New Members

Kiith · 26-05-2020 1:21pm

twounderpar wrote: »

Will clubs have to limit members to maybe a max of 2 games per week.

Already done in Tullamore.

TaytoCrisps · 26-05-2020 2:51pm

I am one of the new members in lisheen, the flexi membership option was great . It was that or wait until visitors are allowed again. will probably keep up the membership next year.
Usually play once or twice a week and play a few different courses, it will be interesting to see how I find playing the same course more often

twounderpar wrote: »

Incredible numbers being mentioned here regarding new members joining clubs. 230 in one club and 200 new members in Elm Green.
How did all these clubs survive before covid 19,if there was all that space for new members.

As somebody who has been involved in recruiting new members, 200 new members would mean that maybe 300 or more enquiries
were made. Amazing level of enquiries in just a few weeks. Enquiries are one thing, but converting enquiries into fully paid up
members is a different matter.

Some clubs will have to cope with an extra 65 three balls.
Will clubs have to limit members to maybe a max of 2 games per week.

Interesting times ahead.

Golfhead65 · 26-05-2020 4:13pm

twounderpar wrote: »

Incredible numbers being mentioned here regarding new members joining clubs. 230 in one club and 200 new members in Elm Green.
How did all these clubs survive before covid 19,if there was all that space for new members.

As somebody who has been involved in recruiting new members, 200 new members would mean that maybe 300 or more enquiries
were made. Amazing level of enquiries in just a few weeks. Enquiries are one thing, but converting enquiries into fully paid up
members is a different matter.

Some clubs will have to cope with an extra 65 three balls.
Will clubs have to limit members to maybe a max of 2 games per week.

Interesting times ahead.

Nah, the novelty factor will wear off and golf will go back to approx 1 in 5 playing Comps,I was involved in a survey many years ago and this was the figure that actively play comps 22% I think the number was

willabur · 26-05-2020 4:17pm

TaytoCrisps wrote: »

I am one of the new members in lisheen, the flexi membership option was great . It was that or wait until visitors are allowed again. will probably keep up the membership next year.
Usually play once or twice a week and play a few different courses, it will be interesting to see how I find playing the same course more often

Competition and looking to get as low as you can with your handicap is the key to keeping the course fresh for yourself I find

Golfhead65 · 26-05-2020 4:28pm

TaytoCrisps wrote: »

I am one of the new members in lisheen, the flexi membership option was great . It was that or wait until visitors are allowed again. will probably keep up the membership next year.
Usually play once or twice a week and play a few different courses, it will be interesting to see how I find playing the same course more often

Welcome aboard , hope you are enjoying it, there seems to be a good buzz around the place, Probably spoke to you up there as I spoke to quite a few new members in the past week..

gypsy79 · 27-05-2020 9:50am

Golfhead65 wrote: »

Nah, the novelty factor will wear off and golf will go back to approx 1 in 5 playing Comps,I was involved in a survey many years ago and this was the figure that actively play comps 22% I think the number was

Was that in Lisheen? We are at least 90%+ playing in competition on competition days

Golfhead65 · 27-05-2020 10:26am

gypsy79 wrote: »

Was that in Lisheen? We are at least 90%+ playing in competition on competition days

No, that was a survey done around 2008 when I was in Woodlands Golf club (since closed ) it was GUI led or R&A, I can't remember exactly but it took into account of membership sizes and percentage of that who actually played comps over a few month period, The smaller the membership the higher percentage played comps and the higher it went the lower percentage played comps, Eg. A small club with 150 members may get 60-80 out on a weekend comp 50% and a club with 800 members (like we had at the time) were getting about 120 which was about 15 percent.It came out overall at about 22-25% total, I'll try dig it out .but what I was saying is that going forward normality will come back and tee times will be plentiful.its like gyms after Xmas packed for a while but soon all is well

rossyd2005 · 29-05-2020 8:57pm

twounderpar wrote: »

Incredible numbers being mentioned here regarding new members joining clubs. 230 in one club and 200 new members in Elm Green.
How did all these clubs survive before covid 19,if there was all that space for new members.

