User2021
Challenge Tour Pro
Nope, joined my 1st club 1st Jan 2018
richart
Major Champion
If you had said you had been a member since you were a child, you could have been in major trouble.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
I use to go on a putting green regularly as a child but never took up golf until my mid twenties
Redskins21
Member
Yes, me and a friend used to play 36 holes in a day at least 3 times a week during summer holidays.
Packed it in when I went off to uni and only just looking at finding a club again age 30.
Packed it in when I went off to uni and only just looking at finding a club again age 30.
Was that at a time of rationing ?
It wasn't a shotgun start, they fired a flaming arrow...
Pin-seeker
Well-known member
No
Jensen
Tour Rookie
No, only had interest in football. Now role reversal
SteveJay
Head Pro
No, only took up golf when I retired from football.
CliveW
Tour Winner
I joined my local club as a boy member way back in the mid 60s. Funnily enough I came across my original hand written membership card not that long ago but I threw it out.
Grant85
Head Pro
Had a 'leisure pass' which got us access on the local municipal. It also included swimming, roller skating and you could hire courts and indoor 5-a--side for basically buttons.
It was £18 a year in the 1990's! Absolute madness.
Me and my brother got this and we could play a bit of golf in the summer holidays with a cobbled together set that we would split up and play with.
However, crucially were never golf club members, didn't play in competitions, didn't have coaching or become competent players. (answered No).
A lot of the time we were left at the course unsupervised as probably 9 to 12 year olds and very rarely finished a whole round - but being careful to let people through so we'd be up there for ages. We'd try and keep our scores, but it was often double figures on many holes. Whinhill near Greenock - a classic Moorland with a water hazard on just about every hole.
My brother, who probably had played once since being in school is now a teacher and recently went to a golf day with other teachers. He diligently kept his score the whole way round and signed for 156. Needless to say he didn't get the bug to become a regular player.
It was £18 a year in the 1990's! Absolute madness.
Me and my brother got this and we could play a bit of golf in the summer holidays with a cobbled together set that we would split up and play with.
However, crucially were never golf club members, didn't play in competitions, didn't have coaching or become competent players. (answered No).
A lot of the time we were left at the course unsupervised as probably 9 to 12 year olds and very rarely finished a whole round - but being careful to let people through so we'd be up there for ages. We'd try and keep our scores, but it was often double figures on many holes. Whinhill near Greenock - a classic Moorland with a water hazard on just about every hole.
My brother, who probably had played once since being in school is now a teacher and recently went to a golf day with other teachers. He diligently kept his score the whole way round and signed for 156. Needless to say he didn't get the bug to become a regular player.
Bigfoot
Tour Rookie
I was 19 before I started and even then I did not play much until I started shifts around the age of 35.
Italian outcast
Hacker
Was a (not very good) junior (11- 16 yoa) at Bellshill in the late 70's - my dad had been a member for many years (and still has some kind of honorary membership at 93 years)
Was a good thing - I remember quite a few summer school holidays of 36 holes in a comparatively empty course - and I retained my liking of the game since - though other sports then study, then work and life distracted for many years
Actually one the Junior fourball tournament one year (or foursomes can't remember tbh)
What i do remember as that it was by default - our opponents in the final couldn't make any of the dates - one was a very good footballer (and future Scotland captain) and his soccer commitments took priority - so I've vanquished a Scottish legend on the greens
Was a good thing - I remember quite a few summer school holidays of 36 holes in a comparatively empty course - and I retained my liking of the game since - though other sports then study, then work and life distracted for many years
Actually one the Junior fourball tournament one year (or foursomes can't remember tbh)
What i do remember as that it was by default - our opponents in the final couldn't make any of the dates - one was a very good footballer (and future Scotland captain) and his soccer commitments took priority - so I've vanquished a Scottish legend on the greens
Wolf
Well-known member
Used to go with my dad from about 6 years old and walk the course with him at Gillingham GC but memberships didn't start at his club before 10 years old, so had a few years of chipping and putting with him on the practice area. But didn't get my first membership until I was 13 years old, was lucky enough to be a member though when they still had the old longer course, before the new bypass rerouted everything meaning whole new shorter lay out.
We were only allowed in stud bar, had to order food and drinks from kitchen entrance, couldn't play on weekends before midday in summer and 11am in winter, however if we had a single figure handicap we could play in mens comps at weekends with full adult member only not in groups of juniors.
