What to do......

[Imurg]

Ellesborough have dropped theirs recently - still nearly a grand for 5-day though..
Weston's just a dirge of a course - they couldn't pay me to play there again.
Interestingly, found out that Bierton's up for sale for £1m....

Or £650k for the range and Clubhouse.......

 

[fundy]

If you dig around, think you'll find a few courses are available if youve the money and are interested. £1m for Bierton lol

 

[G1BB0]

easy decision tbh, lifes too short and once we are gone thats it.

three locks gets good reviews from friends who have played it. What about Millbrook? We looked at there but just a little too far from me

 

[Imurg]

e What about Millbrook? We looked at there but just a little too far from me

Same here - best part of an hour away.....

 

[G1BB0]

ahhh, yeah about the same from me. not a bad price either.

 

[G1BB0]

oooh Mentmore is not too far

 

[SocketRocket]

If you do become a Rat can you keep out of my kitchen!

 

[DaveyG]

I'm in a quandry.

As you may or may not know, our esteemed Government is proposing to build a High Speed Rail Link (HS2) straight through the Course I (and Fragger, Slicer and CVG) play at. If built, the track would slice the course in half. The club would die as there is no further land available (as far as I'm aware) and the Compensation being offered isn't enough to buy any.
There are currently Appeals going through the High Court to try to stop the build, I believe final decisions are being made early next year.
Building is scheduled to commence in 2017 - just over 5 years away. Aquisition of the land could start earlier than that.

The problem, apart from the fact that in 5 years time there will be no APGC, is that, unsurprisingly, the Owners are reluctant to invest any money into the course over and above the absolute minimum required to keep it running. This has to lead to a deterioration of the course and it's facilities. This in turn will lead to Members leaving which in turn will lead to the club going bust before HS2 gets anywhere near us.
The mere suggestion that HS2 is coming is, in some cases enough to send Members to other clubs. As far as I'm concerned, the quality of the course has dropped since the announcement was made at the beginning of this year.

I know there are financial issues at the Club - there are at most clubs. Part-time staff have been laid off and one of the Greenkeepers is working the shop 2 days a week. But it's hard to see how the club can generate enough turnover to survive whilst under the cloud of HS2. It would surprise me if we get any new Members in the coming months. Members will leave though. And it's this steady trickle, this slow errosion of the Membership that will kill the Club long before they start digging it up. And there's nothing that can be done about it.
Unless the Government come out and state that HS2 will definitely not be built - either at all or along the current route - I give APGC 2 years and it'll be gone. And that statement isn't going to happen any time soon.
Should the appeals win, the Goverment will go through the consultation process again. That'll take a year or two by which time it'll be too late anyway. And they could still build it.

It's going to cost 37 billion. I'm not sure they're going to be able to find the money to build it but that's almost irrelevent. It's the possibility that they could build it that's doing the damage. It's a huge black cloud.

So I'm sitting here wondering if it's time to join the rats leaving the sinking ship or sit it out and hope for the best.
But, in all honesty, I can't see a "best". A Club/Course dug up to make way for a train line to get people to Birmingham 20 minutes quicker or a Club that goes bust because everyone thinks it's going to be dug up to make way for a train line to get people to Birmingham 20 minutes quicker................

Yours
Depressed of Aylesbury.

Let me know where you move to, I will be able to get there 20 minutes quicker for a round!


Seriously though - I think I would be jumping sooner rather than later... If you can see the course deteriating you will only resent the place and eventually paying more money to play other courses until your latest membership finishes...

Make the move and see it as a possitive.

 

[fundy]

oooh Mentmore is not too far

Mentmore was one of the ones I was talking about earlier Gibbo, joining fee been dropped and can get 25% off subs too (still a bit expensive for what it is even with 2 courses, suffers in the wet especially and gets a lot of traffic in the summer now)

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Fragger already has his new club picked and all LOL

You must have crystal baws young man, where might that be then?:ears:

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Just had a trawl through the options

We currently pay £45 a month for 5 day membership and its a 25 minute journey for me
Mentmore has a joining fee Too Expensive
Chiltern Forest is £66 per month, 20 minute journey
Aylesbury Vale is £47 per month, but is a 35/40 minute journey
Ellesborough is £81 per month reducing to £68 after 5 years, basically in lieu of a joining fee, 20 minutes
Chartridge park is another option rates not on website

Whiteleaf is a 9 hole Harry Colt £62 per month and 25 minutes

To me Ellesborough is the best course, if we could get that joining fee in lieu thingy reduced it may be worth looking at
Aylesbury Vale is another good option, its just that bit further out

Also our subs are up for renewal in January, so we either have to jump now, or committ to a further 12 months,question is if other people are jumping they will be looking at the same options ,what is that going to do to membership availability
Fragger

 

[Fish]

Get in touch with my club as the HS2 was destined to go through us but it was fought hard from day 1 and we have had notification now that the route has been "refined" to avoid our club and its future.

