Balcarrick golf club

Dealerz

Hi
First time poster! Thinking of joining Balcarrick next year! I have been playing societies for the last couple of years! Any members on here could tell me what they think? Is it good value for the course? Is getting a booking at the weekends difficult? Does the fee include any bar levy?

Thanks

markst33

I have been a member of balcarrick golf club for about 15 years. The course unlike a lot of others is on a solid footing financially thanks to the great work of successive committees over the last number of years.

The course itself is in great condition and an investment of a million euros was made in it a few years ago which has really paid off.

We never use winter greens, instead we just go to 13 hole competitions in the winter. You will always get a slot on the timesheet and should u choose to join u will find the members most welcoming.

Finally the yearly fee has been reduced to about 1200. You might want to check that as i may have quoted too much. But it represents great value for money in a very challenging course. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Mark.

Blockbuster

Balcarrick Golf Club is great value, as mark stated the annual sub is about €1150 to €1200, there is no entry fee, there is no bar levy, the finances are very good as consecutive committees have managed the finances really well. The club uses an online booking system for the timesheet and it is very fair method in place, the timesheet is only made available in the clubhouse on the sat/sun for the following weekend, it is then made available on 1 minute past midnight on mondays for on-line users. The course is a fair challenge for all golfers, there is always a spot available and the proshop staff will usually deal with cancellations on the day will ensure you are accomodated, i been a member since 1991 and I would recommend the you take the plunge, good luck with your decision and good golfing wherever you go.....the Blockbuster

time42play

OH joined this year and likes it there. He's never failed to get a weekend tee time yet!

Dealerz

Thanks for the replies lads! The timesheet was a big concern for me and the other two lads joining. I think we will give give it a go in 2012
Thanks

paulie1968

Hi,

I joined the club last year, with almost the same set of concerns as you have now. The club is very good value (1,150 pa subs), with no entry fee and no bar levy. This can be paid over 6/7 months I think. This is excellent value compared to some the the "pay and play" / proprietor / local authority "clubs". These clubs are obviously not owned by the members, and, crucially for you, have very restricted access to timesheets at weekends. For example, they may only run one members comp for a restricted number of hours on either a Saturday or Sunday at the weekend, but never both. Balcarrick on the other hand, has a full fixture list... with a good variety of comps all year, across both weekend days, with plenty of access, particularly in the afternoon. The club house is reassuringly modest, the finances well run, the course in great condition, and a great new pro in this year as well. I looked at all comparable courses before I joined here...this is easily the best value around. Oh, and they're a nice friendly bunch as well. Hope this helps.

stringy

Blockbuster wrote: »

The club uses an online booking system for the timesheet and it is very fair method in place, the timesheet is only made available in the clubhouse on the sat/sun for the following weekend, it is then made available on 1 minute past midnight on mondays for on-line users.

Sorry this is off topic, but surely this isn't a fair method, if those who are in the club on a Sat/Sun get priority over those who can't make it physically to the clubhouse? Would it not be more equitable to make the timesheet available online for everybody at the one time as many other golf clubs do? e.g. the Friday evening before the following weekend.

AldilaMan

stringy wrote: »

Sorry this is off topic, but surely this isn't a fair method, if those who are in the club on a Sat/Sun get priority over those who can't make it physically to the clubhouse? Would it not be more equitable to make the timesheet available online for everybody at the one time as many other golf clubs do? e.g. the Friday evening before the following weekend.

I agree. It's one thing that puts me off Balcarrick. It's similar to how the old manual timeshet worked. You would have guys arriving to the club to get their name down for the following week and before you know it all the early slots are gone. I prefer the finger on the buzzer method at 12 miday on friday.

PhilipMarlowe

paulie1968 wrote: »

Hi,

I joined the club last year, with almost the same set of concerns as you have now. The club is very good value (1,150 pa subs), with no entry fee and no bar levy. This can be paid over 6/7 months I think. This is excellent value compared to some the the "pay and play" / proprietor / local authority "clubs". These clubs are obviously not owned by the members, and, crucially for you, have very restricted access to timesheets at weekends. For example, they may only run one members comp for a restricted number of hours on either a Saturday or Sunday at the weekend, but never both. Balcarrick on the other hand, has a full fixture list... with a good variety of comps all year, across both weekend days, with plenty of access, particularly in the afternoon. The club house is reassuringly modest, the finances well run, the course in great condition, and a great new pro in this year as well. I looked at all comparable courses before I joined here...this is easily the best value around. Oh, and they're a nice friendly bunch as well. Hope this helps.

