Re-new Golf Club membership or not?

[WideEyedFox]

...I will almost definately rejoin. It costs less than £500...

That is my kind of membership fee! Even if it came with a restriction that I could only play 15 (for example) times a year but I could bring a guest (or my kids) at discounted rates, and it had to be used within 12 months. Almost like pre-booking your games.

I think a lot of people are considering memberships closely, not only for money but also for time available to get the most out of it.

A colleague at work is a member of the cheapest club he can find to get his handicap, plays there as it's cheap and then visits the clubs as a visitor and pays full price. His argument is he keeps his membership for his handicap, but then gets to play "a different lovely course each month" (he circulates between about 10 local courses) without getting tired of walking the same fairways each week. He has a list of these courses he visits, then adds a nice weekend break in there each year somewhere to somewhere special.

He reckons for his money he's still paying £1000-ish for his golf (excluding the special break), but is not tied down. When the weather is poor and the courses are closed, it's not costing him. When he has a project at work that takes up his weekend, he's not lost anything.

He does not do many competitions etc., but just enjoys his golf.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Until my Mrs says we absolutely can't afford it I'll keep renewing. It's kind of part of my life being a member of a golf club - not in a posh or exclusive sort of way - just because it's where I can easily meet new folk and make new friends whilst doing something I really enjoy. Being a member also allows me just to the club of a pleasant evening for a few holes by myself , a potter here, a chip there and inevitably a natter with one of the very long-standing members or the head greenkeeper - they are often about. When we can't afford it it'll be a sad day. But not quite yet (mind you daughter off to Uni in September mught change things - let's see)

 

[fundy]

I can see exactly where you are coming from as I am in the same situation. I have only managed 2 full rounds since October due to the course either being fully shut or only a few holes open. During the summer it was not much better and I only managed to play in 1 comp and that was last April. In the summer when it was open you could not get onto the course. Tuesday the seniors always have the course shut until 11:00 same with the ladies on a wednesday, then sometime the seniors will have it shut again on Thursday either for matches or exchange days with other clubs.

I work shifts so can play during the day but need to be off by 10:00 to give me enough time to play and be at work. When I am on days I can be at the course for about 5:30 giving me enough time to get a few holes in, maybe the odd full round mid summer. Nearly every weekend there is a comp on so the tee is then shut until 16:00 on a Saturday, which is not too bad if you could get your name down but normally all the seniors have nabbed the tee slots as they are up there at 8 on a Monday morning when the board goes up for entry. So not only can I not play during the week due to the seniors having the tee shut for multiple comps but they then nick all the places for the Saturday comps.....:mmm:

Is it really worth being a member any more? People are starting to leave for other places. That is not just because of the course being constantly closed but bunch of old men who are on the different committees. Before I get my head bitten off I know they volunteer and have a thankless task, I could do the same if it was not for my job adn I would love to. But when younger people do try and get on the committee they are not successful due to the AGM being held early evening so it is pretty much full of seniors as other people have to work. So they just vote around each other. Some of the things that got agreed at the last one was criminal, I just wish I could have gone to see it in person.

AND BREATHE.................

Time to find a new club Adey imo, if you cant get on the course when you want to then its time for a change. Its the only slight worry with our clubs situ, lately we're becoming more and more popular as other clubs fall into troubles, nowhere near the point yours is thats for sure though!

 

[MadAdey]

Time to find a new club Adey imo, if you cant get on the course when you want to then its time for a change. Its the only slight worry with our clubs situ, lately we're becoming more and more popular as other clubs fall into troubles, nowhere near the point yours is thats for sure though!

Well I do have other options. There are 2 very nice pay and play courses that have full membership deals with regular comps. The other option is to go to Peterborough milton, looks very nice but it is about £200 a year more. All 3 of those courses are about 30 mins drive, but mine is only 10 mins away and i drive past it on the way home from work so convenient to call in for a few holes. What to do? I have got until April though to think, but i have to take the girlfriend into account as she started playing last year at my place.

No doubt I will make the wrong decision, I am good at doing that.............

 

[steveh]

As others have said, it's all about value for money for me and can I justify the cost. I won't be renewing my full membership this year - with a new baby I just won't play often enough to make it worthwhile.

Luckily my place do a silver membership where I can pay £65 and then pay a reduced green fee when I am able to play so I'll be doing that or joining up at somewhere else on a special offer for new members. Not being a member anywhere isn't an option for me as I can remember how hard it was just to get a game somewhere prior to becoming a member at my current club.

 

[Ian_S]

I too am a little sad not to have played a round in nearly two months now. Luckily though, years of playing cricket have prepared me for that fact that the British weather is not always very nice. I know when I was weighing up whether club membership costs are 'worth it' I considered the risk of the course being closed/unplayable/unpleasant due to weather in that.

I can't wait for the longer evenings to come back so I can get in 9 holes after work again. There's only so much gym a person can take.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Well I do have other options. There are 2 very nice pay and play courses that have full membership deals with regular comps. The other option is to go to Peterborough milton, looks very nice but it is about £200 a year more. All 3 of those courses are about 30 mins drive, but mine is only 10 mins away and i drive past it on the way home from work so convenient to call in for a few holes. What to do? I have got until April though to think, but i have to take the girlfriend into account as she started playing last year at my place.

No doubt I will make the wrong decision, I am good at doing that.............

I'd be careful with the other courses further away, a previous club of mine was about 45 minutes away and eventually never got used because an hour and a half round trip (assuming the traffic was okay) got very tedious very quickly. Last 2 clubs have only been 10 minutes away from home and closer to work (before I changed jobs) and you can't put a price on that in my opinion.