Membership cost increase

[clubchamp98]

I think pre covid the majority of members at mine, would have used the locker rooms to change shoes, but now all but a few just change at their cars while getting the clubs out. Even guys that have clubs in lockers and use electric trolleys change shoes at the car.

Same at mine .
I suppose it’s what you prefer
We had a hard rule “no changing shoes in the car park” pre Covid. Mainly because the car park was covered in loose grass and mud where guys just banged their shoes together after playing, even though there is a air hose for this.
But that’s gone now for good I think.

 

[clubchamp98]

Maybe for you. Perhaps Lord Tyrion and others are at a younger age where changing shoes standing up isn't even a consideration.

Yes that’s a fact.

Just for information it was explained to me that the rule originated when metal spikes were the norm.
These damaged the car park surface and was why there was a ban.

Now metal spikes are banned at most courses as they spike the greens. So full circle if true!

Some clubs banned it because of the noise of metal spikes if any tees/ greens were close to the car park.

Imo you can do what you like , but saying it saves time is a bit of a joke!

 

[Pants]

I really can't believe that there are so many people on here that are so far up their own backsides that they would dismiss the idea of joining a particular club (or so they say!) just because that club has a "no changing shoes in car park" policy.

Actually, I've just checked my list and out of over 80 different courses I've played that are within an hour or so drive on a good day, (yes I'm a bit of a nerd and also live in an area rich in golf courses) I'm hard pressed to remember if any of them had/have that policy.

I really feel sorry for you poor folk who only have the choice of a couple of courses locally to join, say one so so course without the shoe policy and one great course that has.

 

[Steve Wilkes]

Where do you park your car.?

In the street outside the gate

 

[Imurg]

If you change your shoes in the locker room and leave them there while you get a bite and a beer...its extremely easy to forget them.
Happened to me and CVG when we played The Springs in the summer.
Changed in the locker room, went to the patio for drinks went a different way back to the car and got half a mile up the road before we remembered..
I just don't see an issue with changing shoes anywhere you like...especially as some " visitors" car parks are a considerable distance from the clubhouse..

 

[Mandofred]

I really can't believe that there are so many people on here that are so far up their own backsides that they would dismiss the idea of joining a particular club (or so they say!) just because that club has a "no changing shoes in car park" policy.

Actually, I've just checked my list and out of over 80 different courses I've played that are within an hour or so drive on a good day, (yes I'm a bit of a nerd and also live in an area rich in golf courses) I'm hard pressed to remember if any of them had/have that policy.

I really feel sorry for you poor folk who only have the choice of a couple of courses locally to join, say one so so course without the shoe policy and one great course that has.

You don't get it......it's not just a "shoe rule", it's about having a lot of little rules that just don't need to be there. If you were to give me the choice of a somewhat nicer club that had millions of little rules (yes, changing shoes outside, only white socks, jacket in the clubhouse, etc etc) or a club that isn't quite as nice but more relaxed on trying to control your every move........I'd take the more laid-back club. If the only choice I had was between an uptight club (but with great playing conditions) with millions of rules controlling everything, or a club that was in lousy condition with no silly rules......I'd stop playing golf. Others might choose differently, and that's ok.....there's nothing wrong with that. So many people on this site just won't accept that someone else has a different opinion. I changed clubs this year, not because I was overly unhappy at the other clubs, but because the club I joined this year is a lot closer. The club I would have stayed at was a 25 minute drive......friendly club, no silly rules that I know of.....just too far. 25 min drive (sometimes more) or about 8 minutes......

I just paid almost £1200 for a years membership at a fitness club near the golf course (with an evil joining fee) that has a nice weights, cardio, pool, tennis courts etc etc. I finally got desperate from a hip issue I've been fighting for a couple of months. After less than a week, the hip is already getting better......it's worth the cost to me. Others?.....no way they would pay that much, and I'd been putting it off for 6 months because I didn't want to pay that much.

As far as the original topic, our membership doesn't come up for renewal until 1 April, so I imagine that I won't hear anything solid until at least January. As I posted before (and somebody else mentioned their club had the same thinking), one of the choices that seems to be on the table is for maybe no rise in rates, or a very small one....with the thinking that they might pad out the membership more from people leaving other clubs that will raise their rates quite a bit. It's a valid theory, no idea if it would work.

 

[HPIMG]

My club has the no shoe changing in car park rule but it’s more down to a problem they had in the summer with people trying to skip on the course. So they asked all members to use the locker room to change shoes so they could see on cctv better if people skipped on. Saying that guy I play with every week completely ignores the rule and changes at his car.

