PJ87
Journeyman Pro
Like I stated tho. Not charging us during COVID. The investment in building a 3rd 9..
Have to say for 5 days membership, 7 day gym membership at that course I don't feel short changed.
Membership cost increase
- Thread starter Genu9
- Start date
Like I stated tho. Not charging us during COVID. The investment in building a 3rd 9..
Have to say for 5 days membership, 7 day gym membership at that course I don't feel short changed.
Would they also insist that they pay the membership in full, upfront? I would, in their situation. You clearly can not trust those members so you need to treat them accordingly.
Swango1980
Well-known member
Our membership has gone up £40, to £950+VAT. Happy with that, and happy to be in Lincolnshire where membership seems to be great value compared to other areas in the UK.
Also, club plan to bring in contractors in the Autumn, spending a lot of money to improve drainage.
Also, club plan to bring in contractors in the Autumn, spending a lot of money to improve drainage.
D
Deleted member 29109
Guest
Personally, I would not let people like that back in at all.
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SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Erm…maybe the word ‘not’ missing from the above?
D
Deleted member 29109
Guest
Indeed it is
Springveldt
Well-known member
That's fairly generous of your club, I'd have told them to go find somewhere else to play.
Swango1980
Well-known member
I assume your club does not have a joining fee?
I suppose that might be one method to get them. Sure, you can rejoin, but you have to pay the full joining fee as you are not currently members.
Direct Debit payments are probably quite common these days, and so I'm sure clubs have to deal with some members simply stopping these payments midway through the year. Out of interest, what protection do clubs have for this, especially if they do not have joining fees? Do they have conditions within their membership, that can deal with such situations?
nickjdavis
Head Pro
Following on from the post I made back in December following our announced 36% increase for 7 day membership...
As I said above on 26 Dec, our membership numbers were 430 men and 47 women. Over the time period up until 31st March, our male membership rose to 470 as we gathered new members from other clubs in the area who had put in place price rises effective in January. When we cleared our membership database in early April following the annual renewal date, our male member numbers dropped to 395. Some of this would be natural churn, some of this would be golfers not happy with the proposed increases and voting with their feet. Lady membership has remained at an unchanged level.
So... we had 430 men paying £920 a year, now we have 395 men paying £1250 a year....that's a 25% increase in subscription fees received by the club which can only be a good thing.
We are seeing development all over the course, especially in the area of renovating and restoring our bunkers (including building a couple of new ones) which were frankly more of an eyesore than a hazard, enhanced warm up and practice facilities, the migration to the Intelligent Golf platform including the introduction of an online tee booking system. There is increased sponsorship being generated by the club from local businesses. Further plans to fully renovate all remaining bunkers are in place, relandscaping of the 18th hole. We even now have a full time starter on the first tee which is helping with pace of play and ensuring groups tee off at appropriate times.
Lots of things now going on and there is an air of positivity about the place which was pretty much non existent last September, when it looked like we would be selling off vast tracts of land and moving to a 9 hole course. The new club management deserve a lot of credit for the positive changes and the vision they have for the club going forward. The increased membership fees was a hard sell to many members (too hard for some) but the early signs of investment are already apparent to those who committed to the club and hopefully will continue into the future.
Orikoru
Tour Winner
And people were asking me why my club only takes monthly payments via Fairway Credit. I think this is the reason!
PJ87
Journeyman Pro
My mate left but at the end of the year last year. He was annoyed at the rise and also was away all summer
He then found that all other courses didn't compare and he was still playing once a fortnight with me. So he decided to rejoin. Normally you pay £500 (rose to £550 that year) so they said pay the £50 difference and he had lost his £200 that was on his bar card (that is where £200 of the £500 goes) and they left it at that
He was happy to come back and won't leave again lol
federalexpress
Member
I think your example demonstrates the risks and opportunities of the current situation on fee increases. It occurred to me that part of the problem is that, unless there is clear investment for improvement occurring, we have until recently not been used to anything other than token increases, given the low interest rate, low inflation conditions. Now all that has changed.
Clearly some increase has to happen. Inflation for golf clubs has arguably been running higher than consumer inflation, certainly for 22/3, if less so now. I think where clubs can have a problem is where increases are not leading to demonstrable improvement of the overall product, or maybe sometimes, where money is spent on improvement projects that are not important to many if not most members. Rather like the NHS, a golf club can never run out of things to spend money on!
My membership fees have gone up roughly the same as yours, although to be honest, without the same discernible enhancement you have enjoyed. We are a 2 course club and have very many more members per course than you, about 620 per course. So there is little or no scope to increase that, especially given we have many members trying to play 3 or 4 times a week.
