cars………my old man worked his ar$e off for his holidays and cars. I also know quite a few senior golfers who save hard all year round just to pay their fees. Most golf course incomes are propped up by large numbers of senior golfers.

Right I’m off to see about that winter break.
 
The whole point here was a general one and not one aimed at lower subs for older members or even necessarily at cutting subs etc.

The fact is that membership numbers are pretty much down accross the board for golf clubs. What is the response to this, go out and get new members. But, if you look at it from another angle, the lower membership numbers are mostly caused by existing members leaving. My point is that the money spent on offering deals or attracting new members who have shown no loyalty to the club may be better spent on finding out why people are leaving and offering incentives to loyal members to stay who may just have had a change in circumstance that has made them think twice about signing up.
The part about refunding joining fees was simply a suggestion. Why reward the newcomer who has done nothing for the club simply for signing up. Why not make them pay up front and then get the money back when they have been with the club for a number of years.
 
A valid point and one that as a small business owner i can totally understand. I think the problem is that in our current financial state, why should older members see no reward for being loyal to the club, when the newer members are reaping the rewards of being fresh in. in effect your being penalised for being a loyal member.
Click to expand...

This is equally true of much else that we have to pay for, eg car/home/contents insurance. All the companies offer incentives to new customers, few to existing customers. the result - we are all far more ready to move to pastures new, and comparison websites are making a packet.

which begs the question, where is comparetheclub.com when you need it?
 
Do member retention incentives need to be financial?


What other ways are clubs able to retain their current members? If people feel valued, they have friends that they play golf with and take part in club functions, feel welcome into the clubhouse at any time and feel that their wants and needs regarding their membership are fulfilled for example.

What would you like to see happen to help retain members of your clubs apart from reduced fees etc ?
 
Do member retention incentives need to be financial?


What other ways are clubs able to retain their current members? If people feel valued, they have friends that they play golf with and take part in club functions, feel welcome into the clubhouse at any time and feel that their wants and needs regarding their membership are fulfilled for example.

What would you like to see happen to help retain members of your clubs apart from reduced fees etc ?
Click to expand...

Making an effort to ensure new members are integrated into the club would be a start. How many clubs take your cheque then say 'there is a golf course, help yourself and enjoy'. If a new member cannot find regular rounds or is not encouraged to participate then they are going to leave.

With financial hardships around, some more flexible payment schemes for existing members may help.

More varieties of membership would also help for those who have been around for a while and suddenly find that they cannot play as much.

Prize draws, comps, anything really. How many clubs, when they find out that a member is leaving actually ask why and if there is anything that they can do to convince them to stay. It is, after all, the first question that most companies ask when someone wants to stop using their services.
 
Do member retention incentives need to be financial?
What would you like to see happen to help retain members of your clubs apart from reduced fees etc ?
Click to expand...

I would like to see the club crest show length of membership with the small inclusion of, say, yellow for five years, blue for ten etc

This would therefore make the members years in the club visible BUT it would also mean the items with the crest thereon would maybe need to be renewed creating another revenue stream for the club.
 
in truth there's not much the club can do. it doesn't own the course nor any of the facilities, they are all owned and operated by the land owner. we pay an annual green fee to him and a lot less to 'the club'.
he is interested in packing the course (what is golf's equivalent to bums on seats?), he may allow us certain tee-times for comps (by arrangement) but after that I'm sure we're just another source of income. short-sighted I think but the way it is.
 
This is a great thread,im on the sub commitee at my club and i will be taking some of these ideas to the meeting next thursday.We have been losing members for years for a number of reasons,and imo something has to be done quickly or we could be out of business.
 
I would like to see the club crest show length of membership with the small inclusion of, say, yellow for five years, blue for ten etc

This would therefore make the members years in the club visible BUT it would also mean the items with the crest thereon would maybe need to be renewed creating another revenue stream for the club.
Click to expand...

What!!???? Sort of like the MacDonalds star system?? You must be chuffed when you move up from the fries machine!! :D

If you feel the need to demonstrate how long you've been at a golf club why not meet as many people as possible and make friends with them so that everyone says hello when you are in the club??
 
I think the best way to keep (and attract) members would be to keep the course in top condition. Ultimately, that's all I care about, and I'd rather the course was excellent then to benefit from a discount. Hopefully most courses are run in such a way to make that possible.

In my limited experience most people move course to play on a better facility, though I appreicate there are political reasons for some. Rather than offering them a discount you should be doing your best to offer them better golf.

I think the angst about not rewarding loyality is valid in a social sense, but not a commercial one. Existing (long term) members have demonstrated that they are happy with the facility and environment and can afford the subs (afford is sometimes also a question of prioritisation). The concept of an incentive is to give yourself a chance to prove to a new potential member that they should be spending their long term cash at that club too, and not to reward them for being new. Not dissimilar to your average smack dealer. Enjoy the freebie, then prepare to start parting with real cash.

