Walking Away From My Club - Advice?

[CheltenhamHacker]

The value of any claim they may wish to bring would be well within the small claims track, you are right, however there is no difference between small, fast and multi track claims from a 'being sued' perspective, other than the size of your legal fees and the level of representation/case management needed. I'll amend the OP but just so everyone knows I'm more than aware of my technical obligations under contract law, etc...

I'm just interested, from the experience of people on here, what the practical outcome is for most golf clubs for a member simply walking away. I.e. Are they likely to sue me?

Standing order is paid to the club directly, not a finance company so that isn't an issue fortunately. It would just be what action the club decides to take against me, if any. There are no membership documents for the club itself, it is simply a contractual relationship.

You might be lucky then....

My previous club let you cancel whenever you liked through the year, and as I was paying on a standing order, the only step was to cancel that, and let them know!

As with most things in golf, it seems every club does things their own way.

Cheers for pointing out the difference with suing/small claims, that's quite handy to know actually, I thought they weren't as bad, better avoid them as well!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The value of any claim they may wish to bring would be well within the small claims track, you are right, however there is no difference between small, fast and multi track claims from a 'being sued' perspective, other than the size of your legal fees and the level of representation/case management needed. I'll amend the OP but just so everyone knows I'm more than aware of my technical obligations under contract law, etc...

I'm just interested, from the experience of people on here, what the practical outcome is for most golf clubs for a member simply walking away. I.e. Are they likely to sue me?

Standing order is paid to the club directly, not a finance company so that isn't an issue fortunately. It would just be what action the club decides to take against me, if any. There are no membership documents for the club itself, it is simply a contractual relationship.

I (like many golfers who have carried all their life) had a serious does of the sciatica a few years back. I couldn't walk for weeks and was out of action for six months - club was sympathetic but couldn't do anything for me. And for 5 yrs my work had me away from home all week so I could only play at weekends - and being away so much justifying two rounds to my mrs was difficult. Again nothing the club could do for me other than give me sympathy. They just can't set precedents when finances are so tight. But we are a trad members club - upside is that we care - downside is that our main source of income is subs. And we can't compromise our subs income.

 

[ger147]

Hi all,

Potentially a bit of a controversial question here but I can't ask anyone at my club, so I need to post here!

(Sorry in advance for the wall of text!)

I'm not happy at my club at all.

I like the course and it is challenging (to me at least!), but the management of it is not very good and investment in the course itself is non-existent for the most part (the club car park has been resurfaced recently to be fair - I have no doubt that cost quite a bit - but I suspect this was done in order to make it look a bit more presentable for those who happen to be guests at the attached hotel).

I read on here quite a bit about people saying they had a chat with their club pro about something they were concerned with in their game, or were lent a particular demo club by the pro to test out for a round, etc... and I just cannot imagine my pro ever doing something like that for members. Whenever I'm in the club house to book a tee time or talk about some aspect of my game and a desire to book lessons, it just seems like him taking the time to talk to me is a massive chore and he would rather be doing something else (this is the same with other members from what I have observed too). A lot of the time you try and have a chat with him after getting back from a round or buying something and he doesn't even look you in the eye, just carries on with what he's doing giving 1 word answers and making it clear that he has absolutely no idea what you're actually saying because he's not even listening.

I did have quite a few lessons with him when I first joined, but I just get the impression that unless he knows you are guaranteed to spend something he has absolutely no interest in talking to you whatsoever.

The club house is servicable, but the food is hugely expensive and not value for money (think £9 for a small burger and a hand full of chips, £4 for a bacon roll, etc...).

Compared to some other clubs I have seen the systems appear to be antiquated. No online handicap tracking or tee booking and the website doesn't even tell you what the status of the course is. It's very difficult to speak to any of the secretaries. Hard to arrange a game with strangers (I put up a very brief note on our notice board with my mobile number saying that I was looking to get to know a few more people in the club, and would be happy to make time to play a game with people when convenient, and found it a few days later in the bin in the men's locker room scrumpled up...).

From reading other peoples' experiences on this forum I just feel like if I were to go elsewhere there is a good chance I would get much better value for money, better facilities and a much friendlier atmosphere who are more open to welcoming new members rather than shunning them.

Close to where I live is a course called the Worcestershire. I have heard very good things about it and a quick walk around the club house the other day revealed they were miles ahead of my current club. A random person who didn't recognise me even gave me his business card and said that while he wasn't sure of the current way members joined, if I needed any help joining I should give him a call and he would do all he could. This club is only slightly more expensive that my current one (if you discount the joining fee), but being in the 25-27 year old category, if I am reading their current subscriptions correctly I am pretty sure that I would be eligible for a decently reduced annual fee and waived joining fee!

So now on to my question.

My membership does not run out until September I think, but I want to walk away and join another club. This being the first golf club I have joined, I am completely unaware of how seriously golf clubs may or may not take things like this and being sued could get me stuck off so it is something I need to consider carefully. What is the practical approach most golf clubs take to their members walking away? Our club allows us to pay by standing order, which I do, so if I were to cancel it and just not turn up again I would still technically be obliged to pay until 1 August this year.

Any thoughts?

For the sake of a few hundred quid, either pay up in full now and leave or pay till the end then leave.

 

[Scrindle]

Cheers for pointing out the difference with suing/small claims, that's quite handy to know actually, I thought they weren't as bad, better avoid them as well!

No problem. Basically, any contact with the Courts and a Judgment handed out against you will destroy your credit rating and leave you open to enforcement action if you don't comply with the Judgment (bailiffs, third party debt orders, charging orders, etc...). If you're regulated by a professional body (solicitor, accountant, IFA, etc...) you'll probably also find that being slapped with a CCJ is enough to automatically lose your practicing certificate regardless of circumstance. So definitely best to avoid them!!!!!