I think our board have been protected somewhat by us being full and with a long waiting list, well over 200, but I hear that an analysis of that list indicates a very large number are not actively seeking to join. We might be down to a waiting list of 70-80. How long before that becomes zero and what happens then? You only need your case's % reduction in membership and we would be in a lot of trouble. If I was running a golf club right now, I'd be battening down the hatches, especially around the clubhouse/hospitality side of the business which is usually the areas that loses money. Otherwise there is a risk of increases that people either can't afford or equally, cannot justify.
nickjdavis
Head Pro
I think from our clubs point of view, we have gone from being a cheap club, easily one of the cheapest in the area, where the previous management tried to keep fees (both membership and green fees) down in the hope of getting more footfall, and additionally offering deals and underselling the value of membership or a round of golf in order to generate revenue streams. Unfortunately, running the club on such tight margins, doesn't allow for any cushion should said revenue streams dry up, and without spare cash, doesn't allow for any course development, and restricts maintenance to pretty much the bare minimum, resulting in declining course standards in recent years.
Obviously wider economic issues and Covid have added further "stress" to club finances. Add in the fact that we are a short course and the outside perception is that short and cheap equals crap (though societies that return year on year would indicate otherwise) which has a resulting knock on effect that may prevent folks from even considering playing the course.
The new management have come in with a different outlook....price the membership in line with maybe the "2nd tier" of pricing in the area, maybe just a little bit below our immediate local competitors (I think the price hike now sees us as the 5th most expensive in the area), increase the green fees (now £50 to play weekend and bank holiday mornings, £45 for the afternoons...we used to be £30), actively seek sponsorship (we now have every hole sponsored by a local business) etc etc...hell we've even introduced a joining fee and for the first time in memory (and I've been a member for 23 years now) we have intermediate categories for under 17's and under 25's.
Its just a more progressive attitude that, at least in the short term, appears to be reaping benefits.
Obviously wider economic issues and Covid have added further "stress" to club finances. Add in the fact that we are a short course and the outside perception is that short and cheap equals crap (though societies that return year on year would indicate otherwise) which has a resulting knock on effect that may prevent folks from even considering playing the course.
The new management have come in with a different outlook....price the membership in line with maybe the "2nd tier" of pricing in the area, maybe just a little bit below our immediate local competitors (I think the price hike now sees us as the 5th most expensive in the area), increase the green fees (now £50 to play weekend and bank holiday mornings, £45 for the afternoons...we used to be £30), actively seek sponsorship (we now have every hole sponsored by a local business) etc etc...hell we've even introduced a joining fee and for the first time in memory (and I've been a member for 23 years now) we have intermediate categories for under 17's and under 25's.
Its just a more progressive attitude that, at least in the short term, appears to be reaping benefits.
Golfnut1957
Newbie
Good question. There is no mention of having to pay the full fee up front. As it is a warning to all, I would imagine that if it was their intention to do so, it would have been stated.
No, we haven't had a joining fee for years. It was done away with a couple of years after I joined in the early 90s. As for Direct Debits I suspect that they are fairly common throughout the club, and I would guess that there have been one or two defaulters throughout the years but not enough to create a headache. The weather conditions over the last 8 months will have been the catalyst for, if not mass desertions, then certainly enough to create a problem.
Burnsey
Active member
Most clubs accepting direct debit, do so via a finance company, so it's a loan and if you cancel it's not the club chasing you, but the loan company.
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
Potentially looking to move clubs. Their payment scheme is quarterly and not via credit, simply standing order.
Golfnut1957
Newbie
Our DD facility is in house and runs over 10 months. It is offered to encourage those who can't afford to pay the full wack up front to maintain a membership, there is also an option to make two payments half-yearly.
While doing it in house saves the member interest charges, they do have to pay a small premium over the fee paid by those paying the full price up front.
We also offer a Lifestyle membership. Reduced annual fee, but a small green fee every time you play. There is also a facility for members facing some kind of hardship, but the details of that are only known to the club and the recipient of any assistance; confidentiality.
PJ87
Journeyman Pro
Apparently one member of our club pays yearly , wasn't an option offered to me
It's just a direct debit system 12 monthly
Suits me
Swango1980
Well-known member
My last club just asks for membership up front, but has various grades
Full is £950 (very very few take that up)
Green Fee is £595, then you pay £4 for every round at weekends, £3 weekdays
Budget is £350, then you pay £7 for every round at weekends, £5 weekdays
Definitely suits golfers that don't really play more than once a week, and a lot of Seniors who don't play weekends. A lot of cash crosses the till, but I guess they got quite a big hit during Covid.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
No surprise option 1 isn't popular, the others look great value in comparison
I don't know the numbers but with the cost of everyday items like a big mac or a starbucks, you'd think a fiver for pack 2 and tenner for pack 3 would still be good value and make option 1 more popular for the regulars
