Golf Memberships

Sean_pop · 24-10-2014 12:03pm #1

We are not too far away from that time again where we have to renew our membership with our clubs.

My club are maintaining there membership of €650 for the forthcoming year.

Is anyone's club membership set to go up or down next year???

I was thinking of joining a cheaper golf club which would allow me to keep my GUI handicap thus allowing me to play in all the open competitions i wanted.

The problem with the club I am at now is most of the competitions are open competitions which I could play if I was a member elsewhere.

Really unsure as what to do

Ollieboy · 24-10-2014 12:36pm

I've being told our subs are to come down this year, to be honest they better as it's far to dear. The excuse given is budgets and local clubs charge the same in the region.

I've heard St Margarets are bring out a very good deal for the new year.

alxmorgan · 24-10-2014 12:41pm

Sean_pop wrote: »

We are not too far away from that time again where we have to renew our membership with our clubs.

My club are maintaining there membership of €650 for the forthcoming year.

Is anyone's club membership set to go up or down next year???

I was thinking of joining a cheaper golf club which would allow me to keep my GUI handicap thus allowing me to play in all the open competitions i wanted.

The problem with the club I am at now is most of the competitions are open competitions which I could play if I was a member elsewhere.

Really unsure as what to do

Start by putting on a hard hat anyway for all the flak about to come your way

elgenerale · 24-10-2014 1:02pm

Sean_pop wrote: »

My club are maintaining there membership of €650 for the forthcoming year.

My sub is over 1200 !!! And I dont have much choice unless i want a longer drive and I dont. I'd like to be paying ur price!!!!!

cairny · 24-10-2014 1:23pm

Ok putting to one side the arguments in relation to being part of the community, making sure club survives, not feeding the distance clubs that are taking advantage etc etc.....will you really save much or anything?

Might save say €400 on yearly sub but you'll have to pay the visitor rate in the open comps anyway....say €15 more than for members then if you play just 16 comps (one a week for 3 months) thats €250 of your saving gone..to save €150 you'd be giving up all casual free golf, those few holes after work days and comps and weekened golf for 9 months.

At 650, if you play any way regularly you'd surely be better off staying with club?

ForeRight · 24-10-2014 1:28pm

Myself and a few friends are all joining slievenemon next year. It's suppose to be €150 but we haggled down to €130 and if a few more jump on board we might get it for €120.

alxmorgan · 24-10-2014 1:39pm

ForeRight wrote: »

Myself and a few friends are all joining slievenemon next year. It's suppose to be €150 but we haggled down to €130 and if a few more jump on board we might get it for €120.

If we can get a few more we might be able to get a reciprocal distance deal with Carton ? Let me know...really interested in this

Dbu · 24-10-2014 1:44pm

ForeRight wrote: »

Myself and a few friends are all joining slievenemon next year. It's suppose to be €150 but we haggled down to €130 and if a few more jump on board we might get it for €120.

:eek::eek:
all i can say is holy s..t
no wonder clubs like that are getting a poor name

Sean_pop · 24-10-2014 1:50pm

cairny wrote: »

Ok putting to one side the arguments in relation to being part of the community, making sure club survives, not feeding the distance clubs that are taking advantage etc etc.....will you really save much or anything?

Might save say €400 on yearly sub but you'll have to pay the visitor rate in the open comps anyway....say €15 more than for members then if you play just 16 comps (one a week for 3 months) thats €250 of your saving gone..to save €150 you'd be giving up all casual free golf, those few holes after work days and comps and weekened golf for 9 months.

At 650, if you play any way regularly you'd surely be better off staying with club?

Rates at my club are as follows for open competitions.
Members rate for typical open competition is €8
Visitors rate for typical open competition are either €10-€15

I probably should have stated in my previous post that I want to stay with my current club but as a country member and was wondering if I could find a cheaper Golf club to join so I can avail of the country membership at my current club as I do play quiet a lot of Golf in the summer.

