Membership in decline...

blackpuddinmonster said:
Which surely by definition makes it elitist??
Elitism- The belief that certain people of certain classes deserve favoured treatment by virtue of their percieved supperiority, social status or financial resources.
I'am sorry bluewolf, i've been told in the past that i make Tony Benn look like a supporter of Oswald Moseley, we'll probably never agree on this.
But you no what? Thats ok, because life would be boring if all agreed on everything. I think we can agree on this at least ? :cool:
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Too true mate. Now get yerself on some of our NW meets and you'll realise that we are far far from elitist.
 
blackpuddinmonster said:
Which surely by definition makes it elitist??
Elitism- The belief that certain people of certain classes deserve favoured treatment by virtue of their percieved supperiority, social status or financial resources.
I'am sorry bluewolf, i've been told in the past that i make Tony Benn look like a supporter of Oswald Moseley, we'll probably never agree on this.
But you no what? Thats ok, because life would be boring if all agreed on everything. I think we can agree on this at least ? :cool:
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it's not elitist, it's exclusive there is a difference. Finance is only one of the requirement of elitism. If you've got the cash and you’re not an axe murderer most clubs will let you in.

The beauty of golf is that you can play a course that fits your budget, you can't expect a top course to charge peanuts in the same way you can't expect Gucci handbags to go for a fiver

there are perhaps only a handful of clubs in the UK that you couldn't get into on finance alone.

Cost isn't a barrier to membership. Near me there are clubs that charge anything from £200 to £5k for annual membership, everyone is catered for

On this point though surely if lots of clubs close
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not lots of them, just the rubbish ones
 
bluewolf said:
Too true mate. Now get yerself on some of our NW meets and you'll realise that we are far far from elitist.
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Thanks for the invite :thup:
I've been reading a few of the threads on the arrange a game page and they look like a good laff. As soon as one comes up that i can work around i'l deffinatly take you up on the offer.
You'll easily recognise me, i'l be the one in "the tooting popular front" tank top and the Che Guevara beret. :whistle:
 
We are a modest parkland course although it is a tough test of golf especially off the whites. We have some stiff competition from our neighbours (Mill Ride, The Berkshire, Sand Martins etc) and people laugh that because of our location we have to pay £1600 per annum. So how come we've managed to find a way to be 51 members ahead of the projected target figure for 2013 already and have more in the pipeline

The bottom line is if you offer something appealing then people will come. The new greenkeeper is doing fantastic stuff with the greens and the course, we have a new General Manager who is giving the club some day day to hands on guidance and we have decently facilities. As I say not an elite course but a tricky one. We might have Royal in the name but we certainly aren't elitist snobbish or exclusive and plenty of work vans in our car park each week. Of course there are those that are narrow minded but you get those in all walks of life and work and every club has them.
 
Qwerty said:
My Personal transport is also a Van

The van has been parked on the car parks of Royal Lytham, Royal Liverpool, Formby, Hillside, West Lancs and other quality courses.

Ive never had a problem with turning up in such a vehicle, and I've never been looked at in such a manner that made me feel uncomfortable. I've enjoyed playing all the above courses and never felt unwelcome.
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Totally agree - to say anything different is so narrow minded and "jumping on the bandwagon" of stupid preconceptions that it barely warrants a comment - I have never heard a derogatory comment anywhere in a golf club about what car or van someone dares park in the car par park - I play at nice course and it is the most relaxed in terms of dress code and background of members, politeness of staff and other members that I have seen - again, probably against preconceptions of more exclusive clubs

Regards the thread - there are about 3,000 courses in GB&I catering for all budgets etc - this is needed, and the sensible clubs go with the main demand in the area and the target market. Why knock someone for wanting to play at a course that doesn't allow societies as they want either the experience of more exclusivity/ limited access to their track/ easier to get a game/ better playing conditions/ plusher surroundings/ better practice facilities - they certainly pay for it. Similarly, to say cut your fees and add more members has validity at some clubs in some areas, but will not in others - as it would spark others to leave. Where golf clubs are in trouble is if they do not go with the dynamics of where they are - or are stuck with attitudes/rules that are out of date and or not fulfil demand or offer value for money. There are more flexible clubs appearing - like The Players Club near Bristol, with various memberships that give full membership, restricted membership or much cheaper versions with smaller annual subs plus fees for each game, or points systems for playing at different times,like Goodwood. Similarly, there are clubs like Queenwood where you can't even get a phone number or view the website - why, because there is a market for it whether anyone agrees or not - I don't and was glad when my club introduced limited access to visitors but, hey, I can't knock it just as I can't afford to join it - as it fills a need and adds to the options and the economy! This is not a one-size-fits-all sport - but that is nothing new - at least it offers many options and choices.
 
