Urge to move club

matt611

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Do you ever get the urge to move golf club? Whether because a new course has opened, the condition of your has gone downhill, bored with your own course or simply because you believe that the grass is always greener elsewhere?
 
Yes I do there are other clubs well within range that I know are just as good course wise and that I enjoy playing. The crux of the matter for me is the people I would miss.
 
interesting stuff to read this as i am at the other end of things, by that i mean i play alot of golf but not a member anywhere as i like to play different places, have a few regular courses that i am well used to and can look back on previous rounds to see how i am scoring etc but then luv to throw a new course in to have a change of holes. I do however understand being at a club means you meet people, become friends and thats great in my book so defo not arguing against at all.
 
interesting stuff to read this as i am at the other end of things, by that i mean i play alot of golf but not a member anywhere as i like to play different places, have a few regular courses that i am well used to and can look back on previous rounds to see how i am scoring etc but then luv to throw a new course in to have a change of holes. I do however understand being at a club means you meet people, become friends and thats great in my book so defo not arguing against at all.

Being a club member I get to play around 20 other courses in club matches each year; then there's access to opens - all on top of normal visitor options, and of course GM forum meets!
 
Yes because I am still not convinced that I have found that 'home' that I am looking for. Problem is I am a bit limited on options within a reasonable drive
 
sounds great, as i say i am at the other end of the scale, playing club matches etc would scare me silly! teeing of with people watching! blimey i would crumble! ha!
 
Yes ive got it big time at the moment,

This year the course has simply been in terrible condition, the greens have been lost and the whole course just looks scruffy. The committee that run things have been there donkey years and unfortunately they are stuck in cutting costs and raising fee's mode. We are in a laughable situation at the moment where the committee say we can not afford a pro but pay a secretary manager the exact same retainer as two very good local pro's who both offered to do the management side of the club as well.

We have 4 green keepers but the head green keeper is banned from working on the greens, im not joking he has been told by the greens committee to stay off them. This year the only work done on the course has been the installation of buggy paths, on seven of the holes stone paths have been laid. Fantastic considering only ten buggies are used at most per week. They have also been condemned by the local health and safety executive.

I wish I was making this up......

The only thing keeping me at the course is the fact I live a 5 min drive away.
 
Yes..
Although our course is extremely playable at the moment, due to the shadow of HS2, you can see the lack of investment in the course with every passing week. The owners are putting enough to keep the place going.
They have no money - a mower breaking down is a serious issue and I don't even want to think what will happen if parts of the irrigation system need replacing.
Word is that there will be a mini exodus of members in March....will I be one of them?
Have to wait and see......
 
I have been a member of the same club for 57 years. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. The course sits on limestone uplands and drains brilliantly. I played on temporary greens once last season & cannot remember it being closed for a whole day. Do I get bored playing it? No! The wind blows and our 183 yard first, for example, can play, for me, anything between a 3 wood & a 9 iron. That's the beauty of golf, you get to play a different course every time you go out. There's not a better course to play 365 days of the year in a 25 mile radius.

A couple of years ago I was persuaded to play in a tenpin bowling league. What a boring game! More boring the better you get, I dropped out after one season because it was stopping me from golfing on occasions.
 
This is me right now, my renewal is due soon. Really not enjoying it, so thinking of having a year at the local muni, try and get down to under 20 and then make the move to a 'proper club'. That's the plan anyway...
 
Toying with it big time. I fancy another club just an extra few minutes away but my son also plays and my wife has just started as well. The move therefore has to right for all three of us, not just me. If it was my choice alone I would go. Reason, my club is quite traditional with all the issues that brings. The alternate club is more modern, better outlook, and I also find the course more interesting and perhaps a little more forgiving. We will decide in Jan/Feb.
 
This time last year I had that itch, and it just wouldn't go away. I'd been a member for almost 30yrs, and had many friends there. Getting a game was never a problem, and the banter was immense. But I needed a change... the course was just felt like a worn out pair of slippers that needed changing.

My new club, nearly a year on, is fantastic. Great course, and really good facilities. The members are just like the members at pretty much any club... normal guys.

I played my old club in an Open in the summer, and it reinforced my my decision - good move. I've invited several of my old swindle across for various Opens, and they've raved about it.

The down side is its 20 miles away, but its only 20 mins, compared with 3 miles and 8 mins.
 
I think that a more modern, forward thinking club is what I am looking for. Problem is that there really are not any near me
 
I'm in Brighton, I've a lot of clubs within driving distance, but nothing exceptional. Some clay based, great in summer, bogs in winter. Couple built on chalk on downs, one not what it used to be, the other 9 holes with two sets of tees.

Some have better facilities than others, but I've ended up at a club where a lot of mates are.

Maybe I should move to the top of the m23, where I'd have all the options that Surrey/Berkshire offers.
 
Definitely. Very keen on Blackmoor or North Hants but they are both that fraction too far to make them viable options, particularly for after work games in the summer. To be honest Royal Ascot ticks enough boxes (apart from cost) and its just so accessible for me and has no booked times to worry about other than on comp days
 
Toying with it big time. I fancy another club just an extra few minutes away but my son also plays and my wife has just started as well. The move therefore has to right for all three of us, not just me. If it was my choice alone I would go. Reason, my club is quite traditional with all the issues that brings. The alternate club is more modern, better outlook, and I also find the course more interesting and perhaps a little more forgiving. We will decide in Jan/Feb.

Club you thinking to moving too?
 
I think that a more modern, forward thinking club is what I am looking for. Problem is that there really are not any near me
What do you mean by modern forward thinking, what is it about belton you don't like and what do you want from a golf club? What's the closest club to you?
 
What do you mean by modern forward thinking, what is it about belton you don't like and what do you want from a golf club? What's the closest club to you?

It is not that I do not like Belton and it is by far my nearest flub. I suppose it is my old bugbears, clubhouse dress code and lacking that relaxed, inviting atmosphere. Also would like more drawn comps, weekend roll ups etc to meet more people. There are great roll ups in the week but nothing at weekends. Belton ticks a lot of boxes and is a good, but not perfect fit.
 
This is me right now, my renewal is due soon. Really not enjoying it, so thinking of having a year at the local muni, try and get down to under 20 and then make the move to a 'proper club'. That's the plan anyway...

Genuinely interested in why you are not enjoying it as I suspect I am around your handicap? Do you find it less enjoyable because of your handicap in any way?

I'm not a member but occasionally flirt with the idea. I think my issue would be that I'm not that bothered about the social side of golf clubs as I really enjoy playing with my mates as it is. And to be brutally honest don't overly have the time to spend a lot of time at a club apart from playing golf. So wondering why you did not enjoy being a member.
 
My local club 5 mins away from me and where some of my mates play(Home of Jamie Donnaldson as it is now advertising itself) did an offer of "social golf" for £225. Tried it for a year. Horrible place. I was back at my place (12 miles 15 mins away) within 10 months. Never again.
 
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