I don't however play many competitions at my home club as I like to play different courses at the weekend depending on what open competitions are on

Country membership in my club is €300. If I could find cheap enough membership elsewhere it might be worth doing

Slicemeister · 24-10-2014 1:59pm

Sounds like you'd be better off with a distance membership. Any truth in Ballykisteen doing a â‚¬250 distance offer?

alxmorgan · 24-10-2014 3:06pm

Slicemeister wrote: »

Sounds like you'd be better off with a distance membership. Any truth in Ballykisteen doing a â‚¬250 distance offer?

Yip.

http://ballykisteenhotel.com/golf_membership

moycullen14 · 24-10-2014 4:22pm

ForeRight wrote: »

Myself and a few friends are all joining slievenemon next year. It's suppose to be €150 but we haggled down to €130 and if a few more jump on board we might get it for €120.

When you're doing your financial analysis, make sure you DO NOT take the following into account:

The cost of driving tither and yon
The value of playing in club competitions, teams, etc.
The convenience of a few holes of a summers evening
What you are going to do on a Saturday morning when you really fancy a game...
The wider benefits of a club to a community
The next generation of golfers

Because, after all, saving 10 euro is far more important.

PARlance · 24-10-2014 4:39pm

Is Slievenamon an 18 or 27 hole course?
Any driving range, accommodation, good putting or short game area?

ForeRight · 24-10-2014 4:46pm

moycullen14 wrote: »

When you're doing your financial analysis, make sure you DO NOT take the following into account:

The cost of driving tither and yon
The value of playing in club competitions, teams, etc.
The convenience of a few holes of a summers evening
What you are going to do on a Saturday morning when you really fancy a game...
The wider benefits of a club to a community
The next generation of golfers

Because, after all, saving 10 euro is far more important.

I won't be driving down to play it and I spend all summer jumping out on the back holes of Corballis sothat doesn't cost anything.

Felexicon · 24-10-2014 6:17pm

ForeRight wrote: »

I won't be driving down to play it and I spend all summer jumping out on the back holes of Corballis sothat doesn't cost anything.

You won't be at that crack next summer. I'll be on the look out for you sneaking over the dunes.

charlieIRL · 24-10-2014 6:21pm

ForeRight wrote: »

I won't be driving down to play it and I spend all summer jumping out on the back holes of Corballis sothat doesn't cost anything.

ForeRight wrote: »

Myself and a few friends are all joining slievenemon next year. It's suppose to be €150 but we haggled down to €130 and if a few more jump on board we might get it for €120.

Borderline trolling now.

shane 007 · 24-10-2014 6:50pm

ForeRight wrote: »

Myself and a few friends are all joining slievenemon next year. It's suppose to be €150 but we haggled down to €130 and if a few more jump on board we might get it for €120.

What about the minimum number of rounds at your home club before being allowed to play in opens?

Slicemeister · 24-10-2014 8:01pm

PARlance wrote: »

Is Slievenamon an 18 or 27 hole course?
Any driving range, accommodation, good putting or short game area?

18 holes. No driving range, local accommodation about 6 miles away in Clonmel, as good a practice green as any and 2 chipping greens with about 100 yards of approach from rough.

In hindsight I'm not too sure there isn't a driving range up back of the course, never saw it but have seen traffic going up and down a passage. Was a member there myself last year.

Norfolk Enchants_ · 24-10-2014 8:52pm

Full membership in the Ring of Kerry GC, Kenmare Co. Kerry for only €215, be hard to beat that I'd say.

cairny · 24-10-2014 9:06pm

Sean_pop wrote: »

Rates at my club are as follows for open competitions.
Members rate for typical open competition is €8
Visitors rate for typical open competition are either €10-€15

I probably should have stated in my previous post that I want to stay with my current club but as a country member and was wondering if I could find a cheaper Golf club to join so I can avail of the country membership at my current club as I do play quiet a lot of Golf in the summer.

I don't however play many competitions at my home club as I like to play different courses at the weekend depending on what open competitions are on

Country membership in my club is €300. If I could find cheap enough membership elsewhere it might be worth doing

Country membership comes with the condition that you live X miles from the club usually 75 I think.