 

[pbrown7582]

Sounds an unfortunate position to be in, made the savings available for being in the highly sought after 25-30 brackets could offset any due fees at your current club?

 

[Scrindle]

Sounds an unfortunate position to be in, made the savings available for being in the highly sought after 25-30 brackets could offset any due fees at your current club?

Good idea. From the responses on here I think I'm just going to *try* and talk to the club manager and basically tell them that I want to leave, see what happens. Not worth the risk.

 

[Old Skier]

You really need to talk to someone who can give you the answer at the club. As you can tell, a number of clubs operate differently and there may also be big variations between members and proprietors clubs. My club If you pay DD do not use a finance company and if you cancel and move on are not likely to pursue you. They are also very good when/if you become injured and are unable to play.

It's ok asking for advice on the tinternet but you will only get the actual answer at the club.

 

[Fyldewhite]

The answer is to communicate with them. Remember, all clubs lose members all the time. They will be well versed in the financial implications and have policies accordingly. Also, they will not want to burn their bridges with you or get bad press etc so I would guess would likely be sympathetic to you paying for only what you actually use. If a finance company is involved then as per other posts above this may be different but just check your documentation and facts then ask the club. They should be interested as to why you want to leave but will most likely be pragmatic and possibly even helpful. Also, if you do end up staying for the summer use the time to properly check out the clubs you may want to move to (better than you did last time!!).

 

[fundy]

Ultimately depends on your contract and what you agreed when you joined.

At my current club my membership is monthly and can be terminated at any time with no commitment to pay for any future months that I dont use (was a big part of the reason I joined so that if my knee goes again I dont have to pay for the full year as I have had to previously)

 

[stevie_r]

I (like many golfers who have carried all their life) had a serious does of the sciatica a few years back. I couldn't walk for weeks and was out of action for six months - club was sympathetic but couldn't do anything for me.

Another reason I've got my insurance, I can claim back my subs for the period I am out through illness or injury.

 

[richart]

Oops 1st Nov - 31st October

Same here. Must be the area we live in.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Problem is that monthly installments arrangements are usually made between the club and a finance company - you don't pay the club your monthly payment - you pay the finance company. The finance company pays the club your annual subs up front and gets that back from the member over the course of a year. If you just stopped and cancelled a SO or DD the finance company would be after you - nothing to do with the club unfortunately. The club might agree to pay the finance company the balance due on membership when you cancelled your monthly payment - but I doubt it.

Your slightly incorrect there SILH, If you go with fairway credit and stop paying them its collected back from the golf club not the individual and its up to the golf club to chase the non payer. I don't think they even register it on a credit file anywhere either. It would be up to the club to take you to small claims court if you haven't paid.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Also back to the OP, if you are that unhappy there and not getting value for money speak with the club, The may want to find out and help you sort out the issues to stop you leaving. No club in there right mind wants members to leave as its very difficult to replace them.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Same here. Must be the area we live in.

Maybe they think that with fast draining heathland courses existing members are happy to pay in November knowing that they'll be able to play through the winter months - well that was the theory. One quarter of my golfing year (subs-wise) now gone and I must have played no more than half a dozen times over that period. Expensive rounds when you pro-rata it - £60+ a round

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Your slightly incorrect there SILH, If you go with fairway credit and stop paying them its collected back from the golf club not the individual and its up to the golf club to chase the non payer. I don't think they even register it on a credit file anywhere either. It would be up to the club to take you to small claims court if you haven't paid.

Ah - that's interesting as I pay through Fairway Credit. Not really looked into cancelling myself so didn't realise that. So club acts as Guarantor for each member - hmmm.

 

[Sweep]

It sounds like your current club management is very poor and a few years behind the times. Sometimes this happens and as most golf clubs are run on pretty much a voluntary basis it is often difficult to arrest the decline. Nevertheless, if you stand for a job on committee you should do your best and be prepared to take a certain amount of flak if things are not up to scratch and it sounds like your current club is a long way from offering a reasonable membership "experience".
The first and best move they could make is to change the pro and the sooner the better. Believe me, that alone can make a massive difference to a club, it's members and the general atmosphere around the place. It sounds to me like he has decided he is OK to live on his retainer and he therefore needs to put in no more effort than is absolutely neccesary. There are a lot of club pros out there that would give anything to be a head professional.
In answer to your main question, I think it is highly likely that you would have to pay for the year, which is probably fair enough to be honest. However, by the sound of it, I don't think you will be the last to leave!

 

[chellie]

Your slightly incorrect there SILH, If you go with fairway credit and stop paying them its collected back from the golf club not the individual and its up to the golf club to chase the non payer. I don't think they even register it on a credit file anywhere either. It would be up to the club to take you to small claims court if you haven't paid.

I thought you were entering into a credit agreement with Fairway Credit so they would chase you. Could be wrong though as we don't use them.

 

[stevie_r]

I thought you were entering into a credit agreement with Fairway Credit so they would chase you. Could be wrong though as we don't use them.

Our pro mentioned this last week, if payments are defaulted then the problem is thrown back at the club. The hotel group that own our course are taking DDs in house next year, so bye bye fairway credit and their 6.1%.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

I thought you were entering into a credit agreement with Fairway Credit so they would chase you. Could be wrong though as we don't use them.

Although you are they put the responsibility back to the club to chase the debt.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Our pro mentioned this last week, if payments are defaulted then the problem is thrown back at the club. The hotel group that own our course are taking DDs in house next year, so bye bye fairway credit and their 6.1%.

6.1% is a good deal in this day with finance. And with your club doing there own dd cash flow will be a lot tighter for the start of the season, fairway credit normally pay up in full as soon as the second payment has gone out, your club will be relying on that money every month instead of a one off payment.