Our membership is virtually full, and we have a joining fee. We have picked up a lot of members from one local club. It is not lots of new people taking up the game, but existing golfers looking for something better. Clubs need to be competitive, quality of the course, facilities, subs, to compete, and those that are not competitive risk falling by the wayside.
 
Few ideas I had were -

join with a friend and save £40 per membership

Free lesson from pro

Beginner classes for those new to the game

At my gaffs one of our bug bears is no trainers in the cluhouse b and I honestly feel that our club house would be busier if trainers were permitted. Most young adults prefer to wear trainer type footwear and I think it would've been better to relax that dress code rather than jeans in club house
 
Dress codes are a real pain sometimes. No trainers in the clubhouse is quite frankly stupid, bet there are some of the old guard in there with their worn out shoes that should have gone in the bin years ago and these are deemed o.k
 
Maybe golf was once elitist and for people wth massive bank balances, but nowadays with eBay & municple pay as you go memberships it makes it far more affordable to new players than ever imo.

Its certainly how I got into it. My dad worked his wotsits off for years in the 80's & 90's to be able to afford for him and my brother to be able to play but it never interested me at that time. But when I finally got around to picking up the game 2 years ago I couldn't afford to just go out and buy all the latest gear & private membership, I bought all my gear at that time of eBay and thanks to the likes of Nike & TM churning out so many new models so often I was able pick up so many bargains that were 1-2years old max and weren't outdated kit.

Followed that up with municipal membership for year and I was off and running for less than £300 from owning nothing to having all the gear I needed and access to a course, thats less than I used to spend in a year on Martial arts gear and footie boots.

Even this year having now joined a private club I shopped around for best value for money my fees are only £43 a month, my mate at work has said he'd like to join to play more but can't work out how to afford it but finds a way to spend £7.50 a day on fags now compare that to what my fees equate to per day and its very affordable

So it comes down to on simple thing wanting to play and making people feel inspired to at least give it a go and if the likes of the last Ryder Cup comeback don't inspire people nothing will...

As for Kids playing its up to parents to get kids to stop twiddling their thumbs on their xBox's controllers and out doing all sports until they find one they like, my dad had me, my brother and sister trying everything until we found something we enjoyed my brother settled on Golf, my sister dance and I got greedy and went for football & taekwondo but end of the day without our parents taking us to try things we wouldn't have done anything. Get schools involved as well a it will give kids more chances to try things and get into sports.
 
Like many above, they need to break down the stereotypes about Golf. Yes they exist for a reason but I've played plenty of courses where its more relaxed, there is a course out there to suit everyones tastes.
 
I would be interested to see some figures that break down memberships for the different types of club...private, proprietary and public. I'd guess that the majority of private members clubs are doing OK, I reckon most of the courses that are struggling are proprietary where an owner is looking to make money.

Just my guesswork but would be very interested to find out. All the private clubs in my area are doing pretty well.
 
I've just read all the postings on this thread and am quite amazed at the stereotyping of members, presumably by non club members, of every golf club in the land!

Our club has just short of 600 members, is in mid Kent, costs £1,000 per yer and the members that I see every time I play vary right across the spectrum. Yes, it's predominately older people because all clubs I've ever been to have an average around 55. The fact is that every club has a mix of people arrogant, rude, bossy, opinionated through to the nicest that you would ever meet but if you went into a supermarket, football crowd or a hospital (pick your own place) you would find the same mix of people. We can all point to old duffers who moan their way through life and tell juniors off, they do it at home too, it's not a golf related issue I help run a large football club and it happens just the same there.

The fact is that gof is priced what it is because clubs take the running cost, devide by the number of members it attracts and that comes up with the subscription cost. I pay £1,000 and play, on average, twice a week the basic cost per round is £9.61 per game, if I go to the nearest pay and play, two rounds a week (without any offers) would be approximately £60 per week. For that reason I join a club with the added bonus that I get a proper handicap and get to make a lot of lasting friendship and always have someone to play with.

I do firmly believe that dress codes need to be kept modern and relevant and seeing the odd player in check plus fours with long yellow socks looks faintly ridiculous to me as is no jeans in the clubhouse, but, if the average age is 55, the members don't want bare feet and cropped beach wear so tend to maintain the status quo so that we don't drift into the unacceptable. There I, however, golf wear that suits all ages and no 20 old need dress like a 70 year old.

Most of the issues on here relate, as I read them, to odd, one off bad experiences and are not what I see at my, quite ordinary club - yes there are arguments, odd idiots, entrenched views etc but I suspect that mirrors everyday life at work and everywhere else and is not in anyway exclusive to gof club membership!
 
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