Modern Thinking?

[Orikoru]

I wish clubs would do the opposite of a 5-day membership and offer a weekend only membership at a lower rate. Full membership is too expensive for me as I can only play at weekends, and 5-day membership is useless for the same reason. A 2-day weekend only membership for like £700 would be great!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I wish clubs would do the opposite of a 5-day membership and offer a weekend only membership at a lower rate. Full membership is too expensive for me as I can only play at weekends, and 5-day membership is useless for the same reason. A 2-day weekend only membership for like £700 would be great!

That’s the first step to a club struggling financially- weekend golf is the premium - if you offer weekend only a club would prob lose tens of thousands in one hit and would be unsustainable

 

[Orikoru]

That’s the first step to a club struggling financially- weekend golf is the premium - if you offer weekend only a club would prob lose tens of thousands in one hit and would be unsustainable

Yeah you're probably right - for every new member taking them up on it you'd have two or three downgrading from full to weekend so it wouldn't be financially worthwhile. But I never said it was a good business model, just that it was what I wanted.

 

[Slab]

Surely it’s not just choose one or the other (resort or private) If both are done properly they’ll likely thrive, both done poorly and it’s not really going to work for either

Most (well I guess all) my golf at the moment is played on resort courses that usually also offer spa’s, gyms, functions, weddings & hotels etc and they all seems to have got it right, they all thrive

I’ve never felt like a wedding or someone having a spa treatment is having any impact whatsoever or detracting from my golf in any way (nor I on their experience) mostly because I’m not likely to even clap eyes on them, they’re in a completely different building to the clubhouse, in another part of the complex

Sure I can see that if you book in a wedding meal/reception every other week into your clubhouses only restaurant then the golf club members aren’t going to appreciate it, but that’s the kind of things that private clubs should be talking to the members about in advance i.e if we can get x amount of weddings it’ll keep subs at y level but to offset this the restaurant will be booked for x number of Saturdays through the year. You folks OK with this? It’ll get passed or not, members will decide

A well run resort course is great for creating multiple revenue streams and a wider range of facilities and the course or service doesn’t have to suffer a jot (if anything service levels could be higher because you’re being served by folks who are probably more customer/guest focused)

 

[Grant85]

A well run resort course is great for creating multiple revenue streams and a wider range of facilities and the course or service doesn’t have to suffer a jot (if anything service levels could be higher because you’re being served by folks who are probably more customer/guest focused)

I think this is a massive point. Obviously resort courses are out there to make money. If they aren't turning a decent profit, it's not worth tying any capital up in and they would try and offload or abandon.

And like you say, if it is done correctly with the right property there is no negative impact on either the golf or resort aspect. Clearly any members club venue with a single course is going to struggle to really seriously do this properly without alienating quite a few members, but for the right club a bit of investment could go a long way.

Clearly a golf club is run in a different way and the focus is more on providing a service to members with profit / revenue a secondary concern. Certainly that is the way it should be in some respects. Golf clubs also don't help themselves as many still have key functions carried out by volunteer committee members who in many cases won't have the time or expertise to do the level of job a full time Golf Club manager would do. Obviously some courses are fortunate and benefit from generous and able members who spend half their life at a club and make a serious difference, but again this is no way to run a club as the club will simply not cope when that member finally steps down.

Golf clubs also have decision making carried out by committee. Again, not always the best way to do things with difficult decisions often deferred or made without proper consideration given.

 

[Slab]

Maybe those private members courses (who want extra income) but without the ideal space or infrastructure should forget trying to squeeze in 25 guest for a wedding/funeral lunch to the annoyance of members and focus on affiliate deals to increase income

Tie in with local hotels to offer golf breaks (inclusive of green fees)
Club Pro works with local gym fitness instructor to offer golf specific fitness programs
Team up with a local spa/pool/gym to offer combined packages (or just discounts) that partners/family can use

No reason separate businesses can’t work together for mutual benefit, it doesn't have to detract from the feel of a private members club

 

[PJ87]

Maybe those private members courses (who want extra income) but without the ideal space or infrastructure should forget trying to squeeze in 25 guest for a wedding/funeral lunch to the annoyance of members and focus on affiliate deals to increase income

Tie in with local hotels to offer golf breaks (inclusive of green fees)
Club Pro works with local gym fitness instructor to offer golf specific fitness programs
Team up with a local spa/pool/gym to offer combined packages (or just discounts) that partners/family can use

No reason separate businesses can’t work together for mutual benefit, it doesn't have to detract from the feel of a private members club

Sounds like a great idea. Of course won’t be straight forward but nothing ever is. Could work if managed well

I like crown golf where your a member at one course but can play like 5-10 times a year at their other courses that they own .. gives a bit of variety to the membership

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Maybe those private members courses (who want extra income) but without the ideal space or infrastructure should forget trying to squeeze in 25 guest for a wedding/funeral lunch to the annoyance of members and focus on affiliate deals to increase income

Tie in with local hotels to offer golf breaks (inclusive of green fees)
Club Pro works with local gym fitness instructor to offer golf specific fitness programs
Team up with a local spa/pool/gym to offer combined packages (or just discounts) that partners/family can use

No reason separate businesses can’t work together for mutual benefit, it doesn't have to detract from the feel of a private members club

Sounds like hell - adding in further traffic onto a course with loads of stay and play that don’t look after a course and mainly at weekends no doubt

Most members clubs will have links to local sports businesses but they aren’t very lucrative in any shape or form.

