Club Membership - What Does It Take?

It's about that time of the year again when a lot of club members are asked for their annual membership subscriptions. Until recently, being a member of a club involved a lengthy process, including sitting on waiting lists until a space became available. Even when that happened it was a case of an interview, usually having to be proposed and often seconded before being allowed through the doors. The club would then ask for a hefty joining fee on top of the first year's subscriptions and so it became an costly process to get in.


These days, things are changing. Many clubs have accepted that to remain viable and keep membership numbers sufficiently topped up, the traditional methods of recruiting new blood has had to change. A lot have ditched joining fees altogether. Those that have retained them, seem happy to do so in the comfort that they offer something that new members are prepared to pay for the privilege of joining. In doing so, the requisite to keep the numbers topped up is diminished and they are comfortable that once in, members will remain loyal for many years.

However, for many more clubs this isn't so. There simply isn't the loyalty to one club that existed twenty or thirty years ago where golfers would join and stay there for the majority of their golfing life. Membership is much more transient these days and golfers are far more nomadic in getting their weekly fix. They tend to sniff out the best membership deals, sign up for a year and then move on to the next best thing. It isn't a case of membership for life anymore.

It's a tough time for clubs trying to attract new members - and getting them to stay

This is why ditching the joining fee for many clubs was necessary to attract this type of player in the first place. Having attracted a new member in what makes a club a good proposition and what do they need to provide to entice the member to put down roots and stay for more than a year or two at a time. For me the biggest single draw is the course itself. It has to be a combination of many things but the absolute core fundamental is that it has to be in good condition, particularly the greens and tee boxes.

There are a number of local clubs, both pay and play and private members that charge fair chunks of money per annum but which I'd personally never join as the condition of the course isn't on a par with the outlay they are asking for. That might sound hypocritical as my own club Royal Ascot has been fighting a battle with their own greens over the last two years. They were in very poor condition with moss and disease and didn't improve much last season. However with the appointment of a new head green keeper things are starting to turn around and it has persuaded me to give it at least twelve months to see the outcome before re-considering my own position.

Aside from the greens, my course usually looks pretty good throughout the year, even in Winter. Temporary greens are kept to a minimum. They never use mats and the bunkering and tee boxes are now in good order. This brings me on to the next essential criteria. The course must present a challenge. If you take the assumption that a member will play at least once a week to make their subs worthwhile, then that is at least 40-50 round per year. If the course is bland, open and doesn't present the golfer with something to make them think, isn't it going to become humdrum very quickly? Places where you can spray it fifty yards offline onto adjacent fairways and still have a shot represent no challenge. I prefer somewhere where the drive is key, but the big dog isn't always the go to club and that a degree of thought is required to put the ball in A1 position. Throw in some strategic bunkering, well placed rough which doesn't have to be knee deep to be penal and some subtle greens and you have a recipe for a course that will set a tough test time and time again. Of course, if the view as you stroll around is pleasant too, with plenty of flora and fauna then even a bad round can still be "enjoyed" in wonderful surroundings. I was at Woburn a few weeks back and had a tough time around the Dukes course. However it mattered not a jot as the scenery and the course layout made it an enjoyable experience even if the golf didn't live up to expectations.

So we've found a course we enjoy and the price is right. What other boxes need to be ticked to sign the cheque. For my money, the next thing is the atmosphere and the members. I'm planning to spend a lot of time at the club and I want an atmosphere I feel comfortable in. I don't want a long list of do's and don'ts and looking over my shoulder all the time less I violate a dress code rule or sit in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm sure everyone has a tale to tell of being at a club and being pulled up over some archaic rule or because the socks were an inch too short to go with the shorts they were wearing on the course.

I want my 19th to be a combination of a friendly watering hole to dish out post round banter and perhaps enjoy a beverage and food whilst retaining a modicum of formality, especially on those occasions associated with being a member such as Captains Day, presentation night, club matches etc where formality (jacket and tie) is an integral part of proceedings. Above all else though I want to get along with fellow members and enjoy their company on and off the course. To that end, our competitions are drawn and so it is a great way for the new members to get to meet other members on a regular basis. The club also has informal roll ups throughout the week which are open to all and are the ideal way for getting a game. Royal Ascot even holds a new members social evening once every few months where those that have joined can meet the captain and committee and their fellow newbies and its a great way for them to arrange games and feel part of the place from the outset.

