Membership cost increase

[nickjdavis]

We have Lockers & Trolley store so possibly a double whammy. Me, I've got a portable Bag & Trolley store, it's called MeBoot.

Me too...whilst I wasn't being charged for it I just used the club locker as a place to store my carry bag (in case I turn up one day to find its "carry only") and a few bits of spare equipment.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm charged £120 for a large locker but for me its a godsend as I commute in the summer and so can leave a carry bag in there. get changed at work, get the train and a quick walk (or cab) and be straight out on the course in my tee booking. No way could I bring everything to work and then get it to the station every day

 

[Deleted member 35504]

I’d say it’s a tier 2 club, ie, there are a couple of worse quality clubs in the area that I wouldn’t consider, around £1000. Similar clubs to Kidderminster range from £1000 to £1500. However, enville is the closest club to me and is currently less than £1800. Enville being a tier 1 club, 2 top courses, open year round, hosts big tournaments, has previously been an open qualifier course. However, it does have a 2k joining fee and a long waiting list.

We’ve been down to 10-13 holes since Christmas, can’t help the weather of course but drainage is an issue. The bunkers are awful, they’re gradually improving them (using money from land they sold off I might add, no cost to the club). It’s an ok course and clubhouse, nothing special I’d say. The main draw for me is the members, as I’m in with a good group and would be reluctant to leave for that reason. But £1475 (plus union and bar levy) is a lot of money.

Other options are bewdley, which is around £1000 a year, meant to be year round golf. However, it’s shorter and also apparently very busy which makes for long rounds. It may well be an option for a year to see how I get on. There’s also another club which is around £1000, it was taken over a couple of years ago and they’ve supposedly spent a lot of money on it, but if used to be all temp greens for most of the winter.

Enville is an absolutely fantastic golfing facility.
Bit of a woeful clubhouse and catering when I was there, but the golf is simply first class.

 

[KenL]

What else can you do for less than £30 a week?

How many weeks a year is it closed?

 

[KenL]

I'm charged £120 for a large locker but for me its a godsend as I commute in the summer and so can leave a carry bag in there. get changed at work, get the train and a quick walk (or cab) and be straight out on the course in my tee booking. No way could I bring everything to work and then get it to the station every day

My locker is £6 per year!

 

[Deleted member 35504]

My locker is £6 per year!

Can you pay with Fairway Credit?

 

[KenL]

Can you pay with Fairway Credit?

You can and I do.

 

[Crazyface]

The wife has got an e mail from her place. She's on a points membership. They have FROZEN their price on this. Not sure about other types of membership. But well done them. Course under water for six months, still not fully open so they freeze costs of membership.

 

[Crazyface]

I'm charged £120 for a large locker but for me its a godsend as I commute in the summer and so can leave a carry bag in there. get changed at work, get the train and a quick walk (or cab) and be straight out on the course in my tee booking. No way could I bring everything to work and then get it to the station every day

That's quite sad that a club charges so much for a locker. Nothing to maintain except a lost key.

 

[chico]

The wife has got an e mail from her place. She's on a points membership. They have FROZEN their price on this. Not sure about other types of membership. But well done them. Course under water for six months, still not fully open so they freeze costs of membership.

Are you and your wife members at different clubs?

 

[PJ87]

Are you and your wife members at different clubs?

Poor lady needs the break

 

[CountLippe]

That's quite sad that a club charges so much for a locker. Nothing to maintain except a lost key.

To be honest, I don't have a problem with locker rental being quite high - although £120 is steep - its optional, lockers are normally in short supply, and the income would have to be found elsewhere.
The cost of installing the lockers isn't cheap either. At our place the rental from the first 5 - 10 years was paying for the installation!

 

[nickjdavis]

That's quite sad that a club charges so much for a locker. Nothing to maintain except a lost key.

Its not the maintenance thats being charged for though. The charge is effectively for the value that an individual places on the convenience of having somewhere to store gear at the club (as shown by @HomerJSimpson ).

If all of a clubs lockers were charged at £120, and every one of them is taken, I'd suggest that the charge could be higher and many folks folks would still pay it. Its just a case of finding that sweet spot between cost and "occupancy"....after all, no one is forced into having a locker.

We don't have many at my place so the demand, relative to supply, is quite high. Death is usually the primary reason why one becomes available.

 

[IanM]

Newport charges £25pa for a full length locker.

£120 seems extreme. But as you say, if they are all taken....

 

[Mel Smooth]

To be honest, I don't have a problem with locker rental being quite high - although £120 is steep - its optional, lockers are normally in short supply, and the income would have to be found elsewhere.
The cost of installing the lockers isn't cheap either. At our place the rental from the first 5 - 10 years was paying for the installation!

We've just had a new locker room built from the ground up - I know how much it cost, and I'm just glad I don't have to foot the bill alone. Over ten years, we'd all be paying about £50 a year if the cost was split between each member, and of course, there are nowhere near enough lockers to supply every member so that would be impractical.

 

[sunshine]

That's quite sad that a club charges so much for a locker. Nothing to maintain except a lost key.

The lockers didn't build themselves. There was a cost involved in constructing them, and it makes sense to spread that cost out over the life time of the lockers by charging a fee for use. People who don't use a locker don't need to pay for it.

 

[Oddsocks]

You may find there is an increase in insurance costs which is passed on also.

 

[nickjdavis]

Well...i've previously mentioned the 30odd percent increase in subs at my place in this thread and have been looking closely at on course changes which, to be fair to the new management team are occurring at a steady pace... bunkers being renovated and repaired after years of neglect, new bunkers being installed, relandscaping of certain areas, new car park signage, improvements to the decor of the clubhouse, the installation of some warm up nets near the first tee have all occurred.

Bunker repair work continues with an announcement that the 18th is to be rennovated next, also announced will be the construction of a starters hut along with the employment of a full time marshall. Finally it has been formally announced that we will be moving to Intelligent Golf for our comp management/website/membership/bar and tee booking.

So....things moving in the right direction and can clearly see improvements and ambition that so far is justifying the membership price increase.

 

[Crazyface]

Are you and your wife members at different clubs?

Yes. Why? Her place offers a multitude of joining options one of which is a points system, which she uses and can also use for me as well. Clubs are put away from end September until April. Great idea. I was there on a five day option, playing with the senior section, but the club decided that they weren't going to allow the senior section to play any comps off whites. Far too many and they would ruin the tees for the weekend players, ( some of the tees were quite small). Thing is, whites and yellows are quite a different course. For example. 6th, par three, was a 4 iron or hybrid off yellows. Off whites? Full smack with DRIVER 230 YARDS. Plus a few others were like this. 100 yard between yellow and white. So quite a beast off whites. But yellow? Just a flick round and no challenge for me. So I left. But I'm considering rejoining after this years dreadful washout of golf.

 

[chico]

Yes. Why? Her place offers a multitude of joining options one of which is a points system, which she uses and can also use for me as well. Clubs are put away from end September until April. Great idea. I was there on a five day option, playing with the senior section, but the club decided that they weren't going to allow the senior section to play any comps off whites. Far too many and they would ruin the tees for the weekend players, ( some of the tees were quite small). Thing is, whites and yellows are quite a different course. For example. 6th, par three, was a 4 iron or hybrid off yellows. Off whites? Full smack with DRIVER 230 YARDS. Plus a few others were like this. 100 yard between yellow and white. So quite a beast off whites. But yellow? Just a flick round and no challenge for me. So I left. But I'm considering rejoining after this years dreadful washout of golf.

Just curious, my wife although a decent player gets nervous when she's playing with anyone new. That means I'm stuck with her most of the time.