Membership post pandemic

[Jaco]

Just wondering how golf club membership is holding up now that we can do other things?

Courses near me upped annual subs considerably (probably inflation related, rather than anything else) and reintroduced joining fees, which they didn’t have for many years previously, as so many new people were joining.

I’ve looked again and the JF’s are still in place, so I assume new members haven’t tired of their new hobby. Having said that , when I played my local course on Sunday it was millionaires golf and the bar was like a library, so not sure.

 

[clubchamp98]

Havnt lost a lot of members but we don’t have a WL anymore.

I have noticed that the comp sheet on a Saturday is half empty.
not sure if it’s WHS putting some players off or the new members not playing in the comps

Clubhouse is deserted mostl weekdays but full on Saturday as usual.

 

[Mel Smooth]

Ours is pretty busy still - comp slots go very quickly. Junior membership is almost non existent - and talking to a pro who represented England at Junior level, he said that the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on juniors playing golf.
Not sure what it's like at other clubs across the country, but when I was my sons age there must have been a good 8 or so kids from my school year who were members at the same club the boy plays at now. He goes to the same school, but there's probably a good 30% more students in each year, and there are 2 from his age group that play now. Worrying.

 

[clubchamp98]

Ours is pretty busy still - comp slots go very quickly. Junior membership is almost non existent - and talking to a pro who represented England at Junior level, he said that the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on juniors playing golf.
Not sure what it's like at other clubs across the country, but when I was my sons age there must have been a good 8 or so kids from my school year who were members at the same club the boy plays at now. He goes to the same school, but there's probably a good 30% more students in each year, and there are 2 from his age group that play now. Worrying.

Lots of juniors at ours.
We have a golf girls rock as well that’s very well attended.

 

[Jaco]

Ours is pretty busy still - comp slots go very quickly. Junior membership is almost non existent - and talking to a pro who represented England at Junior level, he said that the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on juniors playing golf.
Not sure what it's like at other clubs across the country, but when I was my sons age there must have been a good 8 or so kids from my school year who were members at the same club the boy plays at now. He goes to the same school, but there's probably a good 30% more students in each year, and there are 2 from his age group that play now. Worrying.

That definitely rings true.
My local club, of which I’m not currently a member, was renowned for its junior section, and so I signed up my teen two years ago.
However, due to the pandemic they had lost their junior teacher (not to death, I’m not sure what happened) and my kid soon lost interest.
I think they’re trying to get it moving again now but it’s much reduced.
It’s a nice club anyway, but the junior section was something that stood out.

 

[Shooter McPowick]

Pre pandemic we didn’t have a waiting list. Annual renewals have just ticked over and for a couple of years now we have quite a long waiting list.

Course is busy every day of the week, thankfully the greenkeepers are great and keep everything tip top.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Ours is pretty busy still - comp slots go very quickly. Junior membership is almost non existent - and talking to a pro who represented England at Junior level, he said that the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on juniors playing golf.
Not sure what it's like at other clubs across the country, but when I was my sons age there must have been a good 8 or so kids from my school year who were members at the same club the boy plays at now. He goes to the same school, but there's probably a good 30% more students in each year, and there are 2 from his age group that play now. Worrying.

I think we’ve about 80 juniors. 20 or so have handicaps. We churn about 50% every year.

 

[Jaco]

My guess is that golf clubs face a struggle on a couple of fronts over the coming two or three years.

Firstly, some newbies absolutely loving it but others going back to football, tiddlywinks or whatever, and secondly the surplus of money many of us had after being under house arrest for eighteen months, feels a very distant memory in these inflationary times.

My local club was 885 and no joining fee two years ago, now it’s 1040 plus 500. Nobody’s fault, but times are a bit tougher at the moment. I’d wager that JF’s will start being dropped, without fanfare, possibly quite soon, and annual fees should rise much more slowly if inflation heads back down to where they’re predicting.

 

[D-S]

I believe EG are budgeting for around 7% reduction in total membership - although this is said to be pessimistic/very prudent, some counties are also using this as a baseline for affiliation fees revenue too.
Part of a steady return to pre pandemic participation rates.
Clubs need to have this in mind for longer term planning.

 

[Bdill93]

The only thing I notice at our club is there seems to have been a real lack of new members recently - or at least not ones that are involving themselves in the comps/ roll ups etc.

Owners need to be careful with their pricing going forward, many talking about leaving.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

We are still healthy, have a WL , got about 10 off it this year plus another 30 on a pending membership, we still have a good 100 on there

We had to raise membership and green fees due to a big spend and further spends ahead

Our swindle has taken two new guys this year , the one I play on a Sunday has taken 3

Each new member gets the numbers and times of when the swindles play

 

[jim8flog]

We had a waiting list. After renewals at the beginning of the the month I think I heard most got in but I think we now have another waiting list.

Biggest problem at our club is that there are very few members that play Saturday mornings that leave and new members can find it hard to get a game on that day.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Biggest problem at our club is that there are very few members that play Saturday mornings that leave and new members can find it hard to get a game on that day.

Ideally, you want your club to be like a gym. Lots of members, most of them inactive .

It is an issue at my place as well, I can sympathise. I got lucky this year and am now in a group of 3 but last year I was with a different group each week, looking for a group where one was on holiday / ill that week.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Update received from club. Pre end March renewal playing membership was 632; 35 did not renew (under 6%); but we have taken on 26. Current playing membership is therefore 623 - with our optimal level being 625.

I guess we have left 2 places to accommodate exceptional cases wishing to join…maybe, as we still have a long waiting list that is now closed as club works out what, if anything, we can do for those on it and blend in academy members reaching end of their academy period.

So any pandemic related boost in new members seems to have been sustained, and cost of living constraints don’t seem to have impacted too many.

 

[adasko]

we have a waiting list for a 5 day waiting membership

 

[rulefan]

Our membership is full with a small waiting list. We closed 5 and 6 day membership to new members over a year ago.