Membership Costs!!

[haplesshacker]

Reading Tommo's post got me thinking.

Why is it that golf club membership in Scotland is so cheap compared to England?

Is it simple economics of supply and demand?

Staffing costs would roughly be the same. Materials (sand, equipment, chemicals etc) must roughly be the same. Is it just purely based on the cost of the land?

Or can't clubs survive in England if our membership costs suddenly halved to match those in Scotland? If not why not? Scottish clubs 'survive'.

But I really don't understand why there is such a huge differrence.

Anyone like to hazard a guess?

 

[Oddsocks]

I'm puzzled like you, the only logical thing would be if clubs are cheaper, more people would have multi club memberships, this could equate to someone paying for 7 days membership yet only playing once or twice a month. 24 games for 350 quid is only 15 per game, most clubs would be more happy with this than a member playing three times a week just to get he's monies worth

 

[GB72]

Round my area there appears to be a bit or a cartel. It cannot be a coincidence that all of the normal clubs around me charge the same. OK, the better course (Stapleford Park) is more expensive and Belton Woods is a Devere course so uses there membership scheme but all the rest charge the same membership and joining fee.

 

[USER1999]

My club lease the land. 50k per year. Bet it's cheaper in Scotland.

 

[DelB]

I'd venture to suggest that it's supply and demand. Population has a lot to do with it - remember that there are more people living in London than live in the whole of Scotland.

Most decent courses in Scotland probably charge in the region of £500 - £700 a year, but a lot of clubs in the south east of Engkand must be nearly double that.

Thing is, if English clubs did cut back membership fees substantially, then yes more people would join, but you'd then struggle to get a tee time to play!

 

[Dodger]

My club lease the land. 50k per year. Bet it's cheaper in Scotland.

I'm sure it is double that at SS2's course.

 

[richart]

On the up side we do get to play our courses more often in the winter down South.

 

[Tommo21]

Dodger is well qualified to tell us about golf club finance but I doubt he will open the books or even wants to. One thing for sure, I’m spoiled for choice where I stay as I have about 20 or more clubs within about 30 min drive.

 

[DCB]

Golf has always been a working mans game up here. Yes there are places that are aimed at a certain membership, but on the whole it's a game for anyone.

The clubs reflect that in their membership numbers and charges.


There are clubs on mainland Scotland where a family membership costs less than I pay in Edinburgh, and my club is by no means one of the subs in Edinburgh

 

[haplesshacker]

20 clubs within a 30 min drive. No wonder it's cheap!



DCB. If membership is cheaper, one could assume that the clubs have a higher membership. Can you still get a tee time?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I guess my club has to compete with the neighbours all oof whom charge more than we do (Bearwood, Sand Martins, Berkshire, Mill Ride etc). There is the opportunity to pay as a member at Blue Mountain (Crown Golf) Downshire (council owned) or Bird Hills (pay & play) but there is the hassle of pre-booking start times, slow play etc

We are expensive and probably don't offer true value for money. However it's a challenging course, great atmosphere, decent facilities and comps are drawn. It's also very local and you can just roll up

 

[haplesshacker]

The other aspect is does the quality of course reflect the price of membership, or the cost of running the facility, or even, cost of the competition.

 

[goldenbare]

If we hadn't got a well organised club attached to our local muni I wouldn't be able to afford to play on a regular basis as courses around are double the fee. (dont talk about the joining fee"

 

[Tommo21]

20 clubs within a 30 min drive. No wonder it's cheap!

And some real quality courses.

 

[NWJocko]

20 clubs within a 30 min drive. No wonder it's cheap!

And some real quality courses.

Your not wrong. East Lothian is an amazing place for golf. I grew up in haddington, loved playing golf round there, the stretch from longniddry right along to dunbar is ridiculous.

Just gutted i don't live up there now!!

 

[haplesshacker]

20 clubs within a 30 min drive. No wonder it's cheap!

And some real quality courses.

Rub it in. Why don't you!

 

[kid2]

I dont know how this measures with you guy's across the pond but i got this seasons in the door yesterday.....No change from last year.....650 euro membership plus 19 euro for my G.U.I Levy.....669 altogether.... plus i get 3 full green fee vouchers for visitors and im included in a draw if i pay on time which has a prize of 50% off the cost of next years green fee's....

Im happy out at that....

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I don't know the reason for the difference in costs but I do know that down here on the Surrey/Berkshire/Hampshire borders we pay some of the highest fees around. It's quite frustrating being a golfer round here. Within about 15 minutes drive of my house I can get to Queenwood, The Berkshire, Foxhills, Swinley Forest, Sunningdale, Worplesdon, Woking, West Hill, Wentworth and Bearwood Lakes. Those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head none of which I can afford. You then have the ones closer to my price range such as Windlesham (£1600) and Camberley Heath (£1800) neither of which I can justify and then you have Royal Ascot which at (£1300) is about the cheapest outside of the multitude of pay and plays.

Whether the fact that we are surrounded by such courses is the reason that the Ascot's of this world are so expensive I don't know but I suspect it must have something to do with it.

Going a bit further afield towards Reading you could join Goring & Streatly which is an excellent course and in March last year would have cost you £800 with no joining fee. If someone can explain where the extra £500 quid goes for the sake of another 25 minute drive I'd like to know.

I've not played many of the above courses but I don't think any of them really represent value for money.

 

[SyR]

I've been looking in my area but at the moment I cannot justify the cost of the membership. I assume the land price, percentage of retired people and cost of living for the staff all increase the cost.

 

[USER1999]

Thing is, it can't just be a case of supply and demand. We are a members club, non profit making, so the £1100 subs is what it costs to run the place. Ok, we give the green keeper a rent free house, ditto the gm, but I think down south you have to. You would think we would have paid for these buildings by now though, we've been here for 100 years plus.