If a members club needs more money the answer is simple - make the course attractive for people to want to play it and join the club. Don’t sell the soul to the devil

Sounds like a great idea. Of course won’t be straight forward but nothing ever is. Could work if managed well

I like crown golf where your a member at one course but can play like 5-10 times a year at their other courses that they own .. gives a bit of variety to the membership

And it’s no surprise that the crown golf courses that are part of the deal appear to the weaker courses of the group - the supposed better standard courses aren’t part of it

 

[Slab]

Sounds like hell - adding in further traffic onto a course with loads of stay and play that don’t look after a course and mainly at weekends no doubt

Most members clubs will have links to local sports businesses but they aren’t very lucrative in any shape or form.

If a members club needs more money the answer is simple - make the course attractive for people to want to play it and join the club. Don’t sell the soul to the devil



And it’s no surprise that the crown golf courses that are part of the deal appear to the weaker courses of the group - the supposed better standard courses aren’t part of it

Just try and be a glass half-full once in a while you might like it

A living hell, is it really that bad having some visitors who are enthusiastic golfers (& even probably course members elsewhere) onto the course each day, treat them well and more chance they'll treat your course well

There's a lot more to an affiliate deal for it to be lucrative than just having 'links to' a sports club. Its not just a bit of random uncoordinated mutual marketing

And yes if the additional income can help make the course more attractive in order to add new members too, all the better. Sounds great but its hardly selling out the clubs soul to look for those members in ways other than having to be proposed/interviewed etc

 

[PJ87]

Just try and be a glass half-full once in a while you might like it

A living hell, is it really that bad having some visitors who are enthusiastic golfers (& even probably course members elsewhere) onto the course each day, treat them well and more chance they'll treat your course well

There's a lot more to an affiliate deal for it to be lucrative than just having 'links to' a sports club. Its not just a bit of random uncoordinated mutual marketing

And yes if the additional income can help make the course more attractive in order to add new members too, all the better. Sounds great but its hardly selling out the clubs soul to look for those members in ways other than having to be proposed/interviewed etc

Phil was born with a half empty bottle in his mouth .. he never got over it

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Just try and be a glass half-full once in a while you might like it

A living hell, is it really that bad having some visitors who are enthusiastic golfers (& even probably course members elsewhere) onto the course each day, treat them well and more chance they'll treat your course well

There's a lot more to an affiliate deal for it to be lucrative than just having 'links to' a sports club. Its not just a bit of random uncoordinated mutual marketing

And yes if the additional income can help make the course more attractive in order to add new members too, all the better. Sounds great but its hardly selling out the clubs soul to look for those members in ways other than having to be proposed/interviewed etc

Pop back to the UK and see the state of most of the resort style courses here and also the level of membership- they are great for visiting groups and a lot of times the priority is with the paying visitor who they need to fleece as quickly as possible with the small membership being treated as second class citizens. If a course is needing deals to get weekend visitors then it’s a course that won’t be attractive to members. Even Woburn up the road has s deal with a local hotel and the members complain bitterly when it goes into weekend golf

I have no doubt the resort golf courses are a world apart on the island you live on - but it’s rare to see the same here -the only place I can think of that appears to do it right is Woodhall
So yes the course being packed up with pay and play and stay golfers at a weekend not looking after the course is my idea of hell

Phil was born with a half empty bottle in his mouth .. he never got over it

The snide comments whilst seem to be regular from yourself are uncalled for

 

[Wolf]

Clubs and Pro do need to look at creating diverse incomes however do need to be very picky with what they choose to do. Some affiliate schemes mean club end up giving away a lot more than they get back.

The idea of a private club setting up a partnership with a local gym is easier said than done! At best will offer the club members a corporate discounted membership, this doesn't help club members if anything ends up costing them more, likewise to reciprocate that deal club has to offer reduced memberships to those the gym which can aggravate current members paying more for the same thing.. Plus in truth not many of those gym goers will convert to golfers so the only winner is the gym who maybe get more through their doors.

Pro trying to affiliate with a fitness professional is a great idea though, only downside is most golfers wouldn't be interested in it. It's something I've tried to get my PTs at work to do, but in truth they don't get much from it even though the golfers would benefit.

Affiliations with other clubs is a good idea but perhaps better to do so on a tiered scheme, my old club are part of a deal where you get so many rounds free at 10 other courses. Sadly 8 of those 10 courses are invariably way below the same standard so most people tend not to bother using that perk, whereas you always get guys from those other courses coming to use my old place.. If that was better structured to say you get so many rounds free and say tier 1-3 courses then as you go to higher tiered courses you pay a reduced green fee which most would to play a decent course then for me it works better as you get a couple of freebies if you want a game somewhere but then have chance to play courses that are equivalent to or better than your own for cheaper and they get more revenue to...