Club membership

Mister Sifter

Your ego shouldn't come into it... go with what your head says. Weigh up the positives and negatives on a sheet of paper and decide that way.

Mind you, from reading your posts i think already know what your answer should be.

Hi

uberwolf wrote: »

Lads, my head is wrecked.

My ego says Heath. It's not the logical decision though.

Two of the lads have said to me that The Heath is too difficult. Especially off 23, I'll be a long time getting my handicap down out there. Pretty decent course, but not one you'd bound out of bed to play.

I disagree, if you are prepared to put the time in improving your game then DH won't be too difficult...in more ways than one it will make you a better player...

Obni

Well I've paid my fee, and I'm now a Druid's Heath member for 2009.
(Or rather a 'Heath' member of Druid's Glen).

True, Druid's Heath is challenging, but it does get slightly easier when you figure out the layout. As someone trying to improve (and still deluded enough to think that I can), I reckon a year playing DH will either seriously improve my game, or destroy my handicap.

It's not a difficult course to drive on, the greens are superb so putting is not an issue, and the bunkers, while deep and copious, are very playable. Where it seems to get people is long irons/woods as your second shots on par 4's and of course very tough rough. Keep the ball in the fairway and use your handicap (hit the par 4 in 3 shots), and it's no more difficult than any other course.

However, I'm not saying that it is not a tough track. I play off 16, and my target for next year is not to get cut as it was each of the last 4 years since I took up golf, but rather to hold my current handicap. But I don't necessarily equate tough with unfair.

Roll on Dec 26th!!!:D

Sammo13

What you do uberwolf? is mind made up.

I wouldn't let your handicap put you off, they put in 14 new tee boxes this year, the main thing is what you want out of your membership, weekend golf or 2/3 games a week (summer).

copacetic

Obni wrote: »

Well I've paid my fee, and I'm now a Druid's Heath member for 2009.
(Or rather a 'Heath' member of Druid's Glen).

True, Druid's Heath is challenging, but it does get slightly easier when you figure out the layout. As someone trying to improve (and still deluded enough to think that I can), I reckon a year playing DH will either seriously improve my game, or destroy my handicap.

It's not a difficult course to drive on, the greens are superb so putting is not an issue, and the bunkers, while deep and copious, are very playable. Where it seems to get people is long irons/woods as your second shots on par 4's and of course very tough rough. Keep the ball in the fairway and use your handicap (hit the par 4 in 3 shots), and it's no more difficult than any other course.

However, I'm not saying that it is not a tough track. I play off 16, and my target for next year is not to get cut as it was each of the last 4 years since I took up golf, but rather to hold my current handicap. But I don't necessarily equate tough with unfair.

Roll on Dec 26th!!!:D

congrats, lovely course. Make sure you get the value from it!

uberwolf

I did my pro's and con's...

meh.

It's mainly weekend golf I'm looking for. Competitions every Sunday. I'll get out during the summer anyway. plenty of 'clients' to entertain, so I can leave work when necessary.

I played 10 rounds of golf last year, maybe 35 this year, so getting towards 50/60 next year would be as much as I'd hope for.

Hopefully over Christmas I'll get out on the Heath and see what it's like. It might be a good fit, maybe not.

uberwolf

anyone want to play Heath with me over Christmas? I've a reduced rate to try the course out before I sign