Crazy pricing strategy for the opens by your club, part of the race to the bottom some clubs are engaged in, getting what they deserve in one sense.

J6P · 24-10-2014 9:14pm

Hollywood lakes €995 to end of 2015

idle · 24-10-2014 9:42pm

I'm thinking about joining Killarney. It's 4 times what I'd be paying at the club I'm currently a member of, which I joined 12 months ago. I probably won't play as many rounds as I did this year but I'd rather 1 round in Killeen/Mahoneys than 3 on my present course. Tough decision!

cairny · 24-10-2014 9:59pm

idle wrote: »

I'm thinking about joining Killarney. It's 4 times what I'd be paying at the club I'm currently a member of, which I joined 12 months ago. I probably won't play as many rounds as I did this year but I'd rather 1 round in Killeen/Mahoneys than 3 on my present course. Tough decision!

Lackabane back now as well, I prefer it to Mahoney's.

tayto lover · 24-10-2014 10:02pm

Greenore, Co. Louth.
820 euro inc insurance, locker and 100 of that for bar/restaurant.

idle · 24-10-2014 10:09pm

cairny wrote: »

Lackabane back now as well, I prefer it to Mahoney's.

Heard that alright. What condition is it in?

cairny · 24-10-2014 10:09pm

idle wrote: »

Quote: idle
I'm thinking about joining Killarney. It's 4 times what I'd be paying at the club I'm currently a member of, which I joined 12 months ago. I probably won't play as many rounds as I did this year but I'd rather 1 round in Killeen/Mahoneys than 3 on my present course. Tough decision!

Lackabane back now as well, I prefer it to Mahoney's.

Heard that alright. What condition is it in?

Played it about 6 weeks ago and it was a little rough around the edges but decent enough, should be better now. I'd say it will be back perfect for the start of next season.

redzerdrog · 24-10-2014 10:33pm

I am planning on joining a club with €1000 share membership plus €1050 yearly subs

And for an extra kick in the teeth they want the full amount upfront and wont let me pay by direct debit so I need to gather the full amount before I can join.

redzerdrog · 24-10-2014 10:34pm

tayto lover wrote: »

Greenore, Co. Louth.
820 euro inc insurance, locker and 100 of that for bar/restaurant.

Very good value for a lovely course all golf all year round

alxmorgan · 24-10-2014 10:34pm

redzerdrog wrote: »

I am planning on joining a club with €1000 share membership plus €1050 yearly subs

And for an extra kick in the teeth they want the full amount upfront and wont let me pay by direct debit so I need to gather the full amount before I can join.

You'd want to be sure they'll stay going !!

redzerdrog · 24-10-2014 10:38pm

alxmorgan wrote: »

You'd want to be sure they'll stay going !!

I am fairly sure it is a very busy course and although there was romours of financial trouble a few years ago I think it does very well, they offer non share membership for 1500 subs and people were eating that up coz shares were a lot more expensive.

Unglika Norse · 25-10-2014 8:11pm

redzerdrog wrote: »

I am planning on joining a club with €1000 share membership plus €1050 yearly subs

And for an extra kick in the teeth they want the full amount upfront and wont let me pay by direct debit so I need to gather the full amount before I can join.

There is no such thing as a share membership vis a vi a share in the assets of a club, unless it is a members owned club who own their own land and buildings, ask anyone who bought "share memberships in the likes of Rathcore, New Forest, Moyvalley, Knightsbrook, South County, McCreddin, Concra Woods, etc etc etc ,,, I think the only members club that did such a deal was Corrstown.

Propriotry golf clubs in essence have no asset, to sell shares in.

lester76 · 27-10-2014 1:51am

Tramore has a 500e deal right now for new members. Fantastic offer 27hole championship course. I paid 950 & 250 for my son. We play at least 3times a week so still good value..

razorblunt · 27-10-2014 12:37pm

Related question - can you cancel your membership at any time, or are you tied in until the renewal date (March for me)?

