Membership cost increase

[Tashyboy]

Alas lots of country members who are from the South East of England continually telling CM we are too cheap and if the course were down south it would be closer to £5k.
The answer is it's not, it's in the Highlands of Scotland and we are already the most expensive club by £200 already. Do they listen..do they "infraction "

It’s the same when it comes to housing, if you could pick this house up and move it down south it would be worth a fortune etc etc.

 

[clubchamp98]

Like seniors only comps.
OAP Discounts
Free bus passes and prescriptions?
and a load of other stuff seniors and pensioners benefit from.

Maybe younger folk and Women need a leg up more than old men?

Who mentioned seniors ?
Most seniors have paid in into the system for 45+ years for the promised benefits. Male and Female.

But it’s not seniors that benefit in golf clubs.
The fact is men over the age of 30 yrs are discriminated against.
Unless you think any man over 30 is old.

 

[nickjdavis]

Ours wont be due until next April but given the current planning application to build 57 holiday lodges over five of our holes I can't see how any rise will be justified....folks will exit in droves.

 

[chrisd]

Alas lots of country members who are from the South East of England continually telling CM we are too cheap and if the course were down south it would be closer to £5k.
The answer is it's not, it's in the Highlands of Scotland and we are already the most expensive club by £200 already. Do they listen..do they "infraction "

I'm sure they do listen and completely understand. Everyone knows that most golf in Scotland is cheaper than in the south ... Most things are! But I reckon the income is lower in the Highlands too equalise the issue

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

If any increases above the norm are applied to cover cost of gas/leccy in terms of £££s that’ll be pretty consistent N/S/E/W, but for obvious reasons where subs are higher (such as in my part of the world) the % for gas/leccy will be lower. If salaries are increased to help with cost of living that increase in ££s will be greater where salaries are higher and there are more club employees. Obviously. And that’s my part of world.

So, given other observations on cost of subs, just to say that at my place (and all similar members clubs in my area) a 10% increase in subs would see us break the £2k barrier. And my income is constant and prob similar to those in my position across the country. Just saying. Not sure what my wife will say…well I do. But that’s a discussion for Feb/March.

The other side of the ‘cost coin’ is that the course remodelling work we are doing at the moment should see us with a 365/yr course…only shut in extremis and only on temps when frozen (such days not so common as up north) …so all things considered our VfM is not bad at all.

 

[Springveldt]

Ours runs April to March but the last 3 or so years the renewal has come out the week before Xmas with the offer of paying in full in January to get £35 on your club card.
I was expecting ours to go up by at least 10% since we haven’t had a rise since before covid but I know one of the more expensive clubs near have just raised theirs by 18%. If ours goes up by that amount I’ll need to have a serious think about it.

 

[clubchamp98]

Ours runs April to March but the last 3 or so years the renewal has come out the week before Xmas with the offer of paying in full in January to get £35 on your club card.
I was expecting ours to go up by at least 10% since we haven’t had a rise since before covid but I know one of the more expensive clubs near have just raised theirs by 18%. If ours goes up by that amount I’ll need to have a serious think about it.

Yes have heard of clubs putting fees up above the inflation rate .
Ours havnt been announced yet.
But we’re the same due 1st Jan.
Dosnt bother me ,I use a savings ACC and put £120 a month in to cover it.
But some won’t be able to.
There will be some people who love their golf won’t be able to afford it that’s a shame.

 

[Bobthesock]

Can't really see why fees should go up by 10% or higher. Yes things like fertilizer have gone up but that isn't enough to justify it. Sounds like profiteering by the clubs, especially privately owned ones

 

[PJ87]

Can't really see why fees should go up by 10% or higher. Yes things like fertilizer have gone up but that isn't enough to justify it. Sounds like profiteering by the clubs, especially privately owned ones

What about gas and electric?

They only just have got protection until April like everyone else then they will go back to being instant rises by looks

Those bills are going up ridiculously.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Ours runs April to March but the last 3 or so years the renewal has come out the week before Xmas with the offer of paying in full in January to get £35 on your club card.
I was expecting ours to go up by at least 10% since we haven’t had a rise since before covid but I know one of the more expensive clubs near have just raised theirs by 18%. If ours goes up by that amount I’ll need to have a serious think about it.

There are plenty of options nearby. Perhaps with compromises but they are still out there and cheaper than we currently pay. They will have to be careful to keep any rise within acceptable, that's an opinion of course, levels.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Can't really see why fees should go up by 10% or higher. Yes things like fertilizer have gone up but that isn't enough to justify it. Sounds like profiteering by the clubs, especially privately owned ones

Fertiliser has gone up massively yes.
Fuel costs up
Gas and Electricity going up massively.

And those are the ones just published, sand costs are way more than before, machinery has gone up.

All you need to do is ask your manager to see how stressed they are getting by day to day.

