×

Top Links:

Get A Golf Handicap

UK Golf Guide

Golfshake Top 100s

Find Golf Travel Deals

Golf Competitions

Search

Community Forum

Course:

Tee Times | Search | Reviews

News:

Gear | Tour | Industry Insider

Tuition:

Video Library | Tuition Sections

Community:

Join | Log In | Help | Useful Links

×
New Forum System - click here to visit our new & improved forum system >>>

club membership

Posted by: user320351 | Mon 23rd Aug 2010 00:00 | Last Reply

After looking into several options in my area, I decided not to join any club. For example Mansfield Woodhouse is around £300 a year. That is a round 2 weeks out of 3 to get your money back. Mansfield Golf centre is about £500 for full 7 day pass is obviously a round week. I think that all golfers regardless of handicap like the challenge of playing new courses and entering tournaments organised by websites such as this. 

To get cheap golf deals check out vouchermania.com and mygroupon.com. I have got Southwell golf course for a fiver, Oakmere 2 for 1 and Springwater a round for 2 including swing analysis, buggy hire, driving range, a sandwich and a beer for the vast sum of £25.

My thoughts are why spend £500 a year to play one course when if you look hard enough you can play loads of different courses for probably less money. eg 18 at oakmere and 18 at southwell will cost me less than £20 in one day. Spend £15 a year on this website and you will do well

Have fun

SDS 

re: club membership
user24437
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 00:11

Very true Scott, but some people approach golf from different viewpoints.  Personally, I like being a golf tart and feel I know a course intimately if I play 4 rounds there!  Some people, such as the pair I played with last week, play 3 or 4 games a week on their home course and that's it.  One of them has only played 5 other courses in his 30 years of membership*.  It's whatever floats your boat. 

* And I shot an 84 to his 88, despite being of similar handicap and only my 3rd round there - just in case anyone's interested! 

re: club membership
user8 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 09:03

I'm currently deliberating over this scenario.

When I first took up golf 12 years ago, and could hit the ball, I had very little personal responsibilities and fortunately through work had Corporate membership of a decent course in Derbyshire so got to play pretty much when I wanted which meant I could happily play to an handicap of around 20.

For the last 8 years, as well as spending most of my time running/developing Golfshake/Golfscoretracker, I've had 2 children and started my own business.  So my spare time's been limited which means I couldn't justify the golf membership but unfortunately with not playing regularly means my golf is to say the least up and down

For me, still having time constraints, the nomadic golf approach doesn't really work because I have little spare time and therefore it becomes difficult to get the deals at the times when I am free.

So if I truly want to get my handicap down I need regular golf and for me the club approach seems the most sensible because it would allow me to turn up and play golf pretty much whenever I wanted.

The deciding factor in the above of course is cost!  c 

 

re: club membership
user329702
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 11:04

My membership is £515 a year, and a round for non members is £35 you do the math.

 

plus I get to tell non pre booked members to get off the tee andlet me throug that alone is worth £200 a year :¬

re: club membership
user106712
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 14:32

I pay £50 per month for 5 day membership at De-vere Oulton Hall. that works out at 12 per week. And I usually play twice a week. For that I can play any other Dever course for free. Also , with a congu handicap I play open comps at other clubs for a very low cost (usually £15 ish ).and there are loads of them. Just look on golfempire.co.uk

re: club membership
user202037 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 14:58

Being a Member of a Club is totally up to the individual. JP and myself, plus others have had the benifit of what a Club Membership can give and have reeped the rewards.

As a Member and being rained off after a couple of holes is nothing but if you have just handed over £20 to play its does matter.

As a member you can just turn up and play/practice when you want and for how long you want.

As a member the cost of refreshments can be 15% lower.

Here is a PLUS for being a Member.

Membership £525 + £10 Locker, paid by D/D = £48.53 pcm.

Entry to 45 Comps @ £3each = £135

Comp Winnings over season = £135 so FREE Competition. During my time at Filey I never had to buy a Turkey at Christmas, I won it, as did many of the Playing Members. Fifteen Birds a year were on offer, plus bottles of Booze etc.

Team Member, be it Scratch, Nett or Club Team.

Away matches include a Meal so Filey Scratch Team 2003 =

Scarborough North Cliff £22, Hull £26.50, Hornsea £22, Driffield £20, Beverley £15 & Ganton £65. Total £170.50. Then the guys you played could invite you to Invitation Day, so a secong Free visit.

Also being a Member of a Club gives you an open invitation to play any course in the World, something that is not available to a Nomadic Golfer.

As I said earlier "to each their own" I would go for being a Club Member over a Nomad at all times.

TheLyth


Last edit : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 15:04
re: club membership
user69191
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 16:16

I payed £260 this year for 7 days golf, it was a limited offer at the club I was already a member of. This includes everything. I would never have improved if I hadn't joined a club.

re: club membership
user69191
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 17:16

I don't think people are attacking you Scott, maybe just disagreeing a bit, although some do agree with you. For a few years I paid and played different courses until I found the cost was beyond my means, twice a week at about £20 a time, sometimes 3 times a week. I decided to join my local club 4 years ago paying at the time £44 a month, for unlimited golf. I play nearly every day and this does not stop me playing other courses either, I too can play where I like, more or less when I like. And another plus side is playing in the away league matches, this costs nothing. Nothing at all has stopped me from playing 14 other courses this year as well as being a member. I'm sure that this isn't many compared to some of the other members of golf courses on this site.

re: club membership
user8 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 20:46

I've deleted replies that didn't really aid the discussion and were of a more personal nature rather than an online social forum

  

re: club membership
user33026 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 21:39

Scott (or SDS if you prefer!),

I was exactly the same as you during my formative years of golf.  I was typically playing the local munis (Birmingham has 7) with the odd "treat" thrown in.  I always felt I would never join a club as I would get bored playing the same course week in, week out.  Then I played the PGA at the Belfry - a tough course if you've never played it. Whenever I went and played elsewhere, I found myself wanting to go back and try to tame that PGA beast again.  This is when I realised that I had found 'my' course. 