 

[Deleted member 25575]

Interesting one the changing shoes in the car park.
I have never been a member of a club that has this rule, nor from memory played at a course that has it (though I may be wrong there). It’s not a rule I’d like if it were in place anywhere I play though.
The talk of time saving or not, I’d argue that, certainly for me, as a working father, the amount of times I turn up with little to no time to tee time that having to find my card walk into the club house, in to the changing rooms, change shoes and back out again I’d likely either miss my tee time or limit the number of warm up swings I have from a dozen to zero! As for spending 4 hours at the course and what’s another 3 minutes at each end of that, if the rounds at any course I was a member at were regularly 4 hours I’d have left long before a shoe changing rule forced me out

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Are you for real? You spend 4 hours on a golf course but don't have enough time to walk from the carpark to the changing rooms to put your shoes on

I paid a joining fee when I joined my club, I estimate it has added around 50p a round to my costs. Small price to pay.

You seem to get angry very easily. Why stress out over something other people do that has no impact on you? I don't worry about you changing shoes in the changing room, why does it bother you where I change them?

In terms of time wasted etc, it's my choice what I do with my time. If I choose not to criss cross and double back on myself just to change shoes, I'm pretty relaxed about that decision.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Really ?
It’s difficult to change shoes and socks standing up.
Plus very uncomfortable if you put your foot down on loose tarmac.
Easy sitting on a bench.
We have to pass the changing room to get to the tee.
Do you change in the car park when it’s pissing down ?
Like the flag debate how much time is lost here just going through one door.

Unless it's an away trip and I'm having a tea/coffee first, I'll drive and arrive in my golf shoes. Gear out, walk to the tee etc. Afterwards, as someone else has already pointed out, I don't yet struggle to change stood up. When that happens I'll make that walk to the changing room. Until then I'm not actually seeing a reason why it matters whether I change my shoes in location A or location B. Why does it bother anyone else?

When it's chucking down, boot lid up for protection gear packed away, shoes changed under the lid. Never been an issue yet ?‍

 

[IanM]

I took @banjofred 's point as wanting to feel comfortable and welcome when you go somewhere. I get that.

I'd dress up for a posh restaurant, so if somewhere special has old school rules, so be it.

These places are full for a reason!

 

[Bdill93]

I've no issue with using changing rooms at a top club (I used them at Hayling post round but did changed into my shoes in the car park) but id laugh your face off if you ever went and changed your shoes in the clubhouse at my place. You'd be the only one in there looking a pretty sad bloke.

Its horses for courses, some places have these rules, some don't, id never break rules as a visitor but at my home club nah

 

[clubchamp98]

In the street outside the gate

Very unusual for a golf club not to have a car park.
Even pubs have them and your not supposed to drink and drive,

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Think the point got missed or changed along the way

Someone mentioned that clubs only have joining fees to keep members at their club because they are worried their product isn’t good enough - that was countered by someone mentioning that many and prob all top 100 clubs have a joining fee of some sorts

It was then said that someone wouldn’t feel comfortable at a top 100 club anyway and a reason why was in regards changing shoes in car park or trainers etc and it’s stems from that - other little rules were also added

So just to point out that 99% of the top 100 clubs are very welcoming to people , they don’t have all those little rules - jackets , sock colour etc. It would be a shame for people to miss out on playing some of the best courses in the world because of the colour socks they can’t wear or they have to wear a pair of shoes in the clubhouse

As for changing shoes in the car park - each to their own , if people want to just finish jump in car and go then away you go. As for saving time - is it really that much in the grand scheme , guess depends. Even if I’m going straight off after finishing golf the one thing I’ll always do is pop into the clubhouse to wash my hands - surely everyone does that , whilst there give the shoes a quick clean and away we go - even more so in the current weather where it’s cold and raining , pop into the dry warm clubhouse and get yourself sorted - I couldn’t have wet muddy shoes in my car , wouldn’t help the shoes anyway.

I've no issue with using changing rooms at a top club (I used them at Hayling post round but did changed into my shoes in the car park) but id laugh your face off if you ever went and changed your shoes in the clubhouse at my place. You'd be the only one in there looking a pretty sad bloke.

Its horses for courses, some places have these rules, some don't, id never break rules as a visitor but at my home club nah

Why would you laugh at someone who uses a locker room to change their shoes ?‍ and why would someone look a sad bloke ?‍ very strange

 

[Deleted member 23270]

You seem to get angry very easily. Why stress out over something other people do that has no impact on you? I don't worry about you changing shoes in the changing room, why does it bother you where I change them?

In terms of time wasted etc, it's my choice what I do with my time. If I choose not to criss cross and double back on myself just to change shoes, I'm pretty relaxed about that decision.

I'm not stressed or angry, I find it highly amusing some of the crap excuses people come up with to try to justify their point of view.