Reason I ask is that I have an exam in December and another in June that I'll be focusing on most weekends so I'm not going to get out at a steady rate again until next summer.
I was planning on moving clubs anyway so I'm not looking for a membership "freeze" or anything like that.

moycullen14 · 27-10-2014 1:21pm

For clubs, which is more important? Hanging on to existing members or recruiting new ones. Where are clubs focusing? What are the best strategies for hanging on to existing members?

Also, do people think we have hit the bottom and things are improving? I get the impression in our club that we are far from the end. If anything, the rate of decline is increasing.

golfwallah · 27-10-2014 2:48pm

moycullen14 wrote: »

For clubs, which is more important? Hanging on to existing members or recruiting new ones. Where are clubs focusing? What are the best strategies for hanging on to existing members?

Also, do people think we have hit the bottom and things are improving? I get the impression in our club that we are far from the end. If anything, the rate of decline is increasing.

Member recruitment and retention are equally important, IMHO. And to answer your question, the best strategies are those that are based on informed research and a well worked out, club specific, realistic business / marketing plan that is acceptable to a majority of members.

I don’t believe there is a magic, quick-fix formula - just a lot of hard work, particularly on communication with members so that they understand the situation and can be given realistic options on how best to take a club from where it is now to where it would like to be, given assumptions about the economy, what different golfers want, affordability, etc.

It can also be a very divisive subject as people see the same things differently, depending on their own personal circumstances, their likes, dislikes, etc. One man’s cure can be viewed as poisonous by another, for example, giving new recruits over-generous deals, whilst existing members are expected to stump up a lot more, holds a lot of understandable risks. Just because a neighbouring club is doing it, doesn’t mean it’s right for you!

To my mind, the best approach is to have open, informed communications about the issues and possible solutions. But some people also see this as risky as it could cause panic about the state of a club’s finances. Bringing in a bit of marketing and financial expertise would also help as the golf market and the economy have changed and we are unlikely to get back to the old Celtic Tiger days anytime soon. Googling “retaining golf club members” will bring up stuff already in the public domain and could offer a useful starting point.

It’s not an easy one to deal with. Like golf, there are risks and rewards involved. And also, like golf, the more you prepare and practice the more likely are your prospects of success.

First Up · 27-10-2014 2:58pm

moycullen14 wrote: »

For clubs, which is more important? Hanging on to existing members or recruiting new ones. Where are clubs focusing? What are the best strategies for hanging on to existing members?

Also, do people think we have hit the bottom and things are improving? I get the impression in our club that we are far from the end. If anything, the rate of decline is increasing.

The market is still very soft but there seems to be a lot of variation in how clubs are doing. Some very good deals out there - some maybe out of desperation or in some cases, looking to kill off some local competition. The problem is still mostly the clubs that have to service big debts. I don't think any of them are managing to trade their way out of it because neither demand nor prices are strong enough.

Still a bit of a shake out to come I suspect.

Kingswood Rover · 27-10-2014 5:39pm

it is really all about controling your costs and running tight monthly budgets as part of your annual plan. How much does it cost to run the club and maintain the course to a standard that is acceptable and comparable toother clubs of a similar cost base and stature, What is our break even figure? how do we get there? how do we stay there? and how do we plan and budget for the big ticket items that comeup every other year. Run the club like a business and always look for ways to maximise revenues.

Unglika Norse · 02-12-2014 10:13pm

One golf club in the midlands, could be pondering whether they have a future, after Target Golf did not renew their contract to manage and run it. Must have been lean pickings as they seem to be fairly successful in running other courses. I think this could be the year that sees some of the clubs that have been hanging on for dear life begining to give up the ghost, sad to say. By the way anybody notice that the Leinster branch of the GUI upped there charge to members by 33 1/3 % at the ADM. ( in another thread I know)

golfwallah · 03-12-2014 12:26pm

Unglika Norse wrote: »