I joined for the last two months of the year (pro-rata) and made a point of playing nowhere else to see if I got bored.  I didn't, although membership did allow me to play the Derby if I wished.  I became a member as soon as I was able to.  

I completely understand where you are coming from.  What I think you will find as you get more into the game and improve, you will start to think more seriously about membership.  As to where, I think you just maybe haven't found 'your' course yet

re: club membership
user249845
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 22:16

Another bonus is that being a member of a club may allow you to get a county card, which gives you access to reduced green fees at other courses in your area if you also want to play other courses.

re: club membership
user8 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 22:52

Not that I know of, interestingly Cotgrave is a Crown venue but is currently under offer to be sold.  Like mentioned above quite a few are members of the County Golf scheme 

re: club membership
user249845
Reply : Mon 23rd Aug 2010 23:18

Sanders, theres the Jack Barker group with a few courses. I have only been to 1 of them, but it needed a bit of tlc, better signage, sand in bunkers, grass cutting on tee boxes etc. It was quite cheap though.

re: club membership
user249845
Reply : Tue 24th Aug 2010 21:50

Joining a club does not have to be an expensive excercise.

I started playing golf last year, and decided at the start of this year to join a municipal club for the cost of £70. Included in that price was 3 rounds with which to gain my starting handicap.

OK, I still have to pay a green fee each time I go, but at least it's a start and a cheap way of holding an official CONGU handicap, should I wish to take part in competitions away from the club.

If my work was as plentiful and as lucrative as it has been in previous years, I would join a more 'upmarket' club with all the practise facilities and social events etc.

I would agree with previous posts that by joining a club and playing regularly with different people is one of the best ways to learn and improve.

re: club membership
user33026 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Tue 24th Aug 2010 22:53

Is that the Birmingham Munis Martin?  They used to do a scheme where you paid £70 and were a member at one, a declared allegance if you like, but could play all of them anytime for £5.  You had full handicap priveledges and could anter all the comps too

re: club membership
user249845
Reply : Tue 24th Aug 2010 23:00

Yes, I joined Pype Hayes, even though it's the opposite side of the city to where I live, because it seems to hold up better than any of the others in winter.

I don't think that £5 scheme exists anymore though.

re: club membership
user33026 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Tue 24th Aug 2010 23:15

Know Pype Hayes well, only live 10 minutes up the road (Castle Bromwich). A nice mature course that the traditionalists would like.  A couple of years ago they held an open day there to try to encourage membership.  The few weeks before they put a lot of effort into greenkeeping and the course was superb, better than some of the local private courses.  A real shame they couldn't keep it like that.  

The course does tend to get a little waterlogged in places after a few days of heavy rain and they have trolley bans in winter.  Should be nice when the new clubhouse is finshed too

Learned my golf around the back 9 of Hatchfor Brook and used to play every Sunday morning at Pype Hayes, Hilltop or Hatchford

re: club membership
user202037 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Tue 24th Aug 2010 23:35

Martin,

Thats the best way to start. Here in Leeds, Club Membership of any of the four Muni's is about £100pa and for another £400 (season ticket) you can play all five courses.

Some years ago my then Club Roundhay won the NAPGC Championship at Pype Hayes.

TheLyth

re: club membership
user320696
Reply : Wed 25th Aug 2010 01:21

I will consider joining a club when i eventually find my comfatable game play and hopefully find the right golf club to join.

re: club membership
user77834
Reply : Wed 25th Aug 2010 20:26

I personally think the De Vere Club is perfect for so many of these arguments

£295 - Not bank breaking, enabling you to be able to play opens and society golf

16 courses - avoids the familiarity of one course every week

Congu handicap available, you just have to pay your county affiliation fee

 Competitive or Social golf available

Seems to tick all the boxes to me

re: club membership
user320696
Reply : Wed 25th Aug 2010 23:06

That sounds perfect for me and my friend SDS but we seem to be finding alot of great offers for different courses at the moment but deffinatly a great membership there

re: club membership
user40607
Reply : Wed 25th Aug 2010 23:46

Hi Scott have you played Hucknall golf centre.The membership is £385 a year for 7 days, and i`am informed that this will be same price next year,and if you know any one who is a member at Hucknall they can introduce a friend for £25 from september1st to march 31st.This course does not belong to Jack Barker any more and the new owner will be makeing improvements to the course.

 

re: club membership
user320696
Reply : Fri 27th Aug 2010 13:53

Will try go next week scott see if there any offers at hucknall.Do you know what the golf clubs called paul.

re: club membership
user11501
Reply : Fri 27th Aug 2010 16:19

The golf club is called Leen Valley. Don't think about playing there. Place is an absolute dog. Underneath the fairways  is all rock and stone built on an old slagheap of Huckanll Pit

re: club membership
user38216
Reply : Fri 27th Aug 2010 18:11

Just had my annual subs through, £1004. Ouch, double ouch considering I am playing dreadful at the minute.

 

re: club membership
user320696
Reply : Sat 28th Aug 2010 21:27

Thanks for the reply martin


The Forums have now moved to a new version

We have now moved the forum to a new and improved system which provides more functionality plus provides easier access from desktop, tablets and smart phone devices.

Click here to view the new forum & register for free.

Scroll to top