Worrying times ahead for golf clubs

[BiMGuy]

No I wouldn't. You want me to pay £500 a year more for the benefit of sitting in a club house following a round? I'd rather there be no club house facilities and save £500. I understand that people have nothing in their life other than their golf club but I just want to play golf

Same here. But for my FiL it’s his entire social life.

 

[GB72]

No I wouldn't. You want me to pay £500 a year more for the benefit of sitting in a club house following a round? I'd rather there be no club house facilities and save £500. I understand that people have nothing in their life other than their golf club but I just want to play golf

I am totally in that camp as well, I just want to play golf. So long as the toilets are open you can close down everything else, bar, dining room, changing rooms, showers the lot. Maybe leave the outside furniture in situ and if I want to chat after I will being a mug and a thermos.

 

[Banchory Buddha]

Having lived in Scotland for a few years, I feel comfortably within my rights to say this; halve it to £2 and they still wouldn’t see my money ?

There's a reason it's ubiquitous, it's the only decent 4% beer

 

[Orikoru]

Meanwhile I'm getting emails advertising the brand new Titleist driver for a mere £530. Jesus Christ.

 

[Crumplezone]

Unfortunately golf clubs increased the cost of tee times for visitors by 50-100% a couple of years ago for no reason. Now they've nowhere to go to cover their increased costs.

 

[Yorkhacker]

The solution is really simple. Most golf clubs (not links courses obviously) have many trees on them. Install a couple of wood burners, and they'll pay for themselves in a couple of months. Only problem, is waiting 2 - 5 years for the wood to dry out before you can burn it!

 

[jim8flog]

No I wouldn't. You want me to pay £500 a year more for the benefit of sitting in a club house following a round? I'd rather there be no club house facilities and save £500. I understand that people have nothing in their life other than their golf club but I just want to play golf

One of the troubles with not having clubhouse facilities is that a club is highly unlikely to get society bookings. The green fee and other income form such goes a long way to covering the clubs running cost which subsidises members fees.

In 2021 membership fee income was £466,000 temporary member ship fee income was £157,000 (+add in what visitors spent on food and drinks) in 2022 we have seen a big increase in the number of societies. (although these might tail off a bit with the economic crisis)

 

[Springveldt]

Meanwhile I'm getting emails advertising the brand new Titleist driver for a mere £530. Jesus Christ.

Honestly don’t think I’ll be buying a new driver within the next 5 years (and it’s already 3 years old) as manufacturers have pushed the legal limits on nearly everything.
Also not paying £530 for a single club.

 

[Neilds]

The question comes

Would members be willing to put up with a £10 or so a week increase in their subs to continue playing a game they love?

I know I would.

We are very lucky in that we put in loads of solar panels (all across the roof of the driving range and clubhouse) and biomass boiler several years ago.

£10 a week doesn’t sound much but that is nearly £50 a month and almost £500 a year which sounds a lot more scary. Some people might even try and sell it as ‘just over a £ a day’ which sounds even more appealing but at the end of the day, people need to prioritise and leisure activities will, sadly, take a back seat

 

[jim8flog]

I am totally in that camp as well, I just want to play golf. So long as the toilets are open you can close down everything else, bar, dining room, changing rooms, showers the lot. Maybe leave the outside furniture in situ and if I want to chat after I will being a mug and a thermos.

see my comments post #44

 

[Orikoru]

Honestly don’t think I’ll be buying a new driver within the next 5 years (and it’s already 3 years old) as manufacturers have pushed the legal limits on nearly everything.
Also not paying £530 for a single club.

It's absolutely absurd. Got my driver three years ago, had £100 in vouchers that I won and it cost me nearly 250 of my own money. By the time I want another they'll be costing three times that. I'd happily buy second hand but the trouble is you can't really get fitted then as they only fit new stuff.

 

[clubchamp98]

It's absolutely absurd. Got my driver three years ago, had £100 in vouchers that I won and it cost me nearly 250 of my own money. By the time I want another they'll be costing three times that. I'd happily buy second hand but the trouble is you can't really get fitted then as they only fit new stuff.

It’s as if the OEMs think all golfers are rich !
Be hard to justify £550 for a new driver.
But am sure they will sell plenty.

 

[clubchamp98]

£10 a week doesn’t sound much but that is nearly £50 a month and almost £500 a year which sounds a lot more scary. Some people might even try and sell it as ‘just over a £ a day’ which sounds even more appealing but at the end of the day, people need to prioritise and leisure activities will, sadly, take a back seat

Yes £10 a week sounds bearable but it’s £520 a year.
Sadly the age group we are trying to attract are the ones with young children and big mortgages.
A big hike will not help these men and women golfers.

 

[hovis]

One of the troubles with not having clubhouse facilities is that a club is highly unlikely to get society bookings. The green fee and other income form such goes a long way to covering the clubs running cost which subsidises members fees.

