Membership cost increase

[IanM]

Where does the ball go

I suspect "it stays gone!"

 

[Deleted member 15344]

One of the guys I play and work with is a grass cutter (to put it simply). He tied the head green keeper up in knots when having a debate about the increase in machinery and other associated products. Don't get me wrong. It's clearly gone up buy my pal said there's definitely a bandwagon being jumped on

Costs for greenkeepers have gone up anything north of 25% - fuel , equipment , seed , labour costs etc

 

[hovis]

Costs for greenkeepers have gone up anything north of 25% - fuel , equipment , seed , labour costs etc

Said who? The club? The green keepers? Sure they have to disclose their books but who is going to go through them and check their claims.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Said who? The club? The green keepers? Sure they have to disclose their books but who is going to go through them and check their claims.

So the head greenkeepers are lying about their costs ?

Or the club and treasurer are lying ?

At members clubs all accounts are made public to all members even more so incorporated clubs

And yes I have seen the books and the rising costs of the greenstaff at my club

 

[nickjdavis]

Just got our renewal notice through the other day

prices are going up from £900 to £930 but there is an early renewal discount, so, if you renew before Mid January, it will only cost £815, which is pretty much exactly what I paid last year when taking advantage of the early renewal discount. This year te only early renewal difference is that it is limited to the first two weeks of the calendar year (last year I think you got the discount up until the end of February....our membership period starts from April 1st)

Interestingly the club will now be applying a joining fee for new members. In over 20 years of being a member we have never had a joining fee.

 

[D-S]

Said who? The club? The green keepers? Sure they have to disclose their books but who is going to go through them and check their claims.

I was the Course Director at my Club and I can certainly confirm that machinery increases were/are in the region of 20-25% as we got several quotes from different manufacturers and did all that we could to look at different specs etc. to try to reduce the increase but there was little to be done. The same thing for agronomy products.
If the Club was just increasing for the fun of it (and it was a members club) you would be able to see it in the books and either there would be deliberate waste or a very large profit the following year, either way it’s easy to pick up.

 

[hovis]

So the head greenkeepers are lying about their costs ?

Or the club and treasurer are lying ?

At members clubs all accounts are made public to all members even more so incorporated clubs

And yes I have seen the books and the rising costs of the greenstaff at my club

I'm saying the club use language like "green keepers costs have increased by upto 25%“. When in fact is more like 10% but that one bag off washers was 25%.

The above are hypothetical examples before we start talking about the cost of washers.

 

[hovis]

I was the Course Director at my Club and I can certainly confirm that machinery increases were/are in the region of 20-25% as we got several quotes from different manufacturers and did all that we could to look at different specs etc. to try to reduce the increase but there was little to be done. The same thing for agronomy products.
If the Club was just increasing for the fun of it (and it was a members club) you would be able to see it in the books and either there would be deliberate waste or a very large profit the following year, either way it’s easy to pick up.

I have no doubt about the increase in costs. I would love someone to forensically analyse the books after a year and see what the actual net difference is. I am fully aware that this money would be put back in the club but after the way I saw multiple clubs capitalising on covid nothing would surprise me

 

[D-S]

I have no doubt about the increase in costs. I would love someone to forensically analyse the books after a year and see what the actual net difference is. I am fully aware that this money would be put back in the club but after the way I saw multiple clubs capitalising on covid nothing would surprise me

But if it is a members club how can it ‘capitalise’ on COVID?

 

[hovis]

But if it is a members club how can it ‘capitalise’ on COVID?

By increased joining fees because of demand. Increasing green fees for visitors because of demand. Giving nothing back to the members when it was locked down despite admiting they done quite well out of the furlow and grants ect.
Of course I'm talking about 2 maybe 3 courses I know of but I imagine they weren't alone

 

[D-S]

By increased joining fees because of demand. Increasing green fees for visitors because of demand. Giving nothing back to the members when it was locked down despite admiting they done quite well out of the furlow and grants ect.
Of course I'm talking about 2 maybe 3 courses I know of but I imagine they weren't alone

But any money they ‘didn’t give back’ or took in furlough or grants or by increasing green fees or joining fees by definition either gets invested back into the club for the benefit of members or reduces the amount members have to pay for subscriptions or food and beverage. The club is run and financed by the members for the members, no one is pocketing the money for personal gain.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I'm saying the club use language like "green keepers costs have increased by upto 25%“. When in fact is more like 10% but that one bag off washers was 25%.

