Prepaying for use of clubhouse restaurant and bar

[MarkE]

I must say i'm with freddie on this. Fair enough have a loyalty card for all those who will get use of the aforementioned benefits, but it should'nt be imposed as a matter of course.

 

[andycap]

I have only recently joined a club and last week i was sent a card, but it is up to me to put credit on it and when used i get a discount , (5% i think) off normal prices.
Good idea i think , but i can understand peoples displeasure at it being charged on top of their fees.

 

[Putting_Green_Pro]

i can understand peoples displeasure at it being charged on top of their fees.

why???

if you got food/drinks from the bar on your fees then that means that everyone would have to pay the same membership fees, and also how would they put a limit on what you eat and drink

 

[andycap]

i can understand peoples displeasure at it being charged on top of their fees.

why???

if you got food/drinks from the bar on your fees then that means that everyone would have to pay the same membership fees, and also how would they put a limit on what you eat and drink

I don't quite understand your reply People are not getting food/drinks on their fees , their fees are for example £100 more because a card has been issued with £100 credited on it for use in the bar .Some like the idea others perhaps do not use or like the bar or restaurant ,these are the people who i understand could be displeased at more or less being forced to use the facilities or pay the money anyway to not use them

 

[pigmeister]

Agree with you entirly on this one. Freddie you`ve either got a shite club house or no friends . Having a drink, wether it be tea, soft drink or a beer, with the people you`ve just played with is all part of the game.
We have a card which you can buy food or drink with, which we get 30% off. When it get`s low we just top it up, minimum of £20. We also use it to as a swipe card to enter comps, and to get out of the gate.
WE have a good bar and a very good restaurant.

 

[jammydodger]

My place has a £30 levy which is easily spent over the year.

Easily spent in a couple of weeks tops

 

[backwoodsman]

Have just joined a club and today received the invoice. The levy for the bar is £110. Which, if I play as often as I intend, is considerably less than a pint per round. And by paying up front, you get a good discount on what the cash-payer has to pay. Seems fair enough to me.

As aside, there was also a £4.50 "hole in one" levy - which means that the bar bill is covered if you get one. Anyone else pay that?

 

[big_russ]

We get issued with a card but it is up to each individual to add credit as and when they want it.

 

[mono217]

Dont have it but would not mind our club having it.

 

[viscount17]

no prepayment card but we do get a discount for food/drink at any time.

much better idea.

 

[EchtLoon]

freddielong: You're exactly why Clubs have introduced this

Freddie, we've had a barney already on shorts, which is a matter of opinion, and I dont want to fall out again, but what Chris states here is a fact.

20 years ago no club had a bar levy, now it is the norm, becasue members turn up, play 18, then go home, even in a medal.

 

[Smiffy]

Freddie you`ve either got a shite club house or no friends . Having a drink with the people you`ve just played with is all part of the game.

I guess they must have been wearing shorts.


Crowborough Beacons bar used to be absolutely dead before they introduced "smart cards".
Hardly anyone used it, and there was a real chance that the place would shut down through lack of use. You could go in there in the evenings and the barman would be sitting reading the paper.
The introduction of the pre paid card saved the place.
Those people that don't use their clubs bar facilities would be the first to moan if it had to shut down through lack of use.

 

[Doh]

We have cards but don't have a levy, however having the card means you get discount on you food and drink.

As Chris says these are clubs not just courses there is an expectation that you will use the club facilities this helps to support the maintain the course.

 

[need_my_wedge]

I'm not totally adverse to the idea. I certainly spend more time, occasionally somewhat begrudgingly, in the bar/restaurant now that what I once did. When it was initially rolled out, I didn't use any of the £50 allowance.
One thing does get my goat, though, which is the fact that if one doesn't use the £50 allocation in one year, it's not carried forward to the next. I was told, however, by someone who's friendly with the bar manager, that the secret is to add a few pounds to the card and then the total balance is carried forward to the next year. That little trick seems to be a secret, which I utterly resent.

Our club has the lose it or use it policy too, and has to be topped up next year. I don't have any problems with this policy, it's the club rule and was in place before I joined, I made the choice.

I joined in September and topped up £50 that expired in December. There was no way I was going to use it during those last 4 months. The tip given to me was to buy bottles of wine from the bar to take home. I appreciate that the wine is probably a little more expensive than if I purchased in the supermarket, but it's also generally better quality than the £5 bottles I'd normally buy if I wasn't already stocked from booze runs to France .

 

[Faldo_Fan]

£100 on ours and must be used between 1st Jan (renewal of subs) and Dec 31st.

It's funny at the Crimbo bash watching all the strangers to the bar or dining room buying half a dozen bottles of wine on there cards to use up the credit.

In the current economic climate club bars are suffering just the same as pubs, and village pubs are closing at an alarming rate.
I personally think putting credit on your card for use in the bar is a good thing, i'd rather that than them spend £100 less of my subs on course maintenance and use it to keep the social side of the club afloat!

 

[simplyme]

We have the card system at my club too, we do not have to pay a levy however. The card entitles us to 15% off food & drink.

I spend a lot of time in the clubhouse, my playing partners and I have all made good friends and we have a close knit of us that pretty much keep the bar alive. At the end of March, the club produces a top20 of who has spent what in the there, which is scary and my group of 10 were in the top 15! We have a few drinks after every round, it is what makes it enjoyable.

 

[colint]

I'm going through the joining process at a club now, and the payment to the card is optional but you a 20% discount for using it. Most of the clubs I enquired to said it was compulsory.

I haven't got a problem with myself, using the clubhouse is all part of being a member imho, and I'd rather epople spent money there than the pub down the road.

 

[Adi_Dassler]

Royal Musselburgh is £580 per year including a £30 bar levy.I look at it as as £580 a year green fee with 30 free beer tokens thrown in for good measure.Like many clubs using the card at the bar gives you a discount on the price of drinks.Win/Win.

Golf is a social game, whether it's on or off the course.Having a pint after a round is as much part of the day as hitting a few putts on the putting green or shanking my drive on the 1st tee with an audience looking on.

 

[freddielong]

freddielong: You're exactly why Clubs have introduced this

No I totally understand why they do it I just question someone forcing me to spend my money - I am T total, don't drink fizzy drinks and have a young family that is the reason that I don't spend to much time in the clubhouse.

 

[EchtLoon]

freddielong: You're exactly why Clubs have introduced this

No I totally understand why they do it I just question someone forcing me to spend my money - I am T total, don't drink fizzy drinks and have a young family that is the reason that I don't spend to much time in the clubhouse.

'tis tough in that situation, thing is if they didn;t do this, they would just have to stick much the same amount directly onto your fees, so there's no easy answer.