One golf club in the midlands, could be pondering whether they have a future, after Target Golf did not renew their contract to manage and run it. Must have been lean pickings as they seem to be fairly successful in running other courses. I think this could be the year that sees some of the clubs that have been hanging on for dear life begining to give up the ghost, sad to say. By the way anybody notice that the Leinster branch of the GUI upped there charge to members by 33 1/3 % at the ADM. ( in another thread I know)

Interesting about the club in the midlands - looked up GUI site re increase in member fees for Leinster Branch:

Financial Report for year ended 31st August 2014
Joe McNamara (Hon. Treasurer) presented the Statement of Accounts for the ended 31st August. He sought approval on behalf of the Provincial Council to increase the Leinster portion of the GUI Member Subscription from €6.00 to €8.00. This increase was ratified by the delegates and will be reflected in the GUI invoice sent to clubs in November 2015 for payment by 1st January 2016.

Presumably the extra €2.00 will apply to all golf club members registered with the GUI - adding to club operating costs, if they don't pass it on to members.

Always amazes me how long clubs and businesses can hang on for years after costs begin to exceed income - cash flow management, I guess!

Kingswood Rover · 04-12-2014 10:44am

Lower fuel prices will help offset that GUI increase. One off expenses say for instance a major repair out of the blue to a greens mower can be covered by holding a classic/special competition where the revenues raised are ringfenced for that specific purpose. A club where i was a couple of years ago tarmaced their car park this way.

golfwallah · 04-12-2014 12:20pm

Kingswood Rover wrote: »

Lower fuel prices will help offset that GUI increase. One off expenses say for instance a major repair out of the blue to a greens mower can be covered by holding a classic/special competition where the revenues raised are ringfenced for that specific purpose. A club where i was a couple of years ago tarmaced their car park this way.

Every club’s situation is different and the short-term solutions you’ve described may have worked to solve relatively minor “one off” problems for a while, in a few clubs.

For example, it’s one thing to have a fundraiser to raise a few €000 to fix a mower or maybe even €15,000 to surface a car park but quite another to deal with problems costing a lot more. And many clubs out there have been putting off the “evil day” when they have to spend large sums of money just to keep going (e.g. replace a roof, replace an entire fleet of clapped out course machinery or replace an irrigation system). At the same time, all but a few clubs have been haemorrhaging revenue and have already cut costs “to the bone”.

I would describe the former as short-term issues fixable with relatively quick tactical solutions whereas the latter are more strategic long-term issues that are fundamental to the very existence of a club.

Whether a short-term or a long-term approach is chosen will still require time and effort. But, if you think about it, it’s not simply a case of “one size fits all”.

Short-term solutions can work if the problem is small and there are people around to put in a bit of effort to run a fundraiser (have done it myself by sending out an email to members that raised €2K for a quick fix to our club’s car park). It wasn’t enough to re-build the car park but enough to keep going for a while longer.

Bigger problems needing longer term solutions require leadership to build a shared vision for the future and mould member consensus as to how to get there. This requires a much bigger effort and a much more professional approach to strategic and market planning than mere day to day survival and “break-fix” when things go a bit wrong.

The following membership and club stats based on information on the GUI website illustrate the scale of the problem:
Year Clubs Members Average members per club
1986 248 123,000 496

2014 430 150,000 349

bailey99 · 04-12-2014 2:32pm

ForeRight wrote: »

Myself and a few friends are all joining slievenemon next year. It's suppose to be €150 but we haggled down to €130 and if a few more jump on board we might get it for €120.

Wouldn't join that place for free. I'd refuse to play with a member of Slievenamon in an open competition, or if he came in with a ridiculous score and played well above his handicap, I'd simply refuse to sign his card.

That place and the reputation of its members is the pits.

cgh · 04-12-2014 2:33pm

what are the chances of actually getting a list of golf clubs and the fees for next year,

The Heath near portlaois is €595 for next year,
Portarlington is €650 as far as I know.

bailey99 · 04-12-2014 2:34pm

Norfolk Enchants_ wrote: »

Full membership in the Ring of Kerry GC, Kenmare Co. Kerry for only €215, be hard to beat that I'd say.