The above are hypothetical examples before we start talking about the cost of washers.

But it’s not “more like 10% - it’s more like 25% for the machinery and fuel and seed etc

I have no doubt about the increase in costs. I would love someone to forensically analyse the books after a year and see what the actual net difference is. I am fully aware that this money would be put back in the club but after the way I saw multiple clubs capitalising on covid nothing would surprise me

which are these “multiple” clubs that capitalised on Covid and what is it that they did ?

If by increasing fees etc - most did that after Covid after losing a lot of income over Covid because of the drop in visitor and society income

You seem to be very unlucky that each club you pick has so many issues

 

[Captain_Black.]

I suppose costs are all relative depending on an individuals circumstances & enthusiasm.
As sport goes, golf is quite expensive but to those who perhaps have a different pastime like say Karting / Car or Motorcycle racing / Rallying etc there is no comparison.
Anything to do with Horses as anyone who has ever been involved will know is another massive money pit.
I used to have a season ticket to watch professional football, not the Premiership, but even that is now silly money.
Possibly going fishing for the day is still a relatively low cost pastime which I used to do & my actually take up again next year.

 

[NearHull]

We changed to April-March from Jan-Dec. It was bit of a hassle doing a 15 month year (subs were paid in two chunks) but it is a no brainer as January is the worst time to present people with a large bill for something they can't necessarily even use if the weather is bad and isn't 'good; for another 3 or 4 months. It also meant that a lot of people forgot to renew and eventually did a couple or more months late and the amount of chasing was huge.

We did just that as well. We are also toughening up the ‘grace’ period of not paying. There does seem to be a handful of members who push the payment hard right.

 

[Oddsocks]

It's going to hit the 20/30s age group i think..It's going to be harder to justify the cost with everything else going up too.
Because it's not just the subs....it's the equipment, the bar, the fiver for the sweep etc etc...
Times are tough and a relatively large expense - compared to other activities - some families will have a decision to make.
Those who are members at 2 or 3 clubs may have a think as well..
We're capped at inflation +1% so, hopefully, the powers that be get a handle on inflation before March.

This is key, when I was going through my worst spell it wasn’t just £1500 a year in subs. I generally only played once a week so £30 per round, add onto that a coffee and toast/bap pre round, £10 sweep (compulsory to enter the roll up) then a casual coffee/pint after and you could easy double your weekly subs. These figures were 2019-2020

It’s obvious that dropping the F&B side reduces the costs as does it impact the social value of the membership benefits.

The high risk category has to be younger single income house holds, that £40-60 a week cost will be swallowed up by increases in COL such as food, fuel/travel costs now people are no longer WFH, and heating.

It’s clear from this thread that the punter is going to need to be 100% happy with their product of shelling out in the current times.

 

[IanM]

Covid certainly stimulated demand.
Post covid economic turbulence will reverse that.

All sectors will have to work out how they deal with it.

 

[Albo]

Covid certainly stimulated demand.
Post covid economic turbulence will reverse that.

All sectors will have to work out how they deal with it.

While I do agree, what golf has going for it, is some people will be very invested in it and may be reluctant to take a hit on that investment.
Buying clubs, balls, clothing etc is a big outlay and some may stick with it due to that, absolutely many will take the hit and sell what they have invested with the need to save money but a fair number won’t, I’d imagine.

I wonder if EBay and the likes will be an early barometer for people getting out

 

[IanM]

No. EBAY is always stacked out with kit!

The barometer is emails from Clubs begging you to join or play, that preciously told you to naff off!

 

[Oddsocks]

No. EBAY is always stacked out with kit!

The barometer is emails from Clubs begging you to join or play, that preciously told you to naff off!

I’m being bombarded from golf bidder who are clearly running a tracker to see what I’ve viewed …. Not that I’m looking of course ?

 

[Mandofred]

I found this interview interesting concerning the headaches he has in running a golf course. Golf course owner of Carus Green/Kendal.