If I'm handing over the cash I want the club to meet my expectations - it's a lot of money per annum and has to be right

So we have a decent course, friendly members and a welcoming environment. Is that enough or do we need to be getting more for our bucks? In my book yes. I need to be able to play when I want. Many clubs operate a booking system and for the most part these work perfectly well. However, what happens if you get out of work early or fancy a round after work? It can be hard at the height of the season to get a game, more so if you are part of a municipal where the balance between the needs of members and the paying public is a constant balancing act. At Royal Ascot members can basically roll up and go out. The only exception to this is when there is a competition on and the tee is reserved but as these are published in advance there really isn't an excuse not to know. For convenience alone, this has to be worth several hundred pounds worth of my annual fee. I can rock up after work, early on a summer morning, or late on a Sunday afternoon, put my shoes on and go off. I've no qualms about clubs that operate a booking system. If there was the ability to get my name down at times to suit regularly, and not block booked by mates of mates, then it wouldn't put me off a new club providing parts one and two of my criteria, the course and the members/atmosphere were met. I guess it comes down to finding something that works for you.

The next thing I need are regular competitions where I can put my game and handicap on the line. I've been a member of clubs where booked tee times were required and that on competition days, people would queue for hours in advance to put their name and those of their mates down on the sheet. This meant as a newbie trying to break into this and get a competitive game was a nightmare. I know from comments by some on the Golf Monthly forum that things in some clubs haven't really moved on and that is sad. However for the most part the majority of courses that run club competitions, whether drawn, roll up or booked do allow new members in (subject to obtaining a valid handicap of course) and that is great. I couldn't join somewhere and not play the medal or stableford on an ongoing or regular basis. It is these card and pencil rounds that really test your golfing ability and there is something uniquely satisfying about coming into the 19th hole knowing you've beaten your handicap even if it isn't sufficient to win.

Are we there yet? Probably for many that is all they need or look for. However I'd add another couple of ingredients into the mix. Call me pedantic or fussy but if I'm shelling out it has to be what I want. The club has to be local. I can't see the point in sitting in traffic or driving more than 30 minutes to a course, no matter how good the layout or welcoming the reception. If I want to get out for a game after work it has to be somewhere I can get to in the midst of the rush hour and it should be somewhere I can get out of my car at the weekend and not feel tired or stiff from the journey. For many, there may be a choice of several clubs within a decent radius that doesn't make travelling an issue. I'm the same and for me, it then comes back to the other criteria to formulate some kind of shortlist.

There is one other aspect I'd like my prospective club to have. For a lot of players it is meaningless or merely a nice to have but for me it is important. It has to have decent practice facilities. As regular followers to Homer's Odyssey will know I'm something of an addict and if I'm not playing then I'm tinkering with my game. As a result I'd like a nice practice ground, ideally with a dedicated short game area and putting green. The bare essentials would have to be a putting green and somewhere I could work on the short game especially the chipping. If there wasn't a practice ground there are local ranges that would suffice but nothing beats warming up properly before a round. Good practice facilities should be seen as an asset. The more a member is up at the club working on their game the more opportunity for them to spend money either in the pro shop or behind the bar. That is definitely it for me. Perhaps it is asking too much in this day and age but I believe in demanding value for money and a four figure sum every year is a big outlay and so the club I join has to work hard to get my money.

I can't see an end to the current trend of golfers only taking up short term stays at any one particular club, and that means golf clubs are having to find new and ingenious ways to attract membership. My club, along with a growing number, offer open days which give prospective members a chance to look the joint over, meet key figures and play nine holes. Many are using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote themselves. Others are looking at spreading the cost via direct debit each month, adding incentives and generally sweetening the pill. The main method seems to be offering age related brackets offering a decreasing amount of discount as you get older. Is it enough though and once you fall out of one bracket would you look elsewhere and merely compare price?

Do golfers these days really care that much about the course especially if they are only going to be there a year or two at most. As long as they can get out and play regularly are they prepared to accept niggly issues like bobbly greens knowing that they are on the move soon. If they don't care about the state of the course then would they worry too much about the clubhouse either? I've noticed this year already there are more and more faces about the place I don't recognise and so the positive is that we are still getting new members through the door. The trick I guess is making sure they stay. It's a problem everywhere and one I don't think has a simple answer other than offering a decent facility at a reasonable price although how a club does that and balances the books is another matter.

And there you have it, my shopping list of requirements for joining a club. Too many items for many, perhaps not enough for some. To be honest I've no intention of jumping ship anytime soon especially as my course does look to be coming back to its best and the greens are improving. I've been settled for seven years now and Royal Ascot really does tick everything on my wish list. If you are looking for a new home and are in the vicinity, you could do a lot worse. If not, I hope that you find somewhere that makes you happy and that your golf is enjoyable, your handicap drops and you enjoy the camaraderie that membership brings.