I also think anybody who complains about senior membership discounts should probably be aware that when "we" hit retirement age, we wont have the benefit of a state pension (or much of one) and so you might be cutting your own throat on that front.
 
People over 55 should be banned from the golf course.

Take up carpet bowls and be happy in their professional stick of pee status!
 
Ive read a lot of the posts on this thread, and indeed other threads, about Club incentives for New/Existing members etc, and wondered why my own club seemed to be immune from having to do this.

I see from this years Accounts sheet that we are exactly 3, yes 3 members less than last year, which coupled with the fact that it is one of (if not THE) best courses in my area, that the reasons are clear.

Ive been a member for over 20yrs, and love the place as much as the day I joined, - more in fact, as I can play the game reasonably now, allegedly. ;)
I'd even go as far as saying that in those 20years, Ive thought about leaving the Mrs's more often than the thought of ever changing Clubs !

I'm comfortable there, I love it there, sitting on the Balcony of a 100yr old Clubhouse watching the sun go down on a summer evening. Its like home, its somewhere I enjoy being, and I feel part of a priveledged group who are members there.

In fact, I just today enquired on behalf of 2 friends who also want to move & join my place, - asked the office what the situation was with regard to the 'Joining Fee' - currently the same as 1st year Subs - £845.

Apart from it being spread over 3yrs, Interest Free, it is still being charged, no waivering. End of.
They explained that another quite 'prestigious' club up here recently DId waiver its joining fee, and 30 people moved over quite quickly.
However, the following year, a lot moved back, so little gained out of that.

Not paying a Joining Fee just makes the whole Golfing Populus more nomadic therefore, which doesnt bode well for Membership and getting to know people. Hell, after being a member for 20yrs, I'm still getting to know new people !

So, I agree with Joining fee's, and I guess how you feel about your Club depends on the overall quality of its Course & Club.
With a new 'Master Greensman' at the helm of mine, there is no way I'm moving anywhere, and cant wait for 2011 Season in earnest already !
 
A couple of clubs local are offering unlimited golf for £150 for 3 months as a way of a sample membership, getting to know the members learn and enjoy the course and this package entitles you to that of a full 7 day member just for a limited time, almost a try before you buy.

As stated somewhere else in this post with so many courses within a ten mile radius i think this is a good incentive to attract new blood without the risk of offending exsisting members with discounts schemes.

This scheme is obvioulsy £50.00 a month, which is two hacks around some of the local P&P courses, but after that their membership is around £100 a month, Half price trials seem a good logical route to go down.
 
I know my club puts a great deal of effort into making new members feel welcome and integrated into the club. They hold a social evening every 6-8 weeks (depending on how many have joined) where they get to meet the pro and the committee and are told how comps are run (drawn) what time the roll ups go out each day, who to look for to join them and also get introduced to the steward and his team and the caterers.

It works very well and we actually have a pretty good retention rate for new joiners. It's those that have been there a few years and generally have a petty grievance about one aspect (usually the state of the course and usually with no firm facts of background knoweldge) which starts to nag away and becomes a huge issue (in their eyes) and so they venture to find out if the grass is really greener elsewhere (and cut more often). What is the club to do. They can't pander to every 19th hole windbag with an opinion.
 
The reality is there are too many Golf clubs – recessions weed out the weak in any market and that’s a good thing. The clubs that survive will be the ones that make the most of their unique selling points to both recruit new members and retain existing ones benifitign everyone. For too long clubs have been lazy and just assumed that they will have a constant stream of revenue.
 
I think the occasional 'free' £50 on the bar card is an excellent idea to reward loyalty. The money effectively stays within the club, it rewards those who use it, and those who don't are encouraged to venture inside before / after their game.

As for joining fees - I don't see how any club can justify them unless there is a waiting list. My club dropped the £500 joining fee 3 years ago, if they'd have kept it, I would NEVER have joined, and would have gone elsewhere.
 
My club has just gone in the opposite direction for what a lot are suggesting i.e. taking off the reduced fee for members over 65 who have been members for more than 25 years. This is being done to appease "Age Discrimination legislation". The committee are also proposing that ladies will have to pay the full Male Members fee ?(sex discrimination!!!).
Again not a lot to aid retention of what could be the strongest member groups.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Membership Quandary
Replies
13
Views
792
Golf is fun
G
A
Memberships in Hampshire / Surrey
2
Replies
29
Views
3K
AngeloD
A
The_Tech_Golfer11
Golf Society and Group Players - We’re Building Something and Need Your Input
Replies
0
Views
617
The_Tech_Golfer11
The_Tech_Golfer11
B
  • Poll Poll
How many rounds
2 3
Replies
51
Views
2K
sunshine
S
KenL
Open play handicaps and club opens
Replies
16
Views
580
simsini
simsini
Top