"Darling I'm going to play golf, by the time I drive there and back I'll be 5 hours"

"Darling I'm going to play golf, by the time I drive there and back and walk to the changing rooms I'll be 5 hours and 2 minutes"

???

 

[Mandofred]

I took @banjofred 's point as wanting to feel comfortable and welcome when you go somewhere. I get that.

I'd dress up for a posh restaurant, so if somewhere special has old school rules, so be it.

These places are full for a reason!

That kind of helps make my point.....I wouldn't go to a posh restaurant, I get uncomfortable in those situations. Same reason I don't go to golf evenings, they want you to wear a jacket and tie etc.....no thanks. I find it hard to "mingle" in social events. I'm a hermit. One of the reasons I golf is to get me out and be sociable.

As had been brought up earlier (on this thread?), there are people like me who would be more than happy with a decent golf course and just a simple building with a bathroom and a pro shop that could sell a soda or candy bar to me. Are there any golf courses out there like that? I know there is a pay+play course at Spofforth near Harrogate, usually in bad shape during the winter. It could be a decent golf course if they put some money into it, but all it had last time I was there (3 years?) was a small building that had a bathroom, desk to take money and sell sandwiches/drinks, and a small area to sit in. But if something like that was improved and made into a members course.....couldn't they charge a lot less for membership since they wouldn't have to deal with maintaining a large building? The last clubs where I was a member had almost the same clubhouse....reasonably small,(well, not all that small, but boxy and simple) but I would think also reasonably easy to maintain/upkeep. The current club is a lot bigger/older building.....must be a money sucker.

 

[clubchamp98]

Unless it's an away trip and I'm having a tea/coffee first, I'll drive and arrive in my golf shoes. Gear out, walk to the tee etc. Afterwards, as someone else has already pointed out, I don't yet struggle to change stood up. When that happens I'll make that walk to the changing room. Until then I'm not actually seeing a reason why it matters whether I change my shoes in location A or location B. Why does it bother anyone else?

When it's chucking down, boot lid up for protection gear packed away, shoes changed under the lid. Never been an issue yet ?‍

I am not criticising anyone it’s up to you/ them what you do with your time totally agree.
But if your late on the tee because your shoelace snapped your not giving yourself enough time.

 

[Bdill93]

Think the point got missed or changed along the way

Someone mentioned that clubs only have joining fees to keep members at their club because they are worried their product isn’t good enough - that was countered by someone mentioning that many and prob all top 100 clubs have a joining fee of some sorts

It was then said that someone wouldn’t feel comfortable at a top 100 club anyway and a reason why was in regards changing shoes in car park or trainers etc and it’s stems from that - other little rules were also added

So just to point out that 99% of the top 100 clubs are very welcoming to people , they don’t have all those little rules - jackets , sock colour etc. It would be a shame for people to miss out on playing some of the best courses in the world because of the colour socks they can’t wear or they have to wear a pair of shoes in the clubhouse

As for changing shoes in the car park - each to their own , if people want to just finish jump in car and go then away you go. As for saving time - is it really that much in the grand scheme , guess depends. Even if I’m going straight off after finishing golf the one thing I’ll always do is pop into the clubhouse to wash my hands - surely everyone does that , whilst there give the shoes a quick clean and away we go - even more so in the current weather where it’s cold and raining , pop into the dry warm clubhouse and get yourself sorted - I couldn’t have wet muddy shoes in my car , wouldn’t help the shoes anyway.



Why would you laugh at someone who uses a locker room to change their shoes ?‍ and why would someone look a sad bloke ?‍ very strange

Because our changing room is literally the clubs dumping ground you'd be in there with about 2000 old clubs 50 used bags and you'd be alone My course is absolutely miles from what you guys around London play, and the vast majority of the forum.

My clubs owners have destroyed the feel of our clubhouse, through a number of actions, no one wants to spend longer in there than they need to.

You're welcome to come play it for yourself - you'll walk away agreeing with me though

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I'm not stressed or angry, I find it highly amusing some of the crap excuses people come up with to try to justify their point of view.

"Darling I'm going to play golf, by the time I drive there and back I'll be 5 hours"

"Darling I'm going to play golf, by the time I drive there and back and walk to the changing rooms I'll be 5 hours and 2 minutes"

???

Life is full of 5 minutes, we choose what we do with them. If I see a point to something I will do it, if I don't then I won't. Why lose 5 minutes that could be spent doing something that I see, not everyone, as a better use of those 5 minutes. We are all making those choice constantly.

 

[Orikoru]

I hadn't checked this topic for a while, I didn't realise we'd moved onto to discussing where we change our shoes again. I've been missing out!

In summary, telling an adult person where they must change their shoes is petty and dumb. That's about it really.