Paulie, you registered in March 2007 and waited for this thread for the right moment to jump in to boards.ie with your thoughts.
What makes someone register on a site and wait over 4 and a half years to make their first post? Just "curious" like...

Dealerz

Ah right- so I need you ignore that post- even though it addressed my specific concerns! Thanks philip

AldilaMan

Dealerz wrote: »

Ah right- so I need you ignore that post- even though it addressed my specific concerns! Thanks philip

It may have addressed your specific concerns but would that post not lack some credibility (vested interest and all that !). I'd be with Philip on this one.

f22

PhilipMarlowe wrote: »

Paulie, you registered in March 2007 and waited for this thread for the right moment to jump in to boards.ie with your thoughts.
What makes someone register on a site and wait over 4 and a half years to make their first post? Just "curious" like...

You may have to wait 4.5 years for a reply though!

ThunderCat

paulie1968 wrote: »

Hi,

I joined the club last year, with almost the same set of concerns as you have now. The club is very good value (1,150 pa subs), with no entry fee and no bar levy. This can be paid over 6/7 months I think. This is excellent value compared to some the the "pay and play" / proprietor / local authority "clubs".

€1150 per annum for Balcarrick is not very good value no-matter what way you try and pretty it up.

veetwin

ThunderCat wrote: »

€1150 per annum for Balcarrick is not very good value no-matter what way you try and pretty it up.

Why not? Is there better value nearby?

Also considering joining but this timesheet business is kind of turning me off..Would also prefer if it went online at the same time for everyone. Nice course though having played in a few opens there during the summer and always got a great welcome.

lettuce97

veetwin wrote: »

Why not? Is there better value nearby?

Also considering joining but this timesheet business is kind of turning me off..Would also prefer if it went online at the same time for everyone. Nice course though having played in a few opens there during the summer and always got a great welcome.

Have to agree with veetwin, seems like good value to me. Around 20% cheaper than most clubs around that area as far as I can tell. I'd love to hear if there's better value around as I'm a member in one of the nearby clubs but would consider moving at that (or better) value.

ThunderCat

veetwin wrote: »

Why not? Is there better value nearby?

Actually, I take it back. I was under the impression that other courses in the area were charging less than Balcarrick but seemingly not.

AldilaMan

lettuce97 wrote: »

Have to agree with veetwin, seems like good value to me. Around 20% cheaper than most clubs around that area as far as I can tell. I'd love to hear if there's better value around as I'm a member in one of the nearby clubs but would consider moving at that (or better) value.

If you're comparing Balcarrick to Roganstown then stay put for the €300 extra. Roganstown is far superior IMO unless there's something negative going on that you could tell us about.

lettuce97

AldilaMan wrote: »

If you're comparing Balcarrick to Roganstown then stay put for the €300 extra. Roganstown is far superior IMO unless there's something negative going on that you could tell us about.

Where did I mention Roganstown - were you doing a bit of digging?!!

Nothing negative going on that I know of, but while I'd agree that Roganstown is the nicest course in the area (that I've played anyway), it's definitely missing out on the club feel due to lack of a dedicated clubhouse. That's my (and one or two others I've spoken to) opinion anyway.

DoctaDee

lettuce97 wrote: »

Where did I mention Roganstown - were you doing a bit of digging?!!

Nothing negative going on that I know of, but while I'd agree that Roganstown is the nicest course in the area (that I've played anyway), it's definitely missing out on the club feel due to lack of a dedicated clubhouse. That's my (and one or two others I've spoken to) opinion anyway.

Playing Roganstown this weekend - always look forward to it, think it's a smashing course. But agree totally with the post-round atmosphere ... yer as liable to fall into the middle of a wedding reception which knocks the buzz out of the golf post-mortem... on the upside - bridemaids :rolleyes:

I'd rank Roganstown as the top parkland course in North Dublin ... again the rumour mill has the financial situation as a bit iffy

AldilaMan

lettuce97 wrote: »

Where did I mention Roganstown - were you doing a bit of digging?!!

