Pay monthly membership

[MembersBounce]

Last year when I was looking to join a golf club I looked into paying monthly but the clubs that I tried both used a finance company for this facility and one way our another the deal become a little complicated. In the end I just paid it all upfront but I do wonder why golf clubs don't just take your money by direct debit on a month to month basis like gym's do. Surely this would encourage more people to join.

 

[HotDogAssassin]

Some do.

 

[fundy]

Ours do, having had injuries in the past cost me most of a years subs it was a crucial option for me when I came back to playing again. I pay no extra to pay by DD each mth and can stop it as and when I choose if desired

 

[duncan mackie]

I do wonder why golf clubs don't just take your money by direct debit on a month to month basis like gym's do.

firstly most gyms are a monthly membership, which you can cancel as and when.
reasons for clubs not to go this route are -
1. cashflow
2. hassle/handling
3. hassle with leavers
4. cashflow
As said, there are clubs which will find themselves in situations where these things are negated - those with joining fees care less about the impact of mid year leavers; those with little casual/visitor business through the year may find that an element of income through the year 'works for them'. The corollary is those with debts to service, rental incomes falling due and annual maintenance contracts will be firmest against it.

 

[User20205]

firstly most gyms are a monthly membership, which you can cancel as and when.
reasons for clubs not to go this route are -
1. cashflow
2. hassle/handling
3. hassle with leavers
4. cashflow
As said, there are clubs which will find themselves in situations where these things are negated - those with joining fees care less about the impact of mid year leavers; those with little casual/visitor business through the year may find that an element of income through the year 'works for them'. The corollary is those with debts to service, rental incomes falling due and annual maintenance contracts will be firmest against it.

this really ^^^

I paid monthy through premium credit who seem to have cornered the market in these kind of deals. I have about 4 accounts with them after golf membership & various kinds of insurance.

I don't know the detail but I guess the golf club sells on the debt to premium credit. The club get a lump sum and I pay back premium credit + 6%

I'm paying up front in full this year, the cash is waiting to go, otherwise I'll just waste it on new clubs etc

 

[Val]

Its in a lot if not most clubs constitution that you cannot be in arrears with your fees which you would be if you paid monthly for the year. Monthly payments at clubs are normally taken for the following year (like a savings plan I suppose) to allow you to pay your fee up front when it's due.

 

[chrisd]

My place does it (I pay in full at year start) and I think that it works ok. Without it I believe we could lose a lot of members who cant stump up £1k on a given date every year

 

[Khamelion]

My old man wanted to pay monthly, but found out the club was using a finance company, after reading the small print he decided to pay up front, the small print being, which is probably the case for most finance companies, that they would basically send the baliffs around if you missed a payment. Which means the entire years fee is sold by the club to the finance company and they will recover it any way they can.

 

[fundy]

Its in a lot if not most clubs constitution that you cannot be in arrears with your fees which you would be if you paid monthly for the year. Monthly payments at clubs are normally taken for the following year (like a savings plan I suppose) to allow you to pay your fee up front when it's due.

I pay monthly in advance (ie I pay for the month on the last day of the prev month), not quite sure how you see this as being in arrears

 

[Val]

I pay monthly in advance (ie I pay for the month on the last day of the prev month), not quite sure how you see this as being in arrears

If a club has a fee for round figures of £1200 a year starting January 2013 and your first payment is January 2013 then you are a year in arrears.

 

[fundy]

If a club has a fee for round figures of £1200 a year starting January 2013 and your first payment is January 2013 then you are a year in arrears.

PMSL so you think I am a year in arrears for something Ive not had yet - thats a novel one on me

Do you pay for your full year of everything before you use it? Pay for a years gas and leccy a year in advance? Pay for you years mortgage in January? Why does a years golf become due on the 1st january? Why a year in advance rather than a month in advance or a week in advance?

 

[Val]

PMSL so you think I am a year in arrears for something Ive not had yet - thats a novel one on me

Do you pay for your full year of everything before you use it? Pay for a years gas and leccy a year in advance? Pay for you years mortgage in January? Why does a years golf become due on the 1st january? Why a year in advance rather than a month in advance or a week in advance?

