Membership fees, are they hurting clubs?

[Oddsocks]

I’ve been bouncing around a few websites over the last week just seeing what is going on in my area.

Excluding mine and one other, every course has a joining fee but what really surprises me is the variance in the value. Excluding an ex top 100 course at over £2k which I’d expect with a highly ranked course, the range is between £500 to £2500 and the courses within that zone are nothing great, I doubt they’d make a top 500 list.

With this in mind, if the club has space for members would they do better dropping the fee and filling the spaces or is the fee simply a screening process to stop club hoppers? I can’t help but this the JF is a little short sighted, especially in the current climate where justifying a membership is hard enough for some.

 

[D-S]

Depends if they are full, or at least close to, or not.

 

[Oddsocks]

Depends if they are full, or at least close to, or not.

I think I’m my area most clubs would be running up around 90%.

Let play out two situations based on a membership of 500 full 7 days.

Membership of £2k p/a with 50 spaces is losing them £100k p/a in membership alone, let’s then add basic coffee / bacon roll spend on once a week golf and you’d be getting closer to £130k p/a rolling.

Yes with a JF of £1500 the club would get an injection of £75k, but the longer them spaces are empty the quicker that £130k takes to recoup. During this period you’ll get your natural membership cycle of people leaving fir various reasons, but is there really a big list of people with £2k a year disposable lining up and prepared to pay the JF?

Surely the golf uptake bubble has burst through the new covid uptake?

 

[IanM]

Charge too little and not cover operating costs, that's no good.

Charge too much and folk leave as the cost uncompetitive, that's no good either!

And therein lies the challenge!

I'm amazed that joining fees have returned. But some clubs have folk queuing up to pay it! Of course, some places are worth it, or have so little local competition, they can get away with it.

 

[Oddsocks]

@IanM - there is no doubt a balance regarding subs, but surely clubs are not in a position where JF’s from new members are what’s balancing the books and keeping a club in the black?

Like you I’m completely shocked that they returned, as a token payment maybe (£500example) , but in a an area where fees are the highest in the country as an average, the a mediocre club to be charging £2k is crazy.

 

[fat80b]

I’m not sure why I’d even consider a club with a large joining fee?

Round our way, there’s one with a reasonably significant fee and all it has meant to me is I have no desire to play there.

I’ve played every other course in the area and am a member of one that has a token joining fee (£75) and considered several others that had points membership options encouraging new members as opposed to joining fees that just put people off

 

[Deleted member 23270]

The top three clubs in my area all have substantial joining fees.

They all have substantial waiting lists too.

 

[SteveW86]

The top three clubs in my area all have substantial joining fees.

They all have substantial waiting lists too.

Same here, best course in Southampton has a large joining fee and a 4 year waiting list.

 

[Imurg]

I've never been a fan of joining fees but have had to pay one to join Ellesborough
Although they don't market it as a joining fee.
You pay £X for the first 5 years and then you migrate to pay the Member's Loyalty fee which is 200 quid less..
So it's a £1000 joining fee but spread over 5 years.
Worth every penny to have a course around here that's open 99.9% of the time.

 

[Oddsocks]

I've never been a fan of joining fees but have had to pay one to join Ellesborough
Although they don't market it as a joining fee.
You pay £X for the first 5 years and then you migrate to pay the Member's Loyalty fee which is 200 quid less..
So it's a £1000 joining fee but spread over 5 years.
Worth every penny to have a course around here that's open 99.9% of the time.

I think that’s a far more attractive way of marketing it, on the same turn it also makes the longer servers feel acknowledged.

If for any reason your life situations changed and you had to give up / relocate etc, you wasn’t a grand down the crapper 2 years in. You could have also been under a certain impression of the club which simply didn’t add up and decide the club isn’t for you.

 

[HeftyHacker]

Other than the big lytham clubs (Royal, Old Links and Fairhaven) I don't think any around me charge a joining fee.

I keep trying with the idea of putting my name down at old links as I know a few members but despite the course always being open and in great condition- it always beats me up something rotten so I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy being a member and getting that on a twice weekly basis and knowing I'm financially tied in so to speak.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Just read a suggestion on another website. Have a joining fee but it goes onto your bar card so you can spend it in the clubhouse. If you leave you forfeit the balance.

 

[IanM]

Just read a suggestion on another website. Have a joining fee but it goes onto your bar card so you can spend it in the clubhouse. If you leave you forfeit the balance.

I can see the merit in that. How much it should be is an interesting discussion.

We have a proposal before the AGM to raise the £50 bar levy to £100. A few folk are not happy, but the ones I know all spend more than that over the year.

Both the clubs I'm a member of have joining fees, these go to a capital reserve which are utilised when required.

 

[Oddsocks]

Just read a suggestion on another website. Have a joining fee but it goes onto your bar card so you can spend it in the clubhouse. If you leave you forfeit the balance.

I spoke with a close friend who suggested the very same. 20/40/40 split.

In the principle of £1000, £200 to the club as admin, £400 to the bar card and £400 in pro shop credit.

I liked the idea:

£200 to the club, could go towards marketing, staff costs etc etc.

£400 to the bar, encouraged you to stay behind and engage socially, family up for lunch etc and generally integrate with the club (with them getting the money back over a year )

£400 to the pro, lessons, new gear etc. keeps spend within the club and no doubt helps retain a decent club pro.

If I was looking at a club with a JF based on the above I’d have no probs at all.

 

[JayB]

Not a fan of joining fees, and as such I personally wouldn't ever consider joining a club which charged one.

In my humble opinion the return of them are clubs becoming greedy, the short term boost clubs had from covid will slowly fade away, membership levels will eventually return to pre-pandemic levels.

Unfortunately, most clubs around my area have one, or even 2 in the case of one club

 

[Deleted member 25172]

Not a fan of joining fees, and as such I personally wouldn't ever consider joining a club which charged one.

In my humble opinion the return of them are clubs becoming greedy, the short term boost clubs had from covid will slowly fade away, membership levels will eventually return to pre-pandemic levels.

Unfortunately, most clubs around my area have one, or even 2 in the case of one club

2 joining fees? I’m intrigued as I struggle to see the rational for that.
Care to share the club website for some further reading?

 

[Imurg]

2 joining fees? I’m intrigued as I struggle to see the rational for that.
Care to share the club website for some further reading?

I've heard of clubs where you have to pay to go on the waiting list and then pay a joining fee when it's your turn......

 

[SteveW86]

I've heard of clubs where you have to pay to go on the waiting list and then pay a joining fee when it's your turn......

Currently on a waiting list near me, have to join as a social member to be on the waiting list, but that means I can use the clubhouse and practise facilities. Also any monies paid come off the joining fee when it’s time to join.

 

[BrianM]

Joining fee with us, £600 if I remember rightly.
Doesn't bother me particularly, still represents good value.
We are back to a waiting list now as well.

 

[PJ87]

The Issues That NonMembers Want Golf Clubs to Address

We wanted to know what you think clubs need to do to attract more members and what you see as the problems facing clubs when it comes to recruitment. These comments were submitted by non-members as they described their suggestions regarding the issues that clubs need to address.

www.golfshake.com

This just appeared on my feed after reading this (a huge section about joining fee)