I honest can’t believe these truths about the cost of membership for golf clubs and these crazy truths about the members.. it’s astonishing… I think golf clubs are in huge huge trouble! This is a massive talking point and impacts you! No one is addressing this!
I CA’NT BELIEVE THE these SHOCKING TRUTHs about golf clubs…
Are you a member of a golf club? Should you join a golf club? It can be expensive, there can be issues with joining golf clubs for a number of different reasons.
PGA Pro Alex Elliott Golf talks hot topics from a recent survey done by Hillier Hopkins LLP – https://hillierhopkins.co.uk/insight-posts/golf-club-membership-falling-as-cost-of-a-round-increases/
A lot of golfers ask the question should you join a golf club? It it essential to be apart of a golf club? Can we stick to pay and play? How can reduce your handicap on the golf course, how do you even get a golf handicap?
Topics covered in this video include:
Ages of golf club members, cost of golf clubs, rounds of golf and round of golf club cost. How much are you spending on your golf club membership? Are there many beginner golfers, professional golfers, senior golfers at your golf club?
This is back 9 films which includes golf podcast, golf talk, product reviews! This includes brands such as titleist, taylormade, ping, cobra, mizuno!
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25 Comments
I need to know this! What’s happening at your club (if your a member)
You gave the reason yourself , it’s the cost of playing these days , no one is going to pay 50 pounds a round or more it’s just not going to happen.
I'm a senior at my club…being asked to pay full subs..so I'm joining another club,less than half the fees…fees are ridiculous,and most municipal clubs are dying,or on the verge of..
In East Scotland, memberships are typically around £700 for this year for "normal courses" although the bigger courses can be at least twice that, but local tickets for St Andrews and Carnoustie still represent great value. . I'm a member of a nine hole resort course costing £325 a year, which suits me fine, but I can also benefit from schemes such as Carnoustie Country where we can play another 12 or so courses at half price. Some clubs have reciprocal arrangements, so for £700pa, I could join a club ( with no joining fee) with 27 holes, and play for free at another great inland course 15 miles away, and get preferentail fees on courses in the James Braid Association which covers the whole of the UK. They also have a £200 pa scheme where you can play 3 medals and 10 comps a year, with some restrictions, juniors pay £40 pa…. in fact there's huge permutations available. Golf clubs need to be creative but also publicise them better and offer more flexibility rather than the usual one size fits all schemes of old.
Tee time prices have gone up way too much.
While my golf club is in a good financial position,, they have put the fee uo by 5 percent,, so with cost of living increases that's over 15 percent from my yearly outcome,, played with a guy the other day who is leaving for can't justify it any more having a young family to support,, as they say you do the maths,, 🤔🤔but the rich old buggers keep saying we should charge higher green fees at 60,pounds already,, when support the club with a pot of tea,, ps the course is dead after 1 o'clock,, so Alex well done you have a right to worry,, cheers Al 👍🤔
My local muni course is £25 for 18 holes (par 72 championship course), also has a separate 9 hole course, great club house with a big outside terrace. Don't see the point in joining a club unless the golf is going to be significantly cheaper that. I also like being able to play different courses and not being tied to one club. Top tracer has also made the local ranges much more enjoyable, so I spend quite a lot of time/money practicing there.
I'm a 7 day member, not a great course but not that expensive, however the members are friendly and welcoming. It allows me to compete in competitions and also I can afford to have away days especially when there is a good deal on. I'm amazed at the charges some courses want for a round, they seem excessive at £120 for the winter! I have played at some immaculate courses for a fraction of the more expensive ones. Are the higher prices really justified? Are these courses just trying to be elitist!
I just pay green fee's when I play, I can't decide on a particular club to sign up to and tie myself to. I have my main golfing partner who I've been playing with for years and he now lives around an hour away, so we often meet in the middle and play random courses we've not played before, and there are quite a few. So tying myself up to one closer to me that I don't often play seems a bit of a waste of money
I’m a member of a golf club in the Netherlands, where it certainly is still growing. Not so much of a rapid rate but it’s still very popular. There are many clubs are full with waiting list.
We have various types of memberships to suit everyone. Full, 5 day, after 16:00 hr. Also strips of green fee cards 10 rounds or 10 x 9 holes. All is start time booked with the biggest advantage going to full members, that may book 3 rounds up to 3 weeks in advance, the others only a week.
