Overstepping my mark?

[North Mimms]

Also suggest you read Board /committee minutes to see if any of these things have been discussed recently

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Whilst some of your ideas may be good, I would say you’ve on,y been there 3 months, and to start chucking ideas at committees so soon may backfire on your enjoyment there.

I would say give it a year, attend the AGM and get involved from within. Most clubs don’t take too kindly to new members shooting off about things that they perceive as “improvements”, not forgetting it was good enough for when you joined.
Also whilst it may be prestigious club, that doesn’t mean that the members are happy to increase their subscriptions for something viewed as unessential.

As I said, do a year including the AGM, then you will have a better idea on the clubs financial situation, plus you could put your ideas to the committee at the AGM in the form of questions when they open the floor.

 

[jusme]

So what if the club is running tight on finances. Throw the lot at them and let them know what you think. What's the best/worse that can happen - likely to ignore every one of them but at least they should respond to you

 

[ademac]

Overstepping your mark?
Yes I would say so.

You have only been there 3 months and surely all these things were the same then?
Yet you decided to join anyway.

Why do you want your club to go from "good" to "prestigious" anyway?
Surely a "prestigious" club will start charging a lot more for membership and probably upset a lot of loyal members who have been there many years.

I would say, get on the committee, work hard for the club and pay your dues then in a few years you can start making suggestions on how they should improve the place.

 

[Smiffy]

Overstepping your mark?
Yes I would say so.

You have only been there 3 months and surely all these things were the same then?
Yet you decided to join anyway.

Why do you want your club to go from "good" to "prestigious" anyway?
Surely a "prestigious" club will start charging a lot more for membership and probably upset a lot of loyal members who have been there many years.

I would say, get on the committee, work hard for the club and pay your dues then in a few years you can start making suggestions on how they should improve the place.

Is the correct answer.
3 months in, I reckon you'll be ruffling a few feathers with your suggestions, and might make a few "enemies".

 

[r0wly86]

Is the correct answer.
3 months in, I reckon you'll be ruffling a few feathers with your suggestions, and might make a few "enemies".

I can understand that the could be the potential for that but it's not necessarily going to happen.

After all the OP is a member so has exactly the same rights as every other member.

As others have pointed out their may be better ways to go about than submitting a fairly long list of things. Perhaps prioritise and start with 2/3 maybe start with suggestions on the driving range.

You could also offer the jet wash the stones as another poster has suggested, and/or donate some toiletries. It wouldn't cost much to donate a couple deodorants, moisturiser and hair gel and it could go a long way to ingratiating you into the club. The club maybe more sympathetic to your suggestions if you have personally volunteered or donated things that would improve the club

 

[ademac]

I dont necessarily think the guy would make enemies buy if I was on the committee I would be thinking
"Ok this guy might have some valid points but he has been here 3 months, how do I know he is going to stick around after any/all these suggestions are paid for?"

I personally would just prove my loyalty over the next few years and help the club as much as possible, then I would feel comfortable making all of those suggestions.
Until then I would be embarrassed at putting a list like that in to be honest.

 

[Smiffy]

I dont necessarily think the guy would make enemies..
I personally would just prove my loyalty over the next few years and help the club as much as possible, then I would feel comfortable making all of those suggestions.
Until then I would be embarrassed at putting a list like that in to be honest.

OK "making enemies" wasn't the perfect wording.
But if somebody joined a club I was on the committee of, and came up with a list of suggestions like that within such a short space of time (he is saying 3 months, others posts would indicate it's not been that long) I would be very wary of them.
I too would be embarrassed putting in a list like that.
If he wants a telly in the changing rooms, (and God knows why), go out and buy one and donate it.

 

[Coffey]

As has been said by many people. I am sure most of what you are recommending is already known and most likely due to lack of funds or even waiting for the low season to start replacing everything. I am sure it is well known areas are becoming worn and the range balls are poor quality now.

There are a few things which you have mentioned that would be nice to haves but aren't exactly necessary or would even improve anything imo, such as the tv in the locker room.

I personally would pick your main ones and suggest them but would most likely leave out the nice to haves. If the club has the funds then I cannot see any issue with suggesting them. In some cases it does take a set of fresh eyes to notice problems.

 

[shortgame]

Did you have to pay a joining fee to join as that in itself might change the dynamic. If not it's unlikely that expensive suggestions will be treated seriously unless you've proved some other commitment to the club yourself

 

[Capella]

I don't know if this works the same in Britain, but here a golf club (like any other organisation) has to have a general assembly once a year and for that also has to break down the financial situation in some detail. As others have suggested, you are pretty new at your club. I would say, wait a few more month until you have better knowledge of the financial situation of your club and if there is money to spend. Also, you should make a qualified guestimation on how much all your individual points might cost and how much that would mean for each individual member (for that you also need knowledge on how many members your clubs has, if they are full paying members or have for example five day memberships or county memberships etc.)

