Reasons for joining your first ever club

Guvnor2013 said:
Having retired in my fifties and the knees not being what they used to be I came to the conclusion that sports I had played previously (including tennis, skiing, football and softball) were no longer an option and, having played golf on-and-off for many years, decided to join a club.

A little on-line research showed many of the clubs locally to have very little discernible difference so I drove down to the nearest one (0.6 miles) went out with the secretary for a round and fell in love with the course after about 6 holes. I joined on the Friday of the same week, hooked up with the Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday roll-up and never looked back (that was in November 2014). Benefits include playing up to 7 times a week, new bunch of friends, somewhere to go for a drink & watch sky sports, handicap to work on, competitions to play in and a locker!

Happy days (when it's not raining).
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Great course!!!!
 
I've played golf on and off most of my life but only joined a club (as an adult anyway) about six years ago. At that time I don't think I'd swung a club in over five years but someone at work organised a night out to a pub that had a golf simulator. I had a cheeky range trip to remind myself how to play, went on the night out and had a great time. I realised I missed playing golf more than I thought and that since I didn't know many people to play with I decided, somewhat reluctantly after a not great junior experience, to join a club.

After doing that I discovered a whole world that I didn't know existed. I made golfing friends, regular competitive golf, got a handicap, could play opens at other courses for a token green fee, played team matches against other clubs, joined the county and started playing in county events, played in national events, eventually made the county team and had a great time playing with some really great players at that level. None of which I could have done without being a golf club member first of all.

I wish I'd joined a club years earlier than I did - can't recommend it strongly enough!
 
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my excuse is....
about ten years ago i was an avid match angler ,and along with my mates we decided to have a round of golf as we had all played at sometime in our past .well we played and we all enjoyed the game that five of us decided to make it a fortnightly event .which was fine ,but with golf you have to work at it a little more than fishing so after about a year i knocked the fishing on the head and joined a local club through what they termed a loyalty membership.basically it gave you cheaper green fees ,an excellent insurance ,a h/cap and you could play in club comps .i even played for the club against other clubs. in my second ever competition i played at the club i won our h/cap club champs. it was then i took the plunge and joined on a full membership .alas only one of my original playing mates is a member as all the others prefer the nomadic life.
must add that this coming summer i am looking to move to a different course .
 
Back in the day following 3 years on the waiting list I was lucky enough (after paying a four figure entry fee!) to get restricted 5 day membership (technically off the course by 5pm) and I was delighted to be offered that. All members clubs in our area were the same, it was dead mans shoes in those days. My days of playing football were drawing to a close and I had some golf society friends who were club members, still at the same club now.
 
Partly financial partly social.

I was playing regularly enough for it to make financial sense, also most of my golf was solo as none of my friends played so was an opportunity to meet other folks to play with.

Still play with the same guy every week I met on the first tee of my first round at my first club.
 
Capella said:
Easy. Here in Germany if you want to play golf, joining a club is pretty much the only option, since there are almost no public courses or driving ranges around and you need to be a member of a golf club to be allowed on most courses. The only alternative is to become a member of the VcG (which is the "club of club free golfers" ... I kid you not ... this is Germany, we like everything neatly organized :D). Many clubs also offer country memberships now and there are online-agencies that sell those off to players who will probably never play the golf course they are then officially a member of. But the most common and most practical way is to become a member of a golf club close to you if you want to play.
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In the UK it is a different story all together. Where I live there are countless courses, and they are all begging for your business. The club I belong to charges £12 for 18 holes for non members. I pay £340 per year which entitles me to play when ever I want, and as much as I want. I play every day the weather allows me to, and that equates to a little over a £1 per round. We also get a county card which enables to play any course in the county for half price (once per course only)
 
Sick of being rubbish, so I joined last year to improve only to confirm that even playing lots of golf, you can still stay rubbish :)
 
When I joined in 2014 after a 10 year hiatus, it was because the course is the best in the area, has 36 holes, is built on chalk so almost never closes, and has qualifiers every Saturday and Wednesday.

not cheap but the one of the best decisions I ever made
 
I came into the arena very late at just over 50, I was invited to a charity day of golf and loved it, I didn't have any mates who played as I followed Chelsea home, away & abroad all the time, so, joining a club was the only way to meet and get into new golfing circles, I joined a very local club in the city but I wasn't ready or prepared for it in any way and walked out after just 6 months, which was best for everyone, I became a little disillusioned with it all, especially the "clubhouse mentality" but then, I knew someone at Kenilworth and I joined and spent a good 3 years there, it still had it moments with certain individuals but I coped a lot better and was lucky to be involved within a large group of players who all played with each other and many of which I can now call friends.

I've moved on now and couldn't be happier at what I believe is the best club in the area, I think choosing the right club can be as important as the course, unless your a car park golfer of course 😉

Good luck 👍
 
Some of reasons for and benefits of club membership (I joined my current club nearly 30 years ago!)

  • guaranteed access to a really nice course at week ends
  • opportunity to roll up and play a round or just few holes anytime, particularly after work
  • getting a handicap
  • opportunity to meet and play with other golfers
  • opportunity to meet some fantastic people from all walks of life
  • organised competitions
  • practice facilities
  • better value than green fees
  • opportunity to play team matches

Definitely one of the best decisions I ever made. I couldn't imagine not being a member somewhere.
 
I started golf when I finally learned how to drive (cars). Played on 9 hole courses and found that I was playing 3 times per week, meaning that it made better financial sense to join a club at £400.
 
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