New Club, am I mad ?

stackerman

Gday all, just wondering if any of you have thoughts on this. I joined a club just 2 miles from me (North Kildare/West Dublin) years ago when it was set up. I was in school at the time and was a juvenile member, moving up to adult after school. Anyway I then moved to the UK for work and had to let my membership go as I could not afford it. The club would not do anything for me at the time, such as put my membership on hold.

When I returned I rejoined the club at a cost of €5 K in total (€3k for 5 day, and then an additional €2k to get full membership). I have asked the club over the years if they could provide a standing order setup or something like it so that the following years sub could be spread out over the previous year. They wouldn’t even consider it for their members, even though it would mean that they would have collected the sub early. The course is great, if maybe a little short and always in good condition, so no complaints there.


The attitude of the club sucks though, badly run on the money side and the top brass are idiots, members are secondary :mad:
Anyway I am thinking of leaving (turning my back on €5k :eek:) and looking for another club. Am I mad ?
I have heard that there are great deals around, with no joining fees (any recommendations ?)

jimjo

I’m going to start my answer the way I’ll finish it, it all depends…

Seriously is your club that bad? Sometimes people have this romantic image that if ya join a new club ya’ll play a whole lot more golf and be a single figure handicapper by the end of next year. Are the committee somehow preventing you from playing golf? Do they actively annoy you in competitions? All clubs up and down the country have annoying committee members, trust me it’s not just in your club. I’ve found that when people first join a committee they do some good but after time their interest dips, which is natural enough, and aren’t of much use. A note on how bad the club is in regards to paying fee’s, well that club is living in the boom years. Very few people can afford to hand 5K straight over these days, and they have to readjust their payment methods if they want to attract new members, but then gain the club maybe in a financially sound position and doesn’t need new members clogging up the timesheet on weekends. Can I ask which club it is?!

Secondly can you afford it? You’ll be giving up the 5k you spent on joining the club in the first place and as you say you like the course and the course is always well maintained, (to me that’s the main thing) . You’ll more than likely have to start afresh and get to know members again which can be tedious. Are there more comps you can play in their, is the clubhouse better craic, are the practice facilities good, the general things to consider when joining a club. But if the club is annoying you that much and you resent the place and you feel you’ll enjoy your golf more in another club than fair enough.

Sometimes though it’s better the devil you know.

It all depends…

Tom Ghostwood

5 grand! You'd be mental to leave after paying that. Re: Standing order issue - Just get a credit union loan & set up the standing order with them instead.

Mister Sifter

You may as well take the whole 5k issue out of the equation as it's gone and you're never gonna get it back.

If you're not happy in your club then you have three choices. Grin and bear and continue to be unhappy; get active in the club and try and make a change (bear in mind this may be a long term thing and won't be done in 12 months); and finally, up sticks and leave.

stackerman

Thanks for the input guys

Tom Ghostwood wrote: »

5 grand! You'd be mental to leave after paying that. Re: Standing order issue - Just get a credit union loan & set up the standing order with them instead.

The standing order issue is just an example of the clubs attitude towards its members, its not really about the money.

As jimjo said they are living in the boom years, spending money on works and overpaying for same etc. A club is meant to be for its members not as a power trip for some. I have been a member in this club since it was set up (outside of my years in the UK) and alot of members have moved on including some of the founding members, because of the attitude. The problem is that this almost suits the club as its one of the few with a waiting list, so more money in. This is not about any 'clash' with the committee, I have stayed clear, but more about the attitude towards the members.

As for the €5 k, well it was paid in the 'good times' and I cant change that, but I hear that you can get into clubs now just with your yearly sub (so Id be no worse off) Is that correct ? I have not looked into it, as I am just toying around with this idea at the mo.

I'm not trying to be difficult and I dont resent the place, I just feel that I could maybe move to another club who cares more for its membership. Romantic ? Dont know . . .

Icepickle

Another possible avenue you might explore is taking a year's sabbatical. Some clubs grant them whereby you still retain membership without playing or voting rights for the year & the only cost would be your GUI fee (think it's around €20).
You could then join a 2nd club of your choosing that didn't have an entrance fee, pay the annual sub, play for the year & at the end of it weigh up the option of staying with the new or returning to the old.

Curly7

keving wrote: »

I'm not trying to be difficult and I dont resent the place, I just feel that I could maybe move to another club who cares more for its membership. Romantic ? Dont know . . .

Done the same myself, my last club was a joke €1600 a year in subs and they didn't care about members, the club was pretty much run by one guy, competitions were singles stableford every single week, i didn't get to know any other members while i was there. So i left and joined a new club and have been delighted with the move since