Laugh all you like, I dont make the rules. It's common at most golf clubs that will not allow members to pay the CURRENT year up.

Golf club membership, gym membership weather annually or monthly is normally always paid up front, if you pay it later you use it then that is arrears and most clubs constitutions wont allow it.

 

[Hooper]

Last year when I was looking to join a golf club I looked into paying monthly but the clubs that I tried both used a finance company for this facility and one way our another the deal become a little complicated. In the end I just paid it all upfront but I do wonder why golf clubs don't just take your money by direct debit on a month to month basis like gym's do. Surely this would encourage more people to join.

Ours are DD on first day of the month and 6 months in advance. This means when I first joined I only had to stump up 7months and then a monthy amount fee/12. Ask if they have a simliar arrangement.

 

[fundy]

Laugh all you like, I dont make the rules. It's common at most golf clubs that will not allow members to pay the CURRENT year up.

Golf club membership, gym membership weather annually or monthly is normally always paid up front, if you pay it later you use it then that is arrears and most clubs constitutions wont allow it.

Why because many clubs operate this way does it make it "the rules"? Plenty of others dont operate this way too, they are just different options!!

Just because that is how it is usually paid in some establishments doesnt mean someone is in arrears when a club allows a different payment option as many more forward thinking establishments do.

Its inflexibility like this that is causing some clubs big problems when suddenly they get to annual subs time and find that 50 or so members arent renewing and they have a great big hole in the budget and then they have a panic to get new members, which just upsets more of there members and the problems escalate - going to be plenty of clubs in this boat in the next few months!

 

[Moquillo19]

I don't know what the state of other forumers courses are like but mine gets terribly wet in the winter as it's actually below sea level at points. They've tried doing drainage ditches etc but with all this rain nothing is going to happen. I know full well that if they did a monthly pay scheme that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to get on the course in the spring/summer months as everyone would want to sign up. I'm not being snobby under any cicumstances. Most courses around here have waived (or regularly wave) their join on fee. Our course always used to close when flooded but now they are open no matter what (It's in a terrible state, but they just say play it as you find it) as they are scared about losing the members they have. I think pay monthly with no penalties would just see an increase in clubs unable to survive in the cold/wet/dark months! I've been at my club for ten years and it breaks my heart to see the way things are going but if it were pay monthly I too would probably cancel my DD, go pay and play on a nice chalky, cliff top course and rejoin mine in April! (Sorry for the essay!!!)

 

[CliveW]

One of my previous clubs started a monthly payment scheme whereby at the start of the year after you had paid your fees in full, you started to pay monthly for the following year, so you were in effect paying in advance. This was good for the club as they were getting extra funds throughout the year and by the end of the financial year they had the following year's funds in place. This was OK until the club started dipping in to the increased revenue and have now ended up in dire financial straits as the overspend is greater than the year's income.

 

[steveh]

I paid a lump sum of around 25% with the balance monthly by standing order. The club is pretty flexible about payment options though as long as they're getting a decent amount up front.

Can't understand why anyone would pay monthly in advance for the following year though! Surely if you're going to do that then just open a regular savings account and then you're not committed and keep the (limited) interest yourself?

 

[duncan mackie]

PMSL so you think I am a year in arrears for something Ive not had yet - thats a novel one on me

Do you pay for your full year of everything before you use it? Pay for a years gas and leccy a year in advance? Pay for you years mortgage in January? Why does a years golf become due on the 1st january? Why a year in advance rather than a month in advance or a week in advance?

I agree with Valentino - it's an annual subscription.

How it's financed is a different matter.

Consider an annual season ticket for trains as an example - completely different thing from purchasing a monthly season, then another, then another etc In the case of the train operator they offer the option of 'monthly membership', most golf clubs don't (although I am aware of one - but it starts it's membership year in Sept and anyone joining mid year has to pay a pro-rata one off and, before everyone say's "great I'll just join each year in April" they have rules to prevent what they see as an abuse of their system!)

 

[Wayman]

Home club does a monthly direct debt but has a extra 5% charge per month

 

[Garush34]

I can pay in 9 instalments throughout the year, no extra for doing so. I could afford the amount up front but if I can spread the payment why wouldn't I, same price either way.