7% at my place.
Membership cost increase
- Thread starter Genu9
- Start date
Wabinez
Journeyman Pro
17.5% at mine. Could and probably should be more, but they are trying to be fair to members.
Biggest jump in a while, but it'll be OK
Biggest jump in a while, but it'll be OK
Hoganman1
Well-known member
Here in Charlotte across the pond we just got a notice that our dues are going up 6%. Clearly, I'm overpaying for the golf I play. However, I have senior dues and the club is less than a mile from my house. At age 74 I will probably ride it out until I cannot physically play anymore.
nickjdavis
Head Pro
A few things...
1) Pricing as low as we have been we become "victim" to "flighty" members who want cheap golf for a year and then bugger off elsewhere when a better deal is available. The joining fee will lessen that effect.
2) Some folks look at our pricing and think...hell why are they so cheap, must be a "substandard" course (especially when they see it is a relatively short course) and overlook it (a bit like some Scottish courses having to up their green fees to attract American visitors). Prior to the increase we were the 5th cheapest club in the area (that I would consider are, either potential competitors in terms of proximity to our club, or are viable options based on where i live)...following the increase we will be the 6th most expensive (doesnt fundamentally make the course better but might affect folks thinking)
3) Yep...over the last three or four years, what with covid, energy prices, rising inflation yada yada yada then finances have been stretched and you can certainly see this reflected in the course and other areas of the club. Hopefully with increased revenues there can be more investment back into the course.
New management has basically got a different mindset to the old - we can only support them and see if the changes lead to noticeable differences where it matters.
Will be keeping an eye on membership numbers in coming weeks...will be interesting to see how the pricing changes affect membership levels....typically....pre-covid we typically had around 450 men and 20-30 women. In 2020/21 we increased to around 620 men and 50 women which, had it continued would have simply put an unsustainable demand on the course. We dropped back to more normal levels in the last two years as those folk have gone back to playing their other previously banned activities/sports (we managed to pick up a huge batch of cricketers in the summer of 2020!!).... looking at the EG website we are currently at 430 men and 47 ladies....there has been quite a bit of disquiet with proposals to sell some of the course for property development and converting to a 9 hole course...but that is now all in the past....i'm sure some will have already committed to moving elsewhere when their current membership expires at the end of March.
JGolfer
Active member
Believe ours went up around 10% this year.
doublebogey7
Head Pro
Board are consulting in a 10% increase at our place, given there was no increase last year, I think that is fair.
chrisd
Major Champion
7.5% just voted through at the agm. If they'd voted against that increase, there is a mandatory 5% increase
Backache
Assistant Pro
7% Apparently voted at the AGM.
doublebogey7
Head Pro
Thankfully we don't get to vote on such issues at AGM's. In my view we elect the board to make such decisions and if the membership aren't happy with the overall route they are taking then they are free to elect another board.
woofers
Medal Winner
Or leave.
With regard to membership fee increases, are there other ways for clubs to protect their income stream by offering alternative memberships and attracting new members?
Flexible memberships are becoming more popular, they have their downsides but can be structured in many different ways.
Given the pressures of money, time and winter weather related restrictions what about an 8 or 9 month ‘full’ membership with a nominal green fee for the other 3 or 4 months?
Obviously changing the membership tariffs carries a risk, only the local ‘demographic’ will determine if that may be worthwhile and a risk worth taking. I guess the answer lies somewhere in the numbers of member's leaving or joining each year if cost is the main determinant.
backwoodsman
Tour Winner
Just got ours - 7% increase (about £140). Which isn't so bad, all things considered. And have decided to pay in one lump rather than monthly installments because they are offering an extra £50 on one's bar-card for doing so. Obviously they are trying to phase out the 'monthly installment brigade' - which I sort of agree with.
apj0524
Head Pro
For what reason ?
clubchamp98
Journeyman Pro
Everyone would want that if offered I would imagine.
The club has to be financed during winter .
Full members are not going to subsidise 9 month members.
D-S
Well-known member
I’d happily move to a 9 month membership but I realise the club needs funding for 12 months so any sort of monthly membership isn’t really going to work (unless it’s 9 months for the price of 12).
clubchamp98
Journeyman Pro
woofers
Medal Winner
Judging by some of the posts re closures and restrictions it’s not just on offer, but reality.That’s already on offer.
A 9 month membership wouldn't be priced pro-rata the 12 month rate, it would have to have some kind of premium element, so perhaps 10 or 10.5 times the equivalent monthly rate of the annual sub, which could still exist for those that want it. In the event of a decent winter the 9 month member would pay discounted green fees.
I‘m not sure that everyone would want it, it wouldn’t be cost effective for the hardy, “play in all conditions” member, however it could be attractive to fair weather golfers currently on “play as you go” memberships such as PMG.
As for subsidies, don’t those that are unable to play in winter months due to various restrictions, (trolley bans etc) subsidise those that can?
clubchamp98
Journeyman Pro
It depends what the discounted fees were and When you can play.!
Its not just the course though.
If the clubhouse is empty 3 months of the year because members have a 9 month membership that will be a lot of revenue lost.
would make it easier to get a tee time though.
i can see some pros but lots of cons!
doublebogey7
Head Pro
Offering a nine month membership would only increase revenue for clubs if it attracted enough new members to counter the current members who would take it up. With warm wet winters clubs are going to find it increasingly more difficult to keep courses open and could see up to 50% of members taking that option. That would mean clubs having to attract more new members than they could cope with in the summer months. Might be an option for less popular clubs but not for those that have close to full membership.
Albo
Well-known member
Surely it would be unworkable from a clubs perspective, too many people would take the 9 month offering, the club income would drop by a quarter and overall condition of the course would suffer as a result
BiMGuy
LIV Bot, (But Not As Big As Mel) ?
My old club is in financial trouble.
They tried reducing fees to something like £750 instead of £1k, then charging £5 every time you played. Effectively the more you played the more you paid.
Needless to say that hasn’t gone well and income is well down.
With income down the course is suffering and that starts a downward spiral.