In 2021 membership fee income was £466,000 temporary member ship fee income was £157,000 (+add in what visitors spent on food and drinks) in 2022 we have seen a big increase in the number of societies. (although these might tail off a bit with the economic crisis)

This was mentioned by my club. It wasn't until someone said that most society golfers (big groups) play their round and leave anyway as they can't be bothered to wait over an hour for the rest to finish. I play around 10 courses a year on society golf. The status of the bar is never a factor when I'm booking a venue. I just need a table to collect money and give out cards

 

[4LEX]

Golf clubs unfortunately will be the tip of the iceberg, and the ramifications of the borrowing required to get us through this energy crisis will be felt for years.
I can imagine many conversations Along the lines of “Golf membership has gone up 25% love”. She replies “were sat here in the bloody dark with five layers on eating leftovers and your talking about golf”.
Tough times ahead.
Just think if folk were grown up we could properly discus this and other import issues, but for the few planks we cannot.

It's disgraceful the political threads were banned.

 

[Marshy77]

It has to be a fine balancing act, put up prices too far when people are already struggling and you risk losing members at a rapid rate, don’t rise them enough and cuts have to be made somewhere.
It will be a very interesting 2023 and 2024. I do wonder what the golfing landscape will look like come 2025

I think some clubs are currently outpricing themselves already. I understand the need to recoup money lost during lockdowns but some of the prices round here are ridiculous. Played courses recently around the £25/30 mark that pre Covid were £15 and there's barely anybody else on the course. I sometimes think and have done for a while that certain clubs seem to be run fairly badly by charging too much, clubhouse closed, no halfway house open etc.

 

[larmen]

Most golf clubs could have some space for a sizeable solar install or a wind turbine. Could that be a solution? Take 30 to 50 yards of a long par 4 and that’s a lot of space right there for solar. Or the captains parking spot for the turbine.

Make it save against shanks, of corse.

 

[Oddsocks]

We’re seeing a few clubs around here that are full with a waiting list change the section allocations.

One has under 16’s, 16-21’s and then full membership, 5 day and senior rates have also gone and it has a full quota with waiting list. It’s only allowing under 16’s to join if they have family as spaces are limited, you can only progress to the 16-21 category and cannot just join it. It’s a very cash stable club.

Another near me has several reduced categories but it will only allow 1 reduced entrant for every full paying member. HOWEVER, if you are within a reduced bracket but want to join sooner, you can pay full 7 days.

Regarding energy costs we’re in a catch 22. You can’t close a clubhouse as the F&B profits are high, but no one will want to sit in a cold half lit clubhouse and pay £10 a pint. Clubs will simply have to encourage more pre/post round socialising rather than car park members and also get creative to encourage general traffic instead of its members going out for a cheeky one after work.

My old club is already doing this with poker nights, pool nights, golf simulator nights, a very creative half way hut and by selling in volume it’s allowing the price per pint to remain respectable.

The cost of a pint in London… that can fug right off. Met with a customer last week in an empty pub at lunch, two moretti’s were £8.00 each and there was a £4.50 service - we were sat at the dam bar!!!!!

 

[evemccc]

We’re seeing a few clubs around here that are full with a waiting list change the section allocations.

One has under 16’s, 16-21’s and then full membership, 5 day and senior rates have also gone and it has a full quota with waiting list. It’s only allowing under 16’s to join if they have family as spaces are limited, you can only progress to the 16-21 category and cannot just join it. It’s a very cash stable club.

Another near me has several reduced categories but it will only allow 1 reduced entrant for every full paying member. HOWEVER, if you are within a reduced bracket but want to join sooner, you can pay full 7 days.

Regarding energy costs we’re in a catch 22. You can’t close a clubhouse as the F&B profits are high, but no one will want to sit in a cold half lit clubhouse and pay £10 a pint. Clubs will simply have to encourage more pre/post round socialising rather than car park members and also get creative to encourage general traffic instead of its members going out for a cheeky one after work.

My old club is already doing this with poker nights, pool nights, golf simulator nights, a very creative half way hut and by selling in volume it’s allowing the price per pint to remain respectable.

The cost of a pint in London… that can fug right off. Met with a customer last week in an empty pub at lunch, two moretti’s were £8.00 each and there was a £4.50 service - we were sat at the dam bar!!!!!

North of £20 for two pints of Moretti??

I’ve paid a lot for beers in London pubs in my time but that is nuts..

Was it near/in the City?

 

[Jimaroid]

Given the Scottish drink drive limits I very rarely have a pint anyway. A shandy is my limit and as I can’t stand Tennents or Belhaven I often can’t be bothered. The prices of low/zero alcohol drinks are already a joke and I don’t see that getting any better.

Price of coffee is what bothers me most. I fear it’s going to jump soon.