As somebody who has been involved in recruiting new members, 200 new members would mean that maybe 300 or more enquiries
were made. Amazing level of enquiries in just a few weeks. Enquiries are one thing, but converting enquiries into fully paid up
members is a different matter.

Some clubs will have to cope with an extra 65 three balls.
Will clubs have to limit members to maybe a max of 2 games per week.

Interesting times ahead.

If its any help to your recruiting i can tell you my club has over 100 new members from all this. Over half of these are Gaa players on our u40 membership. It could be a higher percentage even. I think they are joining in threes and fours aswell which really starts to add up.

Rippeditup · 29-05-2020 9:08pm

Just joined Stackstown as they had a deal going.. had been holding out to join the grange but was slow and want to play..,. 5 min drive instead of 2 min walk but will do as played today and on timesheet sun and mon.

dan_ep82 · 30-05-2020 8:14pm

I was talking to the Vice Captain today, we have just over 130 new members with room for more.

Benefits of two courses I guess.

Dayor Knight · 30-05-2020 8:15pm

Rippeditup wrote: »

Just joined Stackstown as they had a deal going.. had been holding out to join the grange but was slow and want to play..,. 5 min drive instead of 2 min walk but will do as played today and on timesheet sun and mon.

Mind if I ask what the deal was/is? PM would be appreciated if you prefer. I'm in a similar position... thanks.

Rippeditup · 30-05-2020 8:30pm

Dayor Knight wrote: »

Mind if I ask what the deal was/is? PM would be appreciated if you prefer. I'm in a similar position... thanks.

€829 for the remainder of the year.. was trying to get into the grange but was slow, was waiting on people to sign forms ..

Dayor Knight · 30-05-2020 8:49pm

Rippeditup wrote: »

€829 for the remainder of the year.. was trying to get into the grange but was slow, was waiting on people to sign forms ..

Thanks for that, appreciate the info!

Would be interested to hear how you enjoy it there. I've played it a few times and like it well enough except found it very hilly, especially up the last couple of holes! Still, under current circumstances it could be a runner. Would certainly be good to start getting out.

twounderpar · 30-05-2020 9:08pm

It's great to see the increase in numbers seeking golf membership. In 2004 according to GUI figures, there were 220,000 adult members but just last July the number had dipped to just under 180,000. Certainly over the past few years, all the talk was about falling numbers as people opted for other sporting activities such as cycling or marathon training.

Hopefully the upward trend will continue and clubs that might have been in trouble before the virus due to lack of members, might now get a new lease of life.

Happy4all · 30-05-2020 9:26pm

twounderpar wrote: »

It's great to see the increase in numbers seeking golf membership. In 2004 according to GUI figures, there were 220,000 adult members but just last July the number had dipped to just under 180,000. Certainly over the past few years, all the talk was about falling numbers as people opted for other sporting activities such as cycling or marathon training.

Hopefully the upward trend will continue and clubs that might have been in trouble before the virus due to lack of members, might now get a new lease of life.

not to sound too pessimistic, but might be a one off uplift until non membership options return. Interesting to see how many stay on next year.

Golf is my Game · 31-05-2020 8:07am

Back for my first game yesterday morning, and boy was it great to be out. Rusty, but some signs of it coming back over the last few holes. Talking to the pro, he said they had taken more than 70 new members in the last few weeks, so hopefully its not just a short term. Maybe with a lot of people still been off, they have the time. But covid could just be the boost golf needs to renew interest and membership in it. Lots of people out every day too. Said nobody was bothered about the 5km limit (course is out of town, and there might only be 20 members who are legit 5k from the club), and all the keen members were back playing regardless of that. Thought some older members that use to play a lot were probably staying away though, which I suppose is understandable. Anyways, its a good income for the club which must have lost a lot during the shutdown. Course in great nik but needs some serious rain now pronto on the fairways.