Nothing negative going on that I know of, but while I'd agree that Roganstown is the nicest course in the area (that I've played anyway), it's definitely missing out on the club feel due to lack of a dedicated clubhouse. That's my (and one or two others I've spoken to) opinion anyway.

lettuce97 wrote: »

Thanks for the great welcome all - totally in line with what I've experienced at the club, incredibly welcoming. Lovely course too. Hopefully plenty of practice and I'll be ready to meet a few of you at the competitions!

It didn't take much digging really

I do agree that the lack of a real clubhouse atmosphere is the only negative about Roganstown.

lettuce97

AldilaMan wrote: »

It didn't take much digging really

I do agree that the lack of a real clubhouse atmosphere is the only negative about Roganstown.

Hah, fair enough - I'll have to be a bit more prolific in my posting to make things harder to find!

It's a shame that there is the lack of club feel, I've found the members really friendly on the course but the vast majority are "car-park" members because of it.

Anyway the thread's been slightly highjacked, so to get it back on track - do people find Balcarrick good/bad/indifferent on the clubhouse side of things? Does it still resemble a portacabin??

Dealerz

I don't mind a modest clubhouse, once there's a shower/bar/sambo. You can't drink and drive anyways so what's the point of a big swanky clubhouse these days?

My only concern is that semi manual timesheet issue that seems to be in operation at balcarrick because the course is nice and whether the extra say 300 for a "proper" brs system in Roganstown is worth it

Blockbuster

The timesheet issue is debated every year at AGM, every member has a say and a vote, it is about 52% in favour of this method, of that approx 1/3 can vote either way, so a change to have the timesheet released at the same time to everyone is possible, remember, the members are a good bunch and are willing to change things if the majority want it. I'm easy about it, don't let this put you off joining......Balcarrick use the BRS System since 2008 and its very successful, even though you cannot book online at weekends, you can still see the timesheet remotely.......not that its any good to you, but change is possible...........the Blockbuster

mrnevin

Hey , I joined Balcarrick (in April) for the following reasons.......
1) I am from Dublin 9 area, I wanted to join somewhere within 20 mins from my house (only out the N1) that was not mad busy.
2) It is very well maintained all year round.
3) Yes the timesheet can fill up quickly BUT only the early morning slots seem to go quickly... You will always get a game if you dont mind teeing off after 10 ish ....which suits me grand.
4) A visitor that plays with a member only has to pay €10 ! Great value for money.
5) Everyone has been very welcoming. Steve in the pro shop is very accomodating and friendly and you will always have a bit of banter with him before you play...
6) I find it a challenging course, mainly because it can often be very windy which totally changes your club selection ... Playing off 15 and prone to hitting the balll very high (and right) I find this tough ! .... Water can come into play on about 14 / 18 holes...
7) The greens are great ! A credit to those who work there ....

I did alot of research when joining and although Balcarrick was not the cheapest I did feel it was the best quality course ... I Was the the Max of my budget when joining and if you dont mind spenting another couple of hundred euro you would have a wider choice but for what I payed I feel I got good value for money...
Hope this helps .....

Dealerz

Thanks mrnevin, some good info there

billyhead

I was alos thinking of joining the club for next year once the membership expires in the current club I play at the end of December. Perhaps if we have enough lads posting here that join we could organise weekly 4 balls etc.

Dealerz

Sounds good. There are two possibly three of us looking at Balcarrick as a club to join next year!

billyhead

Dealerz wrote: »

Sounds good. There are two possibly three of us looking at Balcarrick as a club to join next year!

Good stuff. I am 90% certain I will join the club next year.

heinze

Thinking of joining aswell next year due to job moving to dublin.

I played the course over 6 years ago with a relation thats a member and found the course a good test (even before the large investment being mentioned)
I found everyone i met in the clubhouse pretty sound and good banter in there after every round.

I'll give it a go again in the next few weeks to see how things have improved.
A weekly fourball would be good craic too with a few boardsies come next feb.

AD333

Over the last few years i've played with a work society but am hoping to play more regularly next year. Looking to join a club in the North side ...Did any of you go ahead and join Balcarrick?

billyhead

AD333 wrote: »

Over the last few years i've played with a work society but am hoping to play more regularly next year. Looking to join a club in the North side ...Did any of you go ahead and join Balcarrick?

