Leave of Absence

Dublin Spur

With a heavy heart I have had to take a leave of absence from my club.

These days I have to get value from any purchase I'm afraid there's very little value in my annual sub, when I can only get to play once a week.

Our time sheets are full of retired lads who play between 2 and 4 times a week (fair play to them), they are getting great value, but as someone working a full week with a young family there's just no way I can justify the outlay any more.

I worked it out that my annual sub = €30 a round based on 1 game a week. I'm be better off on a "pay as you play" deal.

Anyone else in the same boat ?

ssbob

Dublin Spur wrote: »

Anyone else in the same boat ?

Considered it alright but when I weighed in all the costs associated with getting on courses with pay & play and the inability to get out in the evenings for a few holes(when kids are in bed), it just made more sense to be joined up. I would say I only played about 30-35 full rounds of golf last year but at least the same part-rounds! So in effect the golf club is costing very little.

charlieIRL

Same boat here alright, I have decided to take a bit of time out from membership. With work being quiet and a new show jumping pony on the way for my oldest funds needed to be reallocated. My weekends are gone with youngest in swim club and gaelic and sundays for the summer are spent at shows! Am just going to pay and play at my club on the days I'm off during the week
I informed the club before the end of last year to be fair to them. if things change in the next few months I'll be back like a shot though.

L.O.F.T

Many are in the same boat as you Dublin Spur and Ive lost 2 mates and cousins because of a similar situation to you. Have a look around your area and get involved in a society to keep you competitive for when you get back involved with a club. I dip in an out of a local society and the days I spend with them is great craic and keeps the competitive juices flowing.
Perhaps Boards.ie society might be an option?

The Guardian

This is the most depressing thread in the history of boards.ie.

Is there a support group for people like ye?

thewobbler

I'd guess my membership costs me about £40 a round, and the green fee is £24. Two mates regularly play with me as guests, and at £12 a touch, it means their annual golf fees are less than half of mine.

It doesn't make financial sense.

But for decades it was a two year waiting list and a four-figure handshake to become a member, and I'm not going to step out of line as, although there's a recession on, it's the only golf course worth joining in our area, and the queues/costs will return. So I'm not stepping out.

Dublin Spur

Yes LOFT, I'm in a local society and it's good craic, I reckon I'll still get out 20 times this year.

It's actually a weight off my mind that I've actually done it, I probabaly should have done it last year.

Dublin Spur

thewobbler wrote: »

I'd guess my membership costs me about £40 a round, and the green fee is £24. Two mates regularly play with me as guests, and at £12 a touch, it means their annual golf fees are less than half of mine.

It doesn't make financial sense.

But for decades it was a two year waiting list and a four-figure handshake to become a member, and I'm not going to step out of line as, although there's a recession on, it's the only golf course worth joining in our area, and the queues/costs will return. So I'm not stepping out.

taking leave of absence at my club means that no future (re)joining fees are needed so it's no dead money in that regard.

BTW - at the moment joinging fees have actully been removed !
Sign of the times I guess

Ilik Urgee

@ OP why not take up distance membership elsewhere?

sydneybound

Dublin Spur I don’t think you should give up your membership. Give it a month when the clocks go back and I bet you’ll get out one evening on top of one round per week providing you find the time, maybe by coming to some compromise with herself. You take the kids Tuesday & Wednesday and you head off Thursday. Failing that I would simply suggest trying to find a slightly cheaper annual sub if you can.

I generally disagree with people when they say ‘I’ll just pay greens fees every weekend at a cost of €30’ however when you actually try and play on a Saturday morning; firstly getting a tee time is extremely difficult on any decent course and secondly you’ll often end up paying more than €30/35 to play at a decent hour, i.e. 9am, especially in the summer months. Think about it if you play in your society 20 times a week at 30/40 a go that still amounts to a lot of cash and you end up playing lots of courses you don’t even like.

Lastly and I’m going to get slated for this and sorry in advance but I hope you can sort of understand me but it frustrates the hell out of me when four old codgers play in front of you early on a Saturday/Sunday morning. Granted as members they are eligible to play whenever, however the same guys play two to three times a week already. Last week I played behind four and they lost nearly two holes on the group ahead and that was by doing stupid stuff like taking their time leaving the tee they just took shots from, leaving bags in stupid positions around greens delaying the group behind. I said to my playing partners will I tell them to hurry up but they replied best not as you’ll get the old spiel of being members at the club all their lives and we were blow-ins, well members of two years in fact. Bad enough they seem to have a stranglehold off the weekend morning tee times these guys can play whenever they like, the course is dead to the world in the week, play as slow as you like on those days lads. Rant over!

Anyway hope that sort of helps!

m r c

Dublin Spur wrote: »

With a heavy heart I have had to take a leave of absence from my club.

These days I have to get value from any purchase I'm afraid there's very little value in my annual sub, when I can only get to play once a week.

Our time sheets are full of retired lads who play between 2 and 4 times a week (fair play to them), they are getting great value, but as someone working a full week with a young family there's just no way I can justify the outlay any more.

I worked it out that my annual sub = €30 a round based on 1 game a week. I'm be better off on a "pay as you play" deal.

Anyone else in the same boat ?

You are not too far off in a lot you said here unfortunately.
The only thing I'd caution is we are just coming into longer evenings now, after no/very little cheeky after work rounds you might regret leaving it go.
If you don't get out like that even in July then you'll be grand.

slave1

I'm the same, my average cost per round in my club last year was just over €30 and I always played with fellow members, guest rates are €10 during the week and €15 at the weekend so I was losing out big time.
As an experiment I've gone for distance membership this year, I'll still play the club I was a member of last year with members but will be mostly on the lookout for green fees deals and open days.
By the end of the year I'll have a fair idea how the plan worked out!

arch staunton

Im Taking leave of absence permantly because ,if you were not a member of my club last year u can join for 350e and my punishment for being a member means I have to pay the full rate .