Deporhostia · 31-05-2020 8:59am

Yeah I’m sure there will be a drop off, but if long term there are more people are working from home, that will definitely encourage people to continue their memberships

GolfNut33 · 31-05-2020 9:20am

Going by what I'm being told at our course. A lot of the new members are golfers who just stopped playing over the past number of years for a variety of reasons.

A real welcomed and surprising boost for golf in ireland and hopefully clubs will retain most of them.

Golfgraffix · 31-05-2020 10:30am

I think that the past few months has highlighted is the fact that golfers are out there a looking for a reason to join a club. More resources need to be put into acquiring members and retaining members.

Having worked in the industry for the past 12 years I have seen the steady demise of club golf and the rise of cheap visitor golf, lead by 3rd party tee time resellers. I am convinced that there is no real financial need for clubs to be putting all their eggs in the 3rd party reseller basket. It will work for some but the majority of clubs just need to look after their members and offer a reasonably priced product to entice visitors but more importantly to control their own pricing.

I was working with a club a few months back that had seen a 20% drop in members over the past 5 years, coupled with their 3rd party reseller making 30% more than the actual club on the online sale of tee times !!

I’m positive that the majority of golfers are not looking for cheap green fees, they know golf is a game that costs a little extra then most but will pay for value, they don’t really want €12 green fees if the experience is poor.

Judging by this thread and my own anecdotal experience there must be well over 2000 new or returning club golfers this last two weeks. That is great for the industry, it may mean it’s a little harder to get out at your preferred time but in the long run it’s great for our game and will safeguard the future of many clubs, which is good for us all who love this game.

J

Ollieboy · 31-05-2020 1:48pm

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I think that the past few months has highlighted is the fact that golfers are out there a looking for a reason to join a club. More resources need to be put into acquiring members and retaining members.

Having worked in the industry for the past 12 years I have seen the steady demise of club golf and the rise of cheap visitor golf, lead by 3rd party tee time resellers. I am convinced that there is no real financial need for clubs to be putting all their eggs in the 3rd party reseller basket. It will work for some but the majority of clubs just need to look after their members and offer a reasonably priced product to entice visitors but more importantly to control their own pricing.

I was working with a club a few months back that had seen a 20% drop in members over the past 5 years, coupled with their 3rd party reseller making 30% more than the actual club on the online sale of tee times !!

I’m positive that the majority of golfers are not looking for cheap green fees, they know golf is a game that costs a little extra then most but will pay for value, they don’t really want €12 green fees if the experience is poor.

Judging by this thread and my own anecdotal experience there must be well over 2000 new or returning club golfers this last two weeks. That is great for the industry, it may mean it’s a little harder to get out at your preferred time but in the long run it’s great for our game and will safeguard the future of many clubs, which is good for us all who love this game.

J

Total agree with you.

I’m hoping we will be off all 3rd party resellers site by the end of the year. These sites are doing more damage then clubs realize and I just feel committee’s use them because it’s the easy option. But it gives a poor impression of the value of green fees and clubs and hurts clubs profile.

Clubs also don’t have the marketing skills or sales skills to sell membership or green fees and they want everything to remain the same and are slow to change. It will still be a while before demand equals supply and unfortunately the recent increase in activity in clubs will make some clubs believe they have a long term future which they don’t. Clubs with 200 odd members is not a business unless they have a big business in green fees.

We’ve grown every year for the last 5 years and are nearly at full membership and that’s down to good management. In the 5 years we’ve increased our membership by 80% and income by 40%. But the recent bounce in membership is no help to us as we are turning business away because we are taking care of our loyal members first.

During the recent closure, not one member in our club stopped paying there sub which is amazing.

During the closure we used it as a opportunity to upgrade all our club system which will improve communication between club and members and give them more access to the club and data. So we are currently launching new website, new app, new online scoring system and new members section on website.