Although it will still run very close, we may still encounter huge disruption when building/laying the lines and building the huge viaduct that will flank our club.

Might be good to get your secretary to speak to ours.

 

[Imurg]

Also our subs are up for renewal in January, so we either have to jump now, or committ to a further 12 months,question is if other people are jumping they will be looking at the same options ,what is that going to do to membership availability
Fragger

I thought it was April - but I'll take your word for it....

Get in touch with my club as the HS2 was destined to go through us but it was fought hard from day 1 and we have had notification now that the route has been "refined" to avoid our club and its future.

Although it will still run very close, we may still encounter huge disruption when building/laying the lines and building the huge viaduct that will flank our club.

Might be good to get your secretary to speak to ours.

Fish - the Club have been at the High Court for the last 2 days putting a case. Glad you're going to get "missed" though. We would have if they hadn't tweaked the route to miss a Grade 1 listed Hotel near us....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'd be looking elsewhere. Every man for himself and all that. I know you say that some of these courses are too far away but you won't find a course that ticks each and every box. I would rather travel the extra distance for a course I enjoyed and with accessibility to playing partners, competitions and easy to book times or even better a roll up policy. If that's in place and the atmosphere n the 19th was convivial then I'd be there. Clearly money is an issue but a lot of clubs are offering more flexible deals and a call and a chat will give you an idea what each has to offer

 

[G1BB0]

gonna be a bit of a price hike then Phil/Imurg

found the price for Chartridge which has 6 month free and if 4 join and extra 10% reduction
http://www.cpgc.co.uk/pages.php/how_to_join.html

lots of par 3 and v short par 4 's

 

[MadAdey]

I would give it until green fees are due next April (if like my place). Make your next move then, as you may have some more info on the rail link which may make it easier. I would though move sooner rather than later like other people have said.

My club is not full but there is well under a hundred places left so if another club in the area was going under and all of a sudden you had 400 people looking for somewhere new then there would be a lot of disappointed golfers. So I would definitely be worried that if the rats leave the sinking ship there might not be enough nice places for them to go.

Rather you than me mate you have a very tough decision to make if you really love your club and do not want to leave.

 

[Captain_Black]

I understand your reasoning about the doubt being caused as to if HST goes ahead or not.

Personally, I don't think it will go ahead, the railways are in a bit of a mess at the moment.
We have just had the East Coast franchise fiasco which has cost the tax payer £40 million & now has been delayed at least 2 years.
That has also put back the Great Western franchise god knows how long, the government wanted to electrify the London the Bristol route & introduce new hybrid electric trains by 2017 (no chance that will be on time) & this will cost ££££££

Then there is HST2.
It's going though prime Tory constituency's, every man & his dog is opposing it & then there is the cost.
It will be debated & argued over for a while yet, in the mean time the cost will go up & up.
In the end, they will decide it's not worth the hassle / loss of votes & they won't be able to finance it anyway.

Don't forget, the UK is broke, this just won't get built.
I reckon you all should just hold your nerve, if you like your club then stay put, it will still be there in 50 years time provided the members stay loyal & have a little faith.

 

[williamalex1]

much the same at east renfrew gc a few years ago only it was the M77 motorway that cut through it . they survived and better than ever, there's a few members use this forum , maybe they could advise you

 

[PhilTheFragger]

much the same at east renfrew gc a few years ago only it was the M77 motorway that cut through it . they survived and better than ever, there's a few members use this forum , maybe they could advise you

Its all very well if there is available land that can be purchased, but in our case there is none, the land is either leased by the council or leased from Hartwell House, the big hotel, Roads can be curved, mega high speed rail tracks need to be straight,

 

[Phil2511]

You must have crystal baws young man, where might that be then?:ears:

It was an insinuation you were abandoning your bro cos he always beats you lol