When joining a new club........

[Deleted Member 1156]

In the short time I've been on this forum, I've read quite a few threads about people joining/thinking of joining a new (or first) club. It often seems to be that the deciding factor is the proximity to home ie. 2 mins up the road.

Speaking from experience, can I just advise that one of the most important things when you choose a club is the challenge and enjoyment you will get from playing it. Obviously it is very handy if it happens to be right on your doorstep but if you are paying a joining fee and intending to stay there for any period of time, it is probably more important to pick a course that will challenge you and improve your golf. Please don't pick a flat, boring course just because you live next to it, you will soon get bored. I know, I've made that mistake myself :mmm:

 

[joma1108]

I think that your argument would be more suited to a lower handicap such as yourself, playing off 17 most courses would provide a challenge in some ways for me, i do play at the course closest to my home however it is also the hardest.

I agree that you can become bored, my previous course was 40 minutes drive away and it was a long course, Driver then three wood at every other hole and this was mind numbingly boring, the only thing that improved was my short game as every third shot was a pitch of some description.

the reason i joined my was the greens were in very good condition and the members seemed friendly enough the few times i played before becoming a member, negatives, no real practice area, no professional, old clubhouse, but then again are these superflous as the course should be the most important deciding factor?

Each hole although not picturesque asks a different question and provides a challenge if you are off line.

I would be surprised if many courses still can afford the luxury of a joining fee as certainly in scotland there are a very many that dont, will it come back..if the clubs think they can get away with it then it would be back in a flash.

This then allows you to try befor you buy so to speak, play it for a season and if you dont like it move if you do put down your roots and enjoy the course.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

No joining fee is indeed a luxury, there are 4 very good clubs in my area and they all charge joining fees, currently £750, £2000, £2700 and £10,000 (yes, 10 grand!!) And 3 of them have waiting lists!

 

[MadAdey]

I think when choosing a course it has to be a combination of the 2, distance and quality. Plenty of nice courses around but I like the fact that mine is 10 mins from my house and is a good challenging course. Maybe I am lucky. I could look at joining somewhere of a higher quality like Woodhall Spa, but it is an hour away from home. I do not mind the drive, but after driving an hour home from work, driving another hour to the course, to then only get 9 holes in is too far. I like getting to the first tee by 17:15 and getting round most of the course. I think that is why most people put distance as a higher priority than the standard and challenge of the course.

 

[DannyOT]

It's definitely a balance that has to be found. There's no point joining a brilliant club that is 10 miles away if it means you can hardly play there. I'm lucky that I'm surrounded by clubs, although the one up the road is out of the question due to price even though it's a decent track and seems pretty active.