Palmerstown Estate Golf Course

kod12

Looking into membership in Palmerstown I was just wondering is there any members on here who would know is it difficult to get on the time sheet and how long is the average round at the weekend there? Thanks

callaway92

Not a member there but have played there a lot

It is a slow, slow course to get around. It’s long anyway, but when things are busy you can be looking at 4 1/2 to 5 hour rounds at times at weekends

spacecoyote

I don't think the member numbers are crazy high there and per above, its generally a slow round any time I've played it. Lovely course, with a nice set up on site, but an enormous plot of land, with some hikes between holes, which is a contributor to the length of round.

Loads of decent options in the vicinity of the course that are worth a look.

Castlewarden (no bias from me as a member 😁). In terms of time, we played our medal (strokes off blues) recently and got round in just under 4 hours. Timesheet is busy but I've never not gotten a slot.

Naas (played recently, class course)

Killeen (played a couple of times, solid parkland course)

Mantis Toboggan

Joining fee around 3k I think for Palmerstown to consider. Very good course imo but yeah long and not a great course for nipping out for 3 or 4 holes after work.

FazyLucker

Very very long Palmerstown House. I hope you are a big hitter!

dosulli8

Typical competition round on a Sat/Sun morning is 4hr30 to 4hr45, maybe closer to 5hrs if you have a later tee time or strokeplay comps can lead to an additional 20mins or so. In terms of tee times, it's busy but always slots on the timesheet if you want to jump on at short notice. Course is in unbelievable condition.

Pdoghue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119230873#Comment_119230873

That would be a dealbreaker for me. Four and a half to five hours is just not on. In my experience, the closer to Dublin you get, the slower the pace of play, and that's not just to to with busier timesheets, it relates to players in those clubs generally being slower.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119238483#Comment_119238483

The problem for Palmerstown though is that it’s a long course in general, including walks between the greens after finishing out and tee boxes

Reminds me off the brutal walk from the 1st green to the 2nd tee in Dromoland. You’re bolloxed straight after getting going

pauldoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058250349/palmerstown-estate-golf-course

Did you join in the end?

I used to be a member, class place, only draw back being the lack of a few quick holes. Was thinking of rejoining, member in craddockstown now which is OK, pretty patchy greens

Seve OB

played it Saturday

its in splendid condition. but yes, slow. nothing anyone can do about it, it's just a beast of a long course. i reckon a 3 ball with nobody in front would do very well to get around in 4 hours.

kod12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119494936#Comment_119494936

Im the same played it Friday and it was in great condition would join straight away only the entrance fee of 3k is a kicker now to get in

Seve OB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119789936#Comment_119789936

I think entrance fees are great

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119790367#Comment_119790367

They're great if your membership is near capacity and for bringing in extra funds. Not so great for a prospective member though.

Seve OB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119799117#Comment_119799117

they are great for new members. It is a reason to commit to a club. No more nomads wandering from club to club year on year looking for the best deal.

golf clubs are clubs, you can’t have a club where you keep changing your club

laying down a chunky wedge stops that

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119799155#Comment_119799155

I don't think that's the problem you make it out to be. People move clubs for many reasons, the price is probably not in the top three. Unless of course the sub goes up substantially and it becomes a factor when assessing whether to renew or not. That choice (price) will have been made at the time of joining and is unlikely to become a factor when renewing (with the above exception).

When you look through the threads here from people who are looking to join a club, convenience often comes before price.

coillcam

It's a bit of column A and column B here imo.

Yes, you want to build a sustainable club that's member-driven. Where the members feel invested and part of the club. However, at the same time, you can't price yourself out of existence either. By the same token, if you're in a race to the bottom and cutting subs it's a fools game. It will eventually hurt the long-term stability of the club and other clubs nearby. The dreaded car-park golfer that committees don't want then becomes the norm. Car -> 1st tee -> 18th -> Home. Little participation in the club/community and little spend in shop/bar etc.

Members (steady numbers) are the main lifeline of most clubs and ultimately provide the bulk of income. Each club is different but Pro shop, Bar/Food and green fees (society/opens) can add up to a huge or tiny number. I'm digressing from the main topic here but the overall commercial strategy has to have a goal here for the stability of the club. Add €200 to the sub, fine. Add an entrance fee of €2k payable over 3-5 years, fine. Cut them, fine. What's the impact of that though and is the club thinking about next year or 5 years down the line?

That decision has to be carefully considered and balanced against losing members and the extra income they generate from the bar/shop/guests etc. My club hasn't changed subs/joining fee for a few years. However we have a nice line on the accounts from green fees/societies/opens. You can derive something on the bar/food from this too (with an asterisk for covid 2020-2021). We lost our chef and bar manager at the end of last year. The chef just returned and thankfully the bar staff stepped up in the meantime. However the loss of food will drop our revenue substantially. There's then a knock on effect of guests/societies possibly getting the hump from no food and not returning. We may well feel that for a few years. It's tough to run a club and it's equally tough for a potential new member to decide where to go because it's a significant financial commitment for most people.