I suppose the average age would be high, because in this day and age are the only people that have the time.
But we have a very large youth section, and lots of ladies. Youth training goes all year round partly subsidies by the club. There are quite a lot of mixed games so this involves everyone in the club. It’s quite normal to see many women and men sitting in the club house together, in fact I’ve never seen the club any other way.
The clubhouse became a bistro with a good menu so we get outsiders coming in to eat, which is good for the club, because the members aren’t generally the biggest supporters of the kitchen as good as it is, exception when games of course.
When it comes to membership fees you can pay monthly, I believe a little bit higher than if you pay at once. This encourages many people that may not otherwise join. And of course you get the full member benefits.
I think clubs have to modernise in their thoughts to stay prosperous, it’s so easy when things go well to sit back and think that’s it, bit like the game then stuff start going down.
Hope I didn’t jabber on too much😂
The only golf membership that makes sense is Golfmoose or any other discount rate site. Can't beat $69 for 2 players ,with cart, on a descent course.
I play as a 5 day member don’t need to play at w/ends and play 3x a week for just over 40 weeks a year so it’s about £8 a round. Would pay a bit more if it went on course upkeep! Full membership is about £950.
My club runs a flexible membership.
Around 140 for the year and you pay and play about 15-20 per round with all the benefits of being a full member. Play local council and golf now mon-friday.
I joined my local club in May 2021 and have been learning to play, somewhat late in life. I am a female and the club is trying to encourage more women to play. I have loved golf for years but am not interested in competing. I just want to play golf and get better which doesn’t seem to fit very well with my club. The thing I hate about it is that it revolves around MEN! We women are still second-class citizens. I do pay less for membership but would rather pay more and get equal rights. My club green fee for non-members is £30. The green staff work really hard but the course is waterlogged in places and we rely on volunteers for a lot of the maintenance work. You are right about the number of people over 60 – I am 72. It is a problem,though we are attracting younger women now, but we need more kids to join. Winter is the worst time due to short days and most young people are working and can’t play during the day.
I am a member of a golf club
The bean counters at golf clubs have it wrong….don’t increase prices when less members….but reduce prices to get increase in membership and have economies of scale profit…..they just don’t get it…..
Well said ,and all true.
Statistically has junior membership been substantially higher in the past? Myself and the group of guys I play golf with were not junior members of clubs but we are now… not sure you can necessarily extrapolate 9% juniors is bad…. Though it may be, I would just like to see some historical data.
I can only afford public courses here in the USA. The problem is all the Old and I do mean Old ladies that have taken up the game in retirement. They cannot hit a ball more than 30 yrds if the can it at all. So frustrating to be stuck out there for an hour more than 9 holes should take. And as long as they have money no one cares.
The key is to make golf faster, cheaper, and with easier rules for the recreational golfer to comprehend easily and have a much more enjoyable time….GITCA GOLF!!!
I'm a member of 2 golf ⛳ clubs here in the UK 🇬🇧. Both are jam packed, all the time.
A £1000 per year is quite cheap really in today's world. ALOT of clubs still have a waiting list. I pay £3000 per year for 2 clubs
I am a member of a club in New York and will most likely be ending my membership at the end of the year. It is not worth the investment. The allure of the golf club membership is not the same anymore and I would rather travel to golf destinations globally then over spend on a lack luster experience. I agree that in the U.S. that memberships may be in peril. 🙌👍
I'm in new zealand, but I have lived in the UK. Was a member of a golf club for 12 years before coming to nz. I've been a member here since 2009 till now. My club here has a sliding scale, for members, junior, 4 days 5 day's and 7 days. Under 21 under 30, over 65. Young people between 25 and 45 are time poor. Family and work commitments take you away from golf. Some return after 45. Nz now has a system of 9 hole, events. Called take time to do 9. So 9 hole membership is growing. 2 hours then home. Keeps a lot of people happy.
A question I would like to ask is what are the likes of EGU and in my case Lancashire Golf doing to encourage golfers to join club's. I have played golf for 25 years + and have never once seen any examples, only 'encouragement' for elite golfers. I have worked in both schools and sports centres and seen nothing for juniors. I have been a member of clubs all this time and seen nothing but the associations still want their fees.