Hi,

I am planning to join next year. It would be good if a few more lads posted here that are thinking of joining for the new year so we could arrange weekly 3 or 4 balls

Dealerz

billyhead wrote: »

AD333 wrote: »

Over the last few years i've played with a work society but am hoping to play more regularly next year. Looking to join a club in the North side ...Did any of you go ahead and join Balcarrick?

Hi,

I am planning to join next year. It would be good if a few more lads posted here that are thinking of joining for the new year so we could arrange weekly 3 or 4 balls

Hi billyhead

After looking at both courses, me and the lads are heading to Roganstown! Much better course and closer to home. Roganstown has a full brs system in operation rather than the mixed (brs and manual) one that is in place in balcarrick, plus roganstown has only 450 members so no bother getting a slot!

Enjoy Balcarrick!

billyhead

I was just wondering did anyone who posted on this thread join Balcarrick for the new year?

Dealerz

billyhead wrote: »

I was just wondering did anyone who posted on this thread join Balcarrick for the new year?

Hi
As above, me and a mate joined Roganstown instead. Enjoy if you join Balcarrick!

cash in hand

Hi,
Just to let you know that I joined Balcarrick in 2011 and renewed for 2012. I've only been playing golf for 3 yrs and last year was my first proper year playing regularly. I think it is a great challenge for my hcap of 23. As mentioned by others the course plays differently every time due to wind speed and direction.
As regards the timesheet I've never had a problem in getting a slot at the weekends and now with the brighter mornings and evenings there will be more time slots available. I play every week and there's no stuffiness about joining in with a threeball and Steven in the Pro Shop will always sort something out for you.
There's also a new practice green and bunker(s) going into the practice area and finances are in a good state.

Best of luck!

Dr_Colossus

Have never played the course although I did try after purchasing citydeal vouchers last year. Admittedly and stupidly I let the vouchers expire and when I realised the error of my ways in November and rang Balcarrick to try and book a tee time they were having none of it. The vouchers had only expired by 8 days and the timesheet was otherwise deserted on the midweek winters morning in question. Yet despite my pleadings Balcarrick said they would not honor the vouchers and if I wanted to play I could pay green fees instead. I advised them if that was their standpoint I would rather bring my custom elsewhere and wouldn't be in a hurry to return.

I didn't see the logic in this somewhat draconian standpoint. I've had similar vouchers before for another golf course (Rathsallagh) and even though those vouchers had expired by a number of months the golf course had no major issues in honoring them and welcomed me to their club. As a result we had a great day out and a lovely dinner in the club house which we subsequently purchased and due to the good will shown have no hesitations in returning or recommending the course to others.

Reputation and first impressions have a role to play with visiting golfers and a good rapport can create alot of repeated business but certain establishments don't seem to realise this. In the case of Balcarrick it was my own fault for letting the purchased vouchers expire, I had a long enough opportunity to organise a game in the alloted time so have no one to blame but myself but it's the golf clubs handling of the situation that didn't exactly endear me to the club.

link_2007

Dr Collosus - I have a friend who runs one of those deal websites and he was telling me that for some of the deals his company retain 100% of the fee paid until the voucher has been redeemed and then the company running the offer (or in this case the golf course) claim back their revenue minus his commission (which is usually 25% per voucher).

Once the voucher expires the course would not be able to reclaim their fee. While I agree the course could have handled the situation better - particularly if they were hoping for you to return at some point - this may go some way to explaining their stance on the situation.

AldilaMan

That's how Groupon and City Deals work ok with the voucher being submitted by the golf club for payment. However, the golf clubs can't be expected to forward the coupons the day after it expires and it would seem logical that they would have to present them within a reasonable timeframe after the offer ending (within 3 or 4 weeks probably). 8 days late could have been worked around. Bad form IMO

Kid Charlemagne

Seems to me the best people can say about this course is that it is possible to get on the timesheet?
Surely it has more going for it?

link_2007

Oh I do agree it was bad form - I was just trying to provide a possible explaination as to why the course took that stance but I certainly wasn't agreeing with it.

ennisweed

my grandad used to be there captain in balcarrick from what i remember it was a great course i used to love been brought out on a Sunday for a game. i am sure its changed alot since then.... but if tonys still behing the bar u will get some awesome pint of guinness

PRAF

Kid Charlemagne wrote: »

Seems to me the best people can say about this course is that it is possible to get on the timesheet?
Surely it has more going for it?