That place is in atrocious condition. Tis a bog really with no drainage and the bunkers are terrible condition.

cairny · 04-12-2014 2:50pm

bailey99 wrote: »

Wouldn't join that place for free. I'd refuse to play with a member of Slievenamon in an open competition, or if he came in with a ridiculous score and played well above his handicap, I'd simply refuse to sign his card.

That place and the reputation of its members is the pits.

You were replying to a wind up there.

I'm no fan of the Tipp club but you've no right to do any of that...unless of course your own post was a wind up in which case I apologise.

Norfolk Enchants_ · 04-12-2014 7:34pm

bailey99 wrote: »

That place is in atrocious condition. Tis a bog really with no drainage and the bunkers are terrible condition.

Meh, you get what you pay for, true the ground is soft during the winter but so is the Killeen course in the Killarney, would you describe that as atrocious?.
Plus the greens in the Ring are almost always excellent, (although at moment they have been hit by fusarium and were not treated soon enough) but come next spring you can be sure they'll be back to their best.
Unfortunately I can't argue with you on the bunkers front, so you win that one

, best advice I can give you there is to stay out of them:pac::pac:.
Like I said for €215 you can't go wrong.

millerj · 04-12-2014 7:51pm

Norfolk Enchants_ wrote: »

Meh, you get what you pay for, true the ground is soft during the winter but so is the Killeen course in the Killarney, would you describe that as atrocious?.
Plus the greens in the Ring are almost always excellent, (although at moment they have been hit by fusarium and were not treated soon enough) but come next spring you can be sure they'll be back to their best.
Unfortunately I can't argue with you on the bunkers front, so you win that one , best advice I can give you there is to stay out of them:pac::pac:.
Like I said for €215 you can't go wrong.

In fact if two join together they are doing it for €150 each (presume this offer is still available). Played there about two months ago and really enjoyed it.

Kingswood Rover · 05-12-2014 7:37pm

bailey99 wrote: »

Wouldn't join that place for free. I'd refuse to play with a member of Slievenamon in an open competition, or if he came in with a ridiculous score and played well above his handicap, I'd simply refuse to sign his card.

That place and the reputation of its members is the pits.

Good man youself discriminating against someone who may be only getting into golf and or could only afford to join as a distance member. On signing his card if he/she has a good round and plays a lot better than their handicap, another crock, both of you are members of the GUI, she/he have been given a handicap by a GUI affiliated club, granted you might not like signing but refusing to sign it on the grounds you think they should have a lower handicap is entering the realm of dodgy territory. No on second thoughts you are right, yes, lets all refuse to sign fellow competitors cards if we feel they have played better than their handicap suggests......i don't think.

First Up · 05-12-2014 9:50pm

Kingswood Rover wrote: »

Good man youself discriminating against someone who may be only getting into golf and or could only afford to join as a distance member. On signing his card if he/she has a good round and plays a lot better than their handicap, another crock, both of you are members of the GUI, she/he have been given a handicap by a GUI affiliated club, granted you might not like signing but refusing to sign it on the grounds you think they should have a lower handicap is entering the realm of dodgy territory. No on second thoughts you are right, yes, lets all refuse to sign fellow competitors cards if we feel they have played better than their handicap suggests......i don't think.

A scam and abuse of the system that is thankfully coming to an end.

Montgolfier · 06-12-2014 12:16am

lester76 wrote: »

Tramore has a 500e deal right now for new members. Fantastic offer 27hole championship course. I paid 950 & 250 for my son. We play at least 3times a week so still good value..

The normal member rate is €1070 for the record, you could probably join slievenamon with the difference lol.

Kingswood Rover · 06-12-2014 9:53am

First Up wrote: »

A scam and abuse of the system that is thankfully coming to an end.

yes hopefully the handicap protecting and procuring of one of through the false representation of playimg ability is coming to the end..... the proper way through rule changes by the organising body and not by people refusing to sign cards because they are a member from another club.

Golf Memberships

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