Thinking of a new course

[Captain_Black.]

So iv'e just renewed the golf club membership for me & the wife on 1st Jan.
It's cost me just shy of £3,000
Now my current club is ok.

The good bits
It is quite long but it's fairly flat, so a relatively easy walk.
It's a good challenge
The condition is ok (not brilliant, but acceptable)
The social side is good, with plenty going on & a very nice clubhouse
Above all, it's convenient (only half a mile away)

The bad bits
It is getting very expensive
The food isn't the best & it is very expensive
The practice facilities are almost non existent
greens flood easily & tbh it gets so boggy in Dec / Jan & Feb, I just don't bother playing in those months.
Saturday tee times can be difficult to get in the winter (shorter days)

So

Iv'e been looking elsewhere
We are fortunate in this area to have a lot of courses to choose from
The problem is some are extremely difficult to get to & from due to very heavy traffic congestion & they all know what each other are charging & set their prices accordingly.
But, there is one course that I absolutely love playing half a hours drive away (16 mls)
It's a lovely parkland / heathland course
For me & the wife it would be about £900 cheaper for membership
Decisions.

 

[Neilds]

Does your current club have any plans for improving the drainage/practice facilities? If they have got plans, could this sway your thinking?

 

[Captain_Black.]

Does your current club have any plans for improving the drainage/practice facilities? If they have got plans, could this sway your thinking?

Yes, the drainage problem is being addressed, no there aren't any plans or space to improve the practice facilities.
I'm not a great winter golfer anyway, so the drainage problem isn't much of a concern for me.
I think I have reached the point where I am questioning the value for money I get where I am & tbh, it's biggest redeeming feature is it's only half a mile away.

 

[Taz]

Does the course you're considering offer second club membership?

Might be a way of trialling for a year.

 

[Orikoru]

Odd time to look at other clubs when you've just paid for one.

 

[Taz]

Odd time to look at other clubs when you've just paid for one.

Not if there's a waiting list

 

[Mandofred]

I'm always thinking about changing clubs...... Likely dropping the club that is closest to me. It's too boggy for 4+months and then too busy the rest of the year....but it's only a 7 min drive. My other courses are 20+25 min.....just barely ok. There is a another course to the south of town that is about 35 min away.....but that is far enough to drive me nuts at some point. Practice area is important to me, the club I like the best has basically nothing. You just have to juggle all the possibilities and find what works for you.

 

[nickjdavis]

You love playing the other course. It will save you nearly a grand.

What is the food like? What are the practise facilities like? Does the missus like it?

If they are better than the current club and she also likes playing there, then a 16 mile/half hour drive seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

[The Squirrel]

Do you want your life to be good?

I see Mrs C_B also plays. What decision here will make Mrs C_B happy?

There is no other important factor.

 

[KenL]

So iv'e just renewed the golf club membership for me & the wife on 1st Jan.
It's cost me just shy of £3,000
Now my current club is ok.

The good bits
It is quite long but it's fairly flat, so a relatively easy walk.
It's a good challenge
The condition is ok (not brilliant, but acceptable)
The social side is good, with plenty going on & a very nice clubhouse
Above all, it's convenient (only half a mile away)

The bad bits
It is getting very expensive
The food isn't the best & it is very expensive
The practice facilities are almost non existent
greens flood easily & tbh it gets so boggy in Dec / Jan & Feb, I just don't bother playing in those months.
Saturday tee times can be difficult to get in the winter (shorter days)

So

Iv'e been looking elsewhere
We are fortunate in this area to have a lot of courses to choose from
The problem is some are extremely difficult to get to & from due to very heavy traffic congestion & they all know what each other are charging & set their prices accordingly.
But, there is one course that I absolutely love playing half a hours drive away (16 mls)
It's a lovely parkland / heathland course
For me & the wife it would be about £900 cheaper for membership
Decisions.

I don’t know why you are where you are. My club is about 14 miles away, mostly dual carriageway so not a problem.

 

[Captain_Black.]

I looked at our pricing tonight, it's mental.
7 day membership is £1,426.00
5 day is about £100 cheaper, but if you want to play on a weekend they also want £32.00 green fee.
Flexi is £725.00 with a £14.00 Mon to Fri Green fee & £16.00 on Sat & Sun.
I worked out, if you didn't play Nov / Dec / Jan & Feb & then played once a week for the remaining months, you would end up paying just shy of the 7 day membership cost.

I've paid upfront for this year until next Jan, but I think I'll look to join the other course in April 2027.