I am a member in Balcarrick and IMO it is a great test of golf. The course is long and tough, much longer and tougher than many other courses in the vicinity, but not US Open long or tough either!

The greens are always in great condition. I have played lots of top courses in Ireland and abroad and the greens in Balcarrick are without a doubt some of the very best I've ever putted on.

There is a great mix of par 3s (3), 4s (11) and 5s (4). Two of the par 4s and drivable for anyone with the liathroidis to try their luck.

There are water hazards in play on most of the holes with some feature lakes to enjoy and navigate past on the 5th, 7th and 14th.

The fairways are wide enough but don't let that fool you. Wind can be a real factor in Balcarrick and you need to be hitting it well to set yourself up for your iron shots. A couple of the par 4s are really tough when playing into the wind and are more like par 5s some days (the 9th and 11th in particular).

For visitors there is a pro shop with a friendly and knowledgable pro to give you advice on how to play the course, a putting green and practice nets to warm up, and a nice clubhouse to relax in and get a bite to eat after your game.

The club has lots of new and younger members these days as they had the good sense to get rid of their hello money a few years ago. The club is also investing in new facilities in our practice range which will include target greens and a bunker facility.

There is some nice scenery (views of Malahide, Lambay and Howth), lots of wildlife (swans, rabbits, hare, birds of prey etc.) and good facilities to enjoy. However, don't expect it to be Pebble Beach or the Old Head of Kinsale because it is not.

To summarise, Balcarrick is a true test of your golf game. It also represents great value for money for those of us who cannot afford to be members of Pebble Beach or the Old Head of Kinsale! There are opens on during the week so you've no excuse not to give it a try!

PRAF

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Have never played the course although I did try after purchasing citydeal vouchers last year. Admittedly and stupidly I let the vouchers expire and when I realised the error of my ways in November and rang Balcarrick to try and book a tee time they were having none of it. The vouchers had only expired by 8 days and the timesheet was otherwise deserted on the midweek winters morning in question. Yet despite my pleadings Balcarrick said they would not honor the vouchers and if I wanted to play I could pay green fees instead. I advised them if that was their standpoint I would rather bring my custom elsewhere and wouldn't be in a hurry to return.

I didn't see the logic in this somewhat draconian standpoint. I've had similar vouchers before for another golf course (Rathsallagh) and even though those vouchers had expired by a number of months the golf course had no major issues in honoring them and welcomed me to their club. As a result we had a great day out and a lovely dinner in the club house which we subsequently purchased and due to the good will shown have no hesitations in returning or recommending the course to others.

Reputation and first impressions have a role to play with visiting golfers and a good rapport can create alot of repeated business but certain establishments don't seem to realise this. In the case of Balcarrick it was my own fault for letting the purchased vouchers expire, I had a long enough opportunity to organise a game in the alloted time so have no one to blame but myself but it's the golf clubs handling of the situation that didn't exactly endear me to the club.

Dr Colossus I'm sorry to hear about that. Although as other boards members have pointed out, the club had no obligation to take your expired voucher, I'm a bit surprised they couldn't have come to an arrangement with you.

I have heard countless examples of the club doing being very accomodating to visitors in the past. The club often holds charity days to raise funds for good causes offerring time slots free of charge, they offer fantastic value for societies (who come back regularly) and are often very accomodating to people looking to try out the course before joining. More importantly, the club offers great value for money for members and visitors alike all year round.

I'd suggest you write a letter to the club explaining the particulars of this situation to see if they can help you out.

Dr_Colossus

PRAF wrote: »

Dr Colossus I'm sorry to hear about that. Although as other boards members have pointed out, the club had no obligation to take your expired voucher, I'm a bit surprised they couldn't have come to an arrangement with you.

I'd suggest you write a letter to the club explaining the particulars of this situation to see if they can help you out.

It's ok, I've nothing against the club it's just their handling of the situation that didn't exactly give a great first impression. The vouchers were very reasonable hence why I bought them and I've now written them off as a lesson learnt.

