What is the most you would spend on membership per year?

[davidy233]

Is that the short one? Had a weekend a couple of year ago up there, we played the longer course on the Saturday and the shorter one on the Sunday. I found out that weekend that I can play golf drunk better than I can with a hangover.

Yep - 5123 yards of hangover cure - Though I've not had a drink for months so haven't been able to check that's still the case.

 

[Robster59]

The biggest fee I've heard in Glasgow is Pollok at £1480 and think there's a joining fee on top of that, there's probably more expensive than that but my knowledge on these things is limited.

Yes, I believe they're the most expensive in the area but I really do think you're paying more for the name than the course.

 

[GB72]

£1000 a year would be my limit based on the amount that I can realistically play. Having taken this year off, I will look at what increases in fees covid has caused next year. I suspect that my old club will go well over the £1000 with elements wanting that before the pandemic to keep the club exclusive. Once it goes over £1000 it is an expense that I cannot justify to play once or twice a week.

 

[Orikoru]

The beauty of Haste Hill £90 membership is that it is pay and play, which suits you if you play infrequently or like to play lots of different courses.

Moving to a private course, you pay the subscription whether you play or not, so you will feel that you have to play there as much as possible to get your money's worth. I play fewer courses now, because when I play a different course I am paying a green fee PLUS the opportunity cost of not playing my course (where I have already paid to play). It's a double whammy.

So I would suggest that you think carefully about what course to join, because you are going to be playing there all the time. I've never played Grims Dyke because I've never heard any positive comments about it... sounds a bit grim (terrible pun sorry).

It will be worth spending a few hundred quid more to join somewhere that has a course which you really enjoy playing all through the year. Finding that balance between quality v budget is something only you can decide, but there are plenty of options in your area. Joining the cheapest club could turn out to be a false economy.

Your first two paragraphs, 100%. That's why I've been a member at Haste Hill these few years, it's nice not feeling like you have to play your home course all the time. I think if I get a private membership I'd feel like I had to play there at least 3 times a month really, but as it's so near to where I live, I would probably do a few evening ones in the summer to make that more viable. I'm not sure about the negative comments on GD, I've played there a number of times and I like the course, seems a decent clubhouse as well, I have no issues on that front. I don't know how playable it is through the winter, that's one thing I would obviously have to find out if I'm deciding whether to join.

 

[YandaB]

What I spend and what I justify in my head are 2 different things. I was a nomadic, 3-4 times a year player and a member of the nearest gym along with the wife. It's the neareast gym because any small obstacle (like driving more than 3 minutes) was likely to stop us going, it also happens to be an expensive gym but better to pay more and actually use it than pay less and never use it. It just happens that it's part of a "country club" and the gym overlooks a golf course that appeared to be rarely used (certainly at the time I go to the gym). After being there a few years I enquired about the costs, once the joining fee was eliminated then the difference was just £40 per month - rude not to join in my opnion! Unfortunately I now golf more and gym less but in my head I'm paying £10 per week for an excellent course with great practice facilities.

 

[Coffey]

I pay £1200 a year with a £150 levy on top.

I do find that with golf courses you do get what you pay for in most cases.

Yes I could pay less in the area but I wouldn't get the quality of course(s) or facilities. Its about £300 more per year than others but worth every penny of it.

It all comes down to if the individual sees value for money and for the amount of golf I play it is worth it.

If i was a more casual golfer then having a cheaper membership or even pay and play would be more suitable but why would i skimp on £300 when I feel like it is worth the extra.

Although I wouldn't be happy with it going up this year due to a few things internally. If all courses remained at their current price level I don't think I would go up to £1350 as with the levy that would top £1500 which seems to much and would give me £600 to spend on green fees and be a member of another club. But realistically they won't remain at a constant price either.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Yes, I believe they're the most expensive in the area but I really do think you're paying more for the name than the course.

Is Glasgow Killermont/Gailes not bound to be much more expensive? Not that you can find out from their website how much it would be ...

 

[Billysboots]

I pay just shy of £800 and for that get virtually guaranteed year round golf owing to excellent course drainage. The course occasionally lacks a little TLC (don’t get me started on the bunkers), but I get what I pay for. And as I play at least twice a week my golf is cheap.

Happy to pay probably up to £1200, but for that I’d expect better than what I currently get, so it’s all relative.

 

[Robster59]

Is Glasgow Killermont/Gailes not bound to be much more expensive? Not that you can find out from their website how much it would be ...

I'm not sure, I feel that it would be something similar but they are more difficult to get in, and still have joining fees. Interestingly, even Pollok dropped their joining fees for a short period last year.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I pay just shy of £800 and for that get virtually guaranteed year round golf owing to excellent course drainage. The course occasionally lacks a little TLC (don’t get me started on the bunkers), but I get what I pay for. And as I play at least twice a week my golf is cheap.

Happy to pay probably up to £1200, but for that I’d expect better than what I currently get, so it’s all relative.

...and also dependent upon an individual's other leisure interests and pursuits. Since I gave up running about a football pitch or getting footballs kicked at me and getting kicked by ugly centre forwards, and given my increasing level of decreptitude - golf is my pursuit...I don't spend any vaguely amounts of money on anything else (other than my wife - and she spends it for me).