We have the cash to get through this crisis so thankfully we don’t have to seller or way out of this mess.

Golfgraffix · 31-05-2020 2:27pm

Ollieboy wrote: »

Total agree with you.

During the closure we used it as a opportunity to upgrade all our club system which will improve communication between club and members and give them more access to the club and data. So we are currently launching new website, new app, new online scoring system and new members section on website.

We have the cash to get through this crisis so thankfully we don’t have to seller or way out of this mess.

Curious, what system did your club go with ?

Ollieboy · 31-05-2020 2:46pm

Golfgraffix wrote: »

Curious, what system did your club go with ?

IG

Golfgraffix · 31-05-2020 2:55pm

Ollieboy wrote: »

IG

Fab system. Too expensive for most clubs but well worth the investment if the club can afford it. A good company to deal with too

Ollieboy · 31-05-2020 3:13pm

Golfgraffix wrote: »

Fab system. Too expensive for most clubs but well worth the investment if the club can afford it. A good company to deal with too

Totally agree and I personally thought it was years ahead of most other system for golf clubs. But like all systems it as it’s issues, no system is perfect.

But good to hear another positive comment about it. We did a lot of work and research on it and negotiated a very good deal, but ask me again in 6 months!

Honestly, I think clubs need to invest in systems as members expect a lot more now.

We are planning to link this system to our security system to control access to the club and integrate our lotto system which brings in about 30k a year for the club.

johntommy · 31-05-2020 7:09pm

davegilly wrote: »

Another factor is not touching the flag. Prior to covid, the messing around with the flag in, flag out, flag in nonsense. Just leave the damn thing in.

I think 3 balls, 12 mins apart and no touching flags is the way to go in future. Sub 4 hour rounds will become the norm then.

Having said that, yesterday when my group arrived at the 9th, there was a group (3 ball) just finished teeing off and another (2 ball) waiting. Thats piss poor in all fairness for a 28 minute gap to be gone in 9 holes.

My group were behind same 3 ball for 2 Sundays in a row last year. Really slow. On the second Sunday I timed the main culprit in group ahead. From putting ball on tee to hitting his drive took 45 seconds. They lost almost 3 holes to group ahead by 14th hole. He is an 8 handicapper. One of his group kept looking back towards us and running off green when finished. He looked embarrassed.

thewobbler · 31-05-2020 8:01pm

Happy4all wrote: »

not to sound too pessimistic, but might be a one off uplift until non membership options return. Interesting to see how many stay on next year.

If even just 10% of newbies retain their membership it would surely be a good result for golf?

finglashoop · 31-05-2020 8:27pm

johntommy wrote: »

My group were behind same 3 ball for 2 Sundays in a row last year. Really slow. On the second Sunday I timed the main culprit in group ahead. From putting ball on tee to hitting his drive took 45 seconds. They lost almost 3 holes to group ahead by 14th hole. He is an 8 handicapper. One of his group kept looking back towards us and running off green when finished. He looked embarrassed.

A friend is a member in beech park and says they only have 3 balls. Great idea. Although i think one thing that everyone should do is wait until the group ahead is off the first hole before teeing off.

Frisbee · 02-06-2020 11:36am

Golfhead65 wrote: »

Nah, the novelty factor will wear off and golf will go back to approx 1 in 5 playing Comps,I was involved in a survey many years ago and this was the figure that actively play comps 22% I think the number was

The Flexi membership in Lisheen is something I was half considering myself. How have you found the swell of new members has affected tee time availability? Can you still get out handy enough or is it a case of being online first thing to book a decent slot?

Golfhead65 · 02-06-2020 6:23pm

Frisbee wrote: »

The Flexi membership in Lisheen is something I was half considering myself. How have you found the swell of new members has affected tee time availability? Can you still get out handy enough or is it a case of being online first thing to book a decent slot?