We used to always be on the practise ground until the reroute of course after that happened just hang about the pro shop or spend hours on the practise green waiting for when we were allowed out to play then it would be as many holes as physically possible day light permitting
We were only allowed in stud bar, had to order food and drinks from kitchen entrance, couldn't play on weekends before midday in summer and 11am in winter, however if we had a single figure handicap we could play in mens comps at weekends with full adult member only not in groups of juniors.
We used to always be on the practise ground until the reroute of course after that happened just hang about the pro shop or spend hours on the practise green waiting for when we were allowed out to play then it would be as many holes as physically possible day light permitting
williamalex1
Money List Winner
No, my first round was 1981 age 35 never played before, I hit one good shot, a sand wedge over a big tree and bingo, that was me well and truly hooked. Joined my first club Greenburn GC later that year, moved 2 years later to my present club.
Sadly I've not hit to many good shots recently
Sadly I've not hit to many good shots recently
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
No. I played the odd day when the sun came out but membership wasn't something I even knew about.
Nor did I know there was competitions
Such a thing as stabelford
Or how additive the game could be.
Nor did I know there was competitions
Such a thing as stabelford
Or how additive the game could be.
Garush34
Journeyman Pro
I was a member for a few years in my early teens, didn't really like golf that much back then. Then gave yup for about 10 years and got an invite to play and got hooked. Really wish I had had more of an interest in the game in my younger years.
bluewolf
Money List Winner
A little bit off topic, but....
Interesting situation happening up here in the NW at the moment.. My lad (14) has just joined my Club. He doesn't play every week, but he comes out with me occasionally.. For the last few years, my Club has had a really strong Junior section. Decent numbers (for this neck of the woods) and most of a significant ability (Cat 1). Last year, the vast majority of them turned 18 and left the Junior section. I thought this was a bit unfortunate, but these things happen. I've recently spoken to the Pro's at quite a few local Clubs and they have pretty much all experienced the exact same thing over the last 3 years.
Now, maybe it's a local blip, but I don't like coincidences. Could it be possible that we had a Boom Time for Juniors about 10 years ago, and we're now seeing it tailing off?
Anyway, I hope not as I've been roped in to help the Junior Captain run the Comps next year, which is odd as I'm not usually allowed within 200 yards of a school......... ;-)
Interesting situation happening up here in the NW at the moment.. My lad (14) has just joined my Club. He doesn't play every week, but he comes out with me occasionally.. For the last few years, my Club has had a really strong Junior section. Decent numbers (for this neck of the woods) and most of a significant ability (Cat 1). Last year, the vast majority of them turned 18 and left the Junior section. I thought this was a bit unfortunate, but these things happen. I've recently spoken to the Pro's at quite a few local Clubs and they have pretty much all experienced the exact same thing over the last 3 years.
Now, maybe it's a local blip, but I don't like coincidences. Could it be possible that we had a Boom Time for Juniors about 10 years ago, and we're now seeing it tailing off?
Anyway, I hope not as I've been roped in to help the Junior Captain run the Comps next year, which is odd as I'm not usually allowed within 200 yards of a school......... ;-)
D
Deleted member 21258
Guest
Pass don't know the answer whether this is a cycle or as you say a boom. But I think it ebbs and flows. We saw something a little bit similar at our main club a few years ago, just before we joined and within a couple of years there was basically no juniors. He then joined another local course just for the junior section, as they had a big junior following. Why they should have had a large section and the other club basically have none, not quite sure and think the numbers have now dropped at that club but our club is now trying to build a bigger junior section (almost around family days)
My son is now 17, and we are dropping his junior memberships, as life is now catching up by way of Girls, job, car, A levels etc and he just doesn't have the inclination to play like he did. Hopefully he will continue to play some of the time with us and come back to the sport later on in life.
D
Deleted member 16999
Guest
I think your last paragraph sums up the problem, also added to that is the cost of membership from either free or reduced as a kid to proper fees or reduced adult fees.
Wolf
Well-known member
You could be onto something there in that it is potentially cyclical. When I was a junior we had a really strong Junior section we won our inter club league 3 years straight, had an absolute dearth of Cat 1 golfers, out junior team was a 6 man/woman team but meant we had roughly 15 Cat 1 players for those 6 slots. Several went on to become PGA club pro's around Kent and others drifted out of the game and some I belive are still at the club. But after us there was a lull in juniors of similar standard but now from what my dad tells me it's coming full circle again however they do lose a lot more talented juniors to bigger clubs