 

[upsidedown]

Can't really see why fees should go up by 10% or higher. Yes things like fertilizer have gone up but that isn't enough to justify it. Sounds like profiteering by the clubs, especially privately owned ones

As a Greens Director the costs involved now are staggering, don't forget our staff will need pay rises, leasing costs for the machinery, diesel has rocketed, our fertiliser costs next year will rise again as we carry out remedial work from the hot summer

 

[Blue in Munich]

There are plenty of options nearby. Perhaps with compromises but they are still out there and cheaper than we currently pay. They will have to be careful to keep any rise within acceptable, that's an opinion of course, levels.

Be careful what you wish for; once everyone abandons the expensive one for the cheaper one, the expensive one goes under and the cheaper one now has a captive audience which it can now charge whatever it wants. Yes, it’s an oversimplification but the basic premise applies.

Loads of choices down here, but nothing that I’d want to join over what I’ve currently got, so my choice will either be pay the increase or pack the game in. At the moment I don’t have enough time for motorcycling and golf, so if golf goes the alternative is in the garage bought and paid for. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that but we’ll see what happens.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Be careful what you wish for; once everyone abandons the expensive one for the cheaper one, the expensive one goes under and the cheaper one now has a captive audience which it can now charge whatever it wants. Yes, it’s an oversimplification but the basic premise applies.

Loads of choices down here, but nothing that I’d want to join over what I’ve currently got, so my choice will either be pay the increase or pack the game in. At the moment I don’t have enough time for motorcycling and golf, so if golf goes the alternative is in the garage bought and paid for. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that but we’ll see what happens.

I get where you are coming from but it is not a case of course A or course B. We have a choice of A, B, C, D, E or F, possibly more, all within a 16 minute drive. The price of membership, like most areas, is geographical and my current club, same as @Springveldt is on the borderline regarding membership costs. North of there is £150-£175 cheaper, south of it is similar or £100 more. There are definite options for all members in the area to jump to, if anything we have an over supply of clubs. If one goes under the others will not ramp up their fees to take advantage, there is still too much competition.

 

[Blue in Munich]

I get where you are coming from but it is not a case of course A or course B. We have a choice of A, B, C, D, E or F, possibly more, all within a 16 minute drive. The price of membership, like most areas, is geographical and my current club, same as @Springveldt is on the borderline regarding membership costs. North of there is £150-£175 cheaper, south of it is similar or £100 more. There are definite options for all members in the area to jump to, if anything we have an over supply of clubs. If one goes under the others will not ramp up their fees to take advantage, there is still too much competition.

If you can just walk into the next club because you’re oversupplied for clubs then fine; we currently have a 3 figure waiting list for membership and that’s before you look at the internal waiting list for social members waiting to return to full membership. I’m not sure what other clubs are like for waiting lists down here but a change of clubs is likely to attract a healthy joining fee which to some degree defeats the object in moving clubs.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Shipley (I think it was) near Bradford did something similar many years ago. The old guard were complaining about too many societies and visitors.

So they proposed and voted in higher yearly fees and visitor fees, to cover having fewer visitors and societies.

One of my old club's did that.
First person they lost was the excellent Pro, second a few months later was the excellent catering franchise.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

If you can just walk into the next club because you’re oversupplied for clubs then fine; we currently have a 3 figure waiting list for membership and that’s before you look at the internal waiting list for social members waiting to return to full membership. I’m not sure what other clubs are like for waiting lists down here but a change of clubs is likely to attract a healthy joining fee which to some degree defeats the object in moving clubs.

We are lucky in that sense. Lots of clubs, barely any with a waiting list, none in my immediate vicinity, and no joining fees either. There may be 2 in the whole county that have a joining fee, it is not a thing up here. I don't underestimate how lucky I am to play golf here.

 

[Mandofred]

We are lucky in that sense. Lots of clubs, barely any with a waiting list, none in my immediate vicinity, and no joining fees either. There may be 2 in the whole county that have a joining fee, it is not a thing up here. I don't underestimate how lucky I am to play golf here.

I think there was only one club in our area with a waiting list.....not sure about joining fees, but I think that one club is the only one that "might" have a joining fee. I don't hear anything about joining fees, so I wouldn't think there are many clubs around Harrogate that would still be doing that. Could be wrong of course.......

 

[moogie]

Ours runs April to March but the last 3 or so years the renewal has come out the week before Xmas with the offer of paying in full in January to get £35 on your club card.
I was expecting ours to go up by at least 10% since we haven’t had a rise since before covid but I know one of the more expensive clubs near have just raised theirs by 18%. If ours goes up by that amount I’ll need to have a serious think about it.

Which local club has put their fees up by 18%, if you don't mind me asking??

 

[Captain_Black.]

The clubs have to be careful.
I suspect most clubs will retain the Seniors section due to the amount of golf they can play & the value they get from their membership.
The danger lies in retaining the working age membership, with mortgages / bills / cost of living all getting more expensive this group will be looking to make savings.
It's hard to justify an expensive golf membership when you're struggling to pay the mortgage & bills.

I'm not sure about the membership increase at my club yet, but they have put up the open prices up for visitors by 66% !!!
Crazy imo, as revenue will undoubtedly drop & may put off potential new members from visiting.