They have stopped flexi now as at full or overfull capacity and tee times are filling up fast, it seems that the owners took in a lot of this membership class without (or maybe not) realising the knock on affect it would have, my own suspicion is that a lot of flexi members used this option to get over the no greenfees or guest rule initially and it was like paying green fees up front, Normally it does work out ok but atm a lot of full members not too happy with lack of tee times but you will get out..you probably know that already as in the question you also answered it, if you qenuinely want to take up membership, the flexi is the dearest type as you pay a premium for every round you play, 5 day Monday - Friday is by far the best value

gypsy79 · 02-06-2020 7:35pm

How much is a round under the flexi option?

I am guessing it is in competition with the distance members in Blessington Lakes!

Danny dyers double · 02-06-2020 8:47pm

gypsy79 wrote: »

How much is a round under the flexi option?

I am guessing it is in competition with the distance members in Blessington Lakes!

35euro on Saturday and 30 on Sunday.
But you can't book before 11 o'clock either day.
I seriously considered this membership myself but I taught I'd fly trough the credits and then it's another 400 euro to top up.
I love the course and the facilities but it didn't suit me

Golfhead65 · 02-06-2020 10:53pm

gypsy79 wrote: »

How much is a round under the flexi option?

I am guessing it is in competition with the distance members in Blessington Lakes!

To be perfectly honest, I'd take the full membership in Blessington Lakes ahead of flexi or 5 day in ours if you're starting out or are limited in time/budget as it's a fantastic course so highly underrated as "it's only a nine hole course" I hate that saying but the lads up there are fantastic people and the place always has a homely feel about it and the members have full control over day to day running of it..I'd great years up there and still (until recently) go up to play in open comps to meet up with ole friends..on the flexi pricing it depends on the time of day,which day, you want to play and can be between 15 (for probably 6pm on a Monday) to 35 euro on a Saturday after 3pm.. don't quote me on that but that's the way it's structured,if you want to play comp then the comp fee is added to that

gypsy79 · 02-06-2020 11:25pm

I honestly think some of the problem with getting tee times is the scramble to get value out of their new memberships. That’s were the flexi option works well. They get cash in for 400 and most will go back to green fees

Lots of them weren’t members before. Interesting to see if it wanes

Frisbee · 03-06-2020 12:14pm

Golfhead65 wrote: »

They have stopped flexi now as at full or overfull capacity and tee times are filling up fast, it seems that the owners took in a lot of this membership class without (or maybe not) realising the knock on affect it would have, my own suspicion is that a lot of flexi members used this option to get over the no greenfees or guest rule initially and it was like paying green fees up front, Normally it does work out ok but atm a lot of full members not too happy with lack of tee times but you will get out..you probably know that already as in the question you also answered it, if you qenuinely want to take up membership, the flexi is the dearest type as you pay a premium for every round you play, 5 day Monday - Friday is by far the best value

Yeah fair enough, not expecting to get prime morning slots at the weekend etc was more being able to book in for a midweek evening and get out for 9-12.

Golfhead65 wrote: »

To be perfectly honest, I'd take the full membership in Blessington Lakes ahead of flexi or 5 day in ours if you're starting out or are limited in time/budget as it's a fantastic course so highly underrated as "it's only a nine hole course" I hate that saying but the lads up there are fantastic people and the place always has a homely feel about it and the members have full control over day to day running of it..I'd great years up there and still (until recently) go up to play in open comps to meet up with ole friends..on the flexi pricing it depends on the time of day,which day, you want to play and can be between 15 (for probably 6pm on a Monday) to 35 euro on a Saturday after 3pm.. don't quote me on that but that's the way it's structured,if you want to play comp then the comp fee is added to that

I used to be a member in Blessington Lakes years ago. Was between that and Lisheen. I don't playenough golf to justify paying full membership anywhere, really April - September is about it as have not time with training the rest of the year so jsut wanted something cheap and easy for the summer.

New Members

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