When you joined your club.....?

[cm_qs]

When you first became members of your respective golf clubs, was there in sort of introductory information given to you as a brand new member?

I joined my local club about three years ago( after a six and a half year wait on the list) and essentially all I received from the club at the time was a letter telling me my application for membership had been accepted and a fortnight to come up with the readies. Once i had tendered payment for my joining fee / annual subscription. I get a tag for my bag and a membership card detailing all the comps / social events for the forthcoming year.

Although I have been playing for many years, I had never been a member of any club before , and had no idea about how to obtain a handicap, the procedure for entering medals, how to book a tee time, get a locker or any of the myriad of small nuggets of information that established club members don't even think about.

Fotunately this wasn't an issue for me personally as I am blessed with " a guid scots tongue in my heid" but not everyone may be as forthright as I and I could see that this situation could be very intimidating for the more reserved individual.

I feel that the club could have made more of an effort to impart basic information to new members and perhaps had some sort of welcome pack or meeting to break the ice a bit for the new guys.

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking the club for being unfriendly , as this is certainly not the case. I just feel that the new member is assumed to have a preexisting knowledge of the intricate workings of the club which, in my experience, was just not the case.

Any other clubs do it better than mine?

 

[TonyN]

Have you ever considered putting this to your club?

 

[cm_qs]

I did at the time and the response I got was " we hadn't really considered it, but we will now ". Nothing seems to have changed though.
Perhaps I should leave and join again (after 3 more years on the waiting list) to compare the experience.

I was more interested in finding out if this was the attitude of clubs in general or if it's just my lot that are a wee bit inward looking.

 

[TonyN]

Can't actually comment as i have never joined a club. Although I will be interested in the views of others to see what i may be greated with next year!

 

[GB72]

I agree that the info given to me was a little sparse. Plenty of info on teams and comps but none of the info that I wanted like details of any regular roll ups, procedure for finding a game if you have not got one etc.

Problem is that when I signed up as a new member I had no idea of what I should be asking.

 

[Cernunnos]

yes it is thegeneral attitude with clubs. Information is rarely offered. I seems to need to be asked for.

My biggest bug bear is when ou pay all that money in fees, that entitle you to get a recognised club handicap & the right to enter copetions, they then spring it on you come the first comp that you also need to donate an additional fee each time you enter a comp, something that really winds me up after paying out all that money in the first place.

For instance if you were to only enter one comp per week, it would still mean that you effectively have had to pay subs that are £260 more than initially statted. Hardly an incentive to enter comps. I'm really not interested in winning vouchers for the proshop, If I want to spend money in the pro-shop on gear I do.

Unless anyone knowes anywhere different in the East Staffs region that doesn't practice this pickpocketing attitude with comps.

 

[cm_qs]

You have to pay extra when you enter competitions????

Boll***s - I wish someone had told me!!!

 

[Doh]

Well i can't say the same for our club we have put together a welcome package for new members they are given this when they come to meet the membership chairman where they are shown round the club introduced to people and made to feel very welcome.

 

[Cernunnos]

You have to pay extra when you enter competitions????

Boll***s - I wish someone had told me!!!

You might be lucky & yours might be the exception up there

 

[viscount17]

joining was more about paying green fees, when I did that I was asked if I also wanted to join the club - up to then I thought I was. Sent in a form complete with cheque and received bag tag and year book (rules and comps) by post.

Only met the captain by chance on course, haven't met this years, or the seniors captain (at least not that I know of).
I asked my pro about getting a handicap, he put me on to the right people. no info about how to enter comps, I got that from guys I was playing with. So yes, you're right - lots of assumptions of knowledge.

a (seniors) medal is £2, others vary though I've only played 3 medals to date.

 

[mrobbie]

I never had to pay fees for comps, with the exception of the club open etc. Weekly medals were always free, with the exception of a quid in the tin for the 2s challenge.

As for the helpfulness of a club when you join, none that I have seen. Joined 3 in my time in Aberdeen, and none gave any information other than the stuff mentioned by the OP - bag tag, event book etc.

An introductory meeting is a fantastic idea, and would be good if more clubs did it. Instead, you have to rely on friends in the club, or a brass neck to ask a random a question.

 

[GB72]

We are charged £2.00 per comp at our place.

An example of a good idea poorly executed however was at our club. There is to be a comp purely for new members to give them a chance to meet but it has been arranged for October. What is the point in having such an event half way throught the season and after the best weather has ended.

 

[haplesshacker]

I'm surprised that this bad form from the clubs appears to be 'normal'.

I joined my first club this year, and tbh, I was very disappointed with the whole way it's handled.

Okay so I got my bag tag and membership card, but information was lacking. It's not as if I didn't tell them why I was joining. Predominately to take part in the comps, get a h'cap and for weekend roll ups. But I was given no info.

Even when I do phone to book a tee time and state that it's to take part in the comp, no one said that it was on the second course that weekend, and consequently let me book up for the wrong course.

Personally, what's wrong with a welcome pack, explaining h'cap procedure, weekly comps dates and which course, lockers, roll-ups, extra costs for comps, lessons, attaire, and even perhaps a breakdown of the course rules, ob areas etc. I believe that there is a bit of a recession on, and clubs are desparate for our money. Well may I suggest that you make a bit more of an effort.

It doesn't help when you have the worlds most miserable female working the phones, bookings and shop. It really doesn't make you feel very welcome.

On the plus side the course marshall is a very cheery old fella, and the bar staff, particulary one of them, are very cheerful and welcoming.

Sorry but poor service and lack of info are my two real bug bears.

Rant over.

 

[USER1999]

Nope, I had to wing it. Luckily I transfered from another club, and so knew what questions to ask at interview etc.