Also it would be good to talk the points over with some of the other members and see if they share your view and would support the changes even if they meant higher membership fees. From my experience, golfers are happy to demand shiny new things until you tell them that the money to buy them has to come out of their own pocket.

If you just chuck a list of suggestions at the committee, you run the risk of being brushed off with a quick "Yeah, and if wishes were horses..."

 

[LCW]

I’ve recently joined a new club (been here 3 months now) and I’ve noticed ways in which to improve the club/facility.

Here is a list of my suggestions, do you think it is cheeky of me to write these in the suggestion book or would you deem it okay?

- Repaint the club house white and repaint the areas around the windows to black as the current paintwork looks faded.

- Remove and replace the stones located at the bottom of outdoor staircase as these have lost their colouring and look worn.

- Inside the male changing room - replace the carpet and benches as the current ones look old and have started to tear.

- Embroidery on the locker room towels with the club crest on.

- Increase subscription fees to include the use of free range balls all year round (30 tees included)

- Tv in the locker room

- Complimentary deodorants and moisturiser etc.

- New notice boards in the locker rooms, the current ones look very old and worn.

- Two complimentary yardage books per year for members.

- Free tees, ball markers & pencils from starter during competition.

- Look to introduce breakout areas inside the clubhouse on the ground level for members to relax in ideally situated near the locker rooms.

- Individual shoe lockers (which the club can hire out and make money from) as opposed to just an open style in the locker room

- Improve and add lot more targets on the driving range with distances and pins etc.

- The mat on the range needs to be updated as at the minute it is very uneven.

- New range balls are required ASAP. Vast majority of balls are cracked or damaged with makes hitting them not ideal.

- Increase bucket size for range to 40 balls and 80 balls.
-

I don’t want to sound ignorant or a snob but I just think these things would help the club?

Cheers

I know you mentioned you joined a club in the north west I am just glad its not my club (does not sound like it from the description of these issues) or I would have to remortgage to keep playing the rate you would want to change things.

There surely comes a point where you think right I am there to play golf and enjoy a social/meet people etc. the rest is just irrelevant. If you want all the pomp et al. join a Wentworth, trump course etc.

Do you seriously care that much you want complementary deodorants (its not a hotel) or Free tees, ball markers & pencils from starter during competition? Just bring your own like every other golfer.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I don't know if this works the same in Britain, but here a golf club (like any other organisation) has to have a general assembly once a year and for that also has to break down the financial situation in some detail.

Yes, it’s called the AGM, or annual general meeting.
Yearly reports from the Captain, committee sections and secretary are given. Along with financial states, and any other business allowing members to place questions.

 

[hines57]

i'd hold off on the list and think about how to volunteer for the committee. That way you'd have a good understanding of the things that are already under consideration and what the state of the finances look like. You'd be in a much better position to present your ideas and be a part of the solution - food for thought....

 

[bobmac]

Take a leaf out of John F Kennedys book ........

“Ask not what your club can do for you – ask what you can do for your club

 

[Lord Tyrion]

A list that long would seem like an insult. Either significantly scale it down, a tv in the locker room, embossed towels, deodorants, blimey, all unnecessary, or hold back. If you feel that strongly then I am with the recent posters, get yourself on the committee. Discover why some of the more reasonable comments, state of paintwork for example, need doing. It may be financial, it may be due next year, they may have taken their eye off the ball. Without knowing why then you risk making some enemies.

 

[Robster59]

It's a list of "would likes" and "must haves" but the reality is that the club will have a budget that they have to work to and that's quite a list you have there. Things like tidying up tatty paintwork and overall improving the aesthetics I would agree with but things like embroidered towels in the locker room? How long do you think they'd last? There's an instance free souvenir for guests and members alike! Even our plain blue ones disappear.
Free tees, pencils and ball markers would take away from the Pro's income, as would free yardage markers.
There's an awful lot of investment that would be required to make these changes and if you put them all in at once, the good ones would be lost amongst the "no chance" suggestions.
As suggested above, I think you need to get a real grasp of the realities of the cost of running a golf club before you make these suggestions. If you feel that strongly, volunteer to get involved and understand the club more before and then build up a list of IMPORTANT and NECESSARY suggestions.

 

[Orikoru]

If a suggestion box exists then they obviously want members to put ideas in like some of those. I wouldn't put them all in though, a lot of them seem very picky indeed. Yes you want the place to look neat and tidy, and quality of range balls and mats to be good. But asking for free deodorant, tees, yardage books and a TV is a bit much in my opinion.

 

[Pathetic Shark]

I think the next forum visit to Lydd is going to be fantastic when they put all these improvements in place ....

 

[Captainron]

Putting crests onto towels is dangerous as it encourages some folk to lift them as "souvenirs".
Having a telly in the locker room is a crazy luxury as you want people to get into the bar ASAP to spend their pennies.
Updating of the general look of the club house and the range are the most important things on your list for me because they are what folk will remember about the place along with the course.