What is the optimum number of members for a Golf Club.

[3offTheTee]

General I know because each club is unique regarding visitors/ location/ societie.

However following new CVID rules and BRS our number is around 700 with many new members joining.

We only allow 3 bookings in a 7 day period including 1 Competition and during the summer months it was full from 6 a.m until 9.30 p.m. With the daylight hours shortening it will become even more difficult to book a tee time.

Added to this, no casual turn up and play or just 9 holes and there are some unhappy members.

How can this problem be overcome and is there an optimum number of members?

 

[robinthehood]

Lots of clubs are targeting pay and play at the expense of their long standing members. I left my last place for this exact reason. Unable to get a tee time.

 

[jim8flog]

At our club one of the things I have said for years is that we may want more members from a financial aspect but we do not want/need any more that want to play on a Saturday morning

In the winter we can only accommodate 140 members out of a total membership of around 700 on any day if they want to play a full round.

A few years back we had a very good compromise membership of 7 day restricted whereby a person with it was not allowed to play between 12 on a Friday and 2pm on Saturday with unrestricted access to the 9 hole course but it was dropped for some reason and instead they introduced 5 weekday.

 

[Sekiro]

There’s probably some maths that can be applied to get a vague idea of optimum number of members (course open hours, average round length, time between tee-offs) but there are also a lot of variables that come into play, some golfers will play a few rounds each week, some will play 1 round and has to be on a Saturday, some will only play when it’s not raining and so on.

Personally, there’s no yard stick that will measure this as every golfer wants something different, at best you can get a number of rounds that can be played a day and take it from there.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

At Ellesborough we just had an email update. Max number of members is capped at 655 and we currently have 606.

Whilst still accepting new members, they have stopped actively trying to recruit any more as they want to Reward their existing members to ensure that everyone Can get a game.

With 10 minute tee intervals, and reducing daylight putting pressure on availability I think this is a good move.

At the moment it’s members only with members guests after 1 pm , they have forecasted a small deficit this year which will be met from reserves.

Other courses which may not be in as strong a financial position may need the pay & play income to survive

 

[Imurg]

The optimum number, as far as members are concerned, is enough to keep the fees as low as possible while ensuring everyone who wants to play can get a time.
We have just over 600 at the moment and a maximum of 655.
The Board informed us the other day that they would not be going on a recruitment drive to fill those numbers until Spring to ensure, with diminishing daylight, there is enough room for those who want to play.
We do have a lot of older members who tend not to come out in the winter but it could still be tight on space.

 

[CliveW]

General I know because each club is unique regarding visitors/ location/ societie.

However following new CVID rules and BRS our number is around 700 with many new members joining.

We only allow 3 bookings in a 7 day period including 1 Competition and during the summer months it was full from 6 a.m until 9.30 p.m. With the daylight hours shortening it will become even more difficult to book a tee time.

Added to this, no casual turn up and play or just 9 holes and there are some unhappy members.

How can this problem be overcome and is there an optimum number of members?

Courses are currently busy due to the number of members who are on furlough.. Pre-Covid, most members would be at work during the week but now have time on their hands so are filling courses.

 

[patricks148]

The Kings in Inverness capped when they opened the new course at 650 and its rammed most days, you have to book well in advance to get a time, where as the old Torvean you could walk on most afternoons. Small seniors section small Female membership. Nairn is 750 full members, of which most would be over 65, with 200 female, though you have to boook at least 3 weeks in advance to get a morning time you can rock up most afternoons and just walk on, the same when we get a load of overseas visitors

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Purely financially if we have 600 ‘regular’ playing members out of our total membership then we are good - and we have that. Even with ten minute tee bookings that seems ok for me getting the level of playing i need from my membership - though most comps are full...

There would be very strong push back from the members if there was any proposal to expand the amount of pay and play being made available - the level is currently low. We are fortunate but that comes at a cost - but it is a cost that the members are willing to pay.