I've bought a number of these groupon type vouchers over the past year or two and will not be purchasing any again in future. They offer good value at the time of purchase but unless you book immediately you run into so many restrictions they become more hassle than they're worth plus there is the tendency to forget about them entirely.

Kid Charlemagne

yeah they can be a pain in the neck, especially the hotels - with all the daft restrictions they put on usage. killing the goose that laid the golden egg. got one for knightbrook before - night and golf/spa treatment - had to take a mon off work to use it cos they had restrictions on numbers allowed for fri/sat. wont buy again. that whole thing seems to have been ruined by petty rules as far as i can see. plus most of the % savings they claim are pure BS when you look into it.

Dr_Colossus

Kid Charlemagne wrote: »

yeah they can be a pain in the neck, especially the hotels - with all the daft restrictions they put on usage. killing the goose that laid the golden egg. got one for knightbrook before - night and golf/spa treatment - had to take a mon off work to use it cos they had restrictions on numbers allowed for fri/sat. wont buy again. that whole thing seems to have been ruined by petty rules as far as i can see. plus most of the % savings they claim are pure BS when you look into it.

+1. I have that same voucher for Knightsbrook which expires at the end of March. I checked availability online and then rang them to double check and they confirmed they had 3 free rooms for the Sat I was interested in. When I went to book and advised I had a groupon voucher they said they wouldn't accept it as they had reached the allotted number of groupon vouchers for that night. They wouldn't tell me what their allotted number was but that if I wanted to use my voucher which claimed to offer availability 7 days a week I would have to use it Mon to Thurs which was still available. A load of pants as can't take a day off work just to use a voucher I had bought in good faith for a weekend away.
Currently in discussions with Citydeal to try and get a refund since the voucher hasn't expired yet but Citydeal tell me they will only issue a refund in groupon credit since the small print of the original voucher had "subject to availability" written at the bottom. Citydeal were not able to tell me either how much weekend nights Knightsbrook had alloted for groupon holders so looks like there's nothing preventing them just saying all their allotted places are gone and forcing you to go midweek and out of season.
Curses on these Citydeal vouchers, better off dealing directly with golf courses/hotels especially when they're willing to offer good deals for cash customers and shun their voucher holders.
Sorry for ranting on and going off topic.

Kid Charlemagne

Exactly - they took a good idea and ruined it by trying to screw people over.

f22

Does Balcarrick still have the worst stocked pro shop on the planet? I won a voucher there a couple of years ago and there was literally nothing to buy. I even asked if he had 50 bars of chocolate and the answer was no!

veetwin

Kid Charlemagne wrote: »

Seems to me the best people can say about this course is that it is possible to get on the timesheet?
Surely it has more going for it?

Completely agree with PRAF, especially the greens. They are among the finest greens you will find anywhere on the East Coast. Some very interesting golf holes with nothing easy there. Also they have 2 Open Days every week during the summer one for seniors and one regular one. Great value at €15.

Not a member there but would like to join someday. It's not as glamourous as some of its neighbours but I wouldn't mind that. Just can't justify leaving my own club at the moment which is about 30% cheaper even though it's a bit of a drive.

pcasso

Having been a long time member of Balcarrick in the past I find the uncritical praise a bit over the top.
I agree that their greens are excellent, as good as you will find anywhere.The course is generally in good condition during the winter time as well though there are often only thirteen holes available to play as five holes (the back field) seems to be closed more often than open during this period.
There is a mix of short and long holes but there really isn't anything approaching memorable or remarkable among the entire eighteen.
The course, probably because of the relative flatness of the terrain, is rather featureless and open.
For someone who sprays it off the tee finding a fairway can be relatively easy as long as it doesn't have to be the one belonging to the hole you are playing.
It is a nice, modest, well run club with a course that measures up relatively favourably to it's near and not so near neighbours but in my opinion is neither a magnificent course or a magnificent test of golf.

PRAF

f22 wrote: »

Does Balcarrick still have the worst stocked pro shop on the planet? I won a voucher there a couple of years ago and there was literally nothing to buy. I even asked if he had 50 bars of chocolate and the answer was no!

No, there is a new pro now, shop is well stocked. It is a branch of Focus Golf so has a good range in the shop and an even better range available to members via their other stores. Prices are very reasonable too.