When my 2020/21 renewals was waiting to be paid by end of March I did consider not renewing - not totally seriously I must admit - but I did consider. However when I mentioned this to my wife she told me to stop being stupid - that I'd be very miserable not being a member - and that I'm miserable enough as it is (or words to that effect)...and so - of course - I renewed.

 

[howbow88]

All the private courses round my way are about £1200 minimum. And that's the reduced rate for my age group as well, often it's higher if you're over 35 or over 40. Many offer a 'lifestyle' type of deal where you pay 500 or 600 for credits to play the course, but then you have to top up, and you can't play in major comps etc, it doesn't really look like great value. My membership that I've had for four years is played at a public course, so I only paid £90 for my membership this year, but I pay a green fee for each round. That has always been much more affordable for me. The council used to offer a £600 a year season ticket to play as often as you like, but they blocked that this year because of Covid, as they want everyone to book in via GolfNow.

This topic is very pertinent to me, because our club is in a pretty poor place at the minute - members struggling to get tee times, there's been no bar/catering for two years even aside from Covid, recently had less than 5 people entering the comps every week. It's getting pretty pointless to stay. So I've been looking at local memberships, I just wish there was one at a slightly more reasonable 800 sort of price, but there isn't. It's £1200 or nothing. We have a lot of thinking to do before next year basically.

It sounds like you're in a similar position to me. I can stay at my place, which is £80 for the year and then pay as you play, costing £30 for Saturday comps. 25 of those, plus £80 fee, plus the social round here and there, and you're talking just under £1k really. The thing is, the course is now the worst it has ever been, and is so bad that people are finally going to vote with their feet. I am with them - there is no point in putting on greens that are like playing a lottery. But now I've looked properly at other local clubs, I've realised just how pricey everywhere around here is, for me at least.

But even for the initial £80 at my current place, what's the point in playing somewhere that you just simply don't enjoy? By a mile though, the most frustrating thing is that if they put some money and effort into the place, it sould be bloody brilliant. I would happily pay more to play there too, but right now it seems like the people running the course just want the place to close down

 

[patricks148]

I'm not sure, I feel that it would be something similar but they are more difficult to get in, and still have joining fees. Interestingly, even Pollok dropped their joining fees for a short period last year.

i think you have to be a member of Gailes first for a few years, then if acc you can join Killermount, so if you live in Glasgow, you have to drive down there to play before you get in KM. one of my mates is a member he never playes KM, just gails as he coundnt defer a 3rd time

 

[Deleted member 3432]

Fortunate up here in Cumbria that golf is cheap, big county, small population and only 30 odd clubs.

I think Ulverston has the highest subs at around £720

Downside is we get a lot of wet weather and a lot of the courses are not great for winter (or often summer) golf with 2 or 3 exceptions.

Nothing but admiration for those of you paying some of these eye watering subs to get your golfing 'fix'.

 

[Chico84]

I’ve got a young family so my time to play regularly is pretty limited and therefore I’m not really in the market for membership at the moment. That said I’d struggle to justify over £1k per year, which, unfortunately, seems to be the basic minimum here in SW London/Surrey. I’d love to live near a course with practice facilities that I could use regularly and would probably be willing to stretch my budget further if that were the case and I knew I’d be using the club more regularly. I guess I’ll be a nomad for a bit longer, at least until we move somewhere else.

 

[HarrogateHacker]

Spend just under 2k per year on subs around 1300 ish for my home course (which had a 750 joining fee) and have a country membership too. I don’t know what my max would be, as I can talk myself into things.

 

[KenL]

The biggest fee I've heard in Glasgow is Pollok at £1480 and think there's a joining fee on top of that, there's probably more expensive than that but my knowledge on these things is limited.

I believe Glasgow GC is more than that but they also a lovely course at Gailes.

 

[KenL]

that isn't a true reflection though is it you still have to join one of the clubs on top of that??

Do you have to? I thought you could just buy the links ticket.

 

[KenL]

Depends what you get for your money. I just had a conversation about joining a club that would be £2400+VAT but they've got two great courses and fantastic practice facilities. I'm very tempted but can't really justify it as I'd need to keep my current membership going as well so that I can quickly and easily play golf after work and that's a lot of money getting spent on golf each year. If I lived nearer so I could have it as my only club I'd be very tempted.

VAT? I thought golf was VAT exempt? Clubs certainly got a VAT rebate on visitors fees a few years ago.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Depends what you get for your money. I just had a conversation about joining a club that would be £2400+VAT but they've got two great courses and fantastic practice facilities. I'm very tempted but can't really justify it as I'd need to keep my current membership going as well so that I can quickly and easily play golf after work and that's a lot of money getting spent on golf each year. If I lived nearer so I could have it as my only club I'd be very tempted.

Are you not far enough away to get a country membership?

 

[Oldham92]

At the moment, £2-300 max. Don't get enough opportunity to play to make it worth it.

When I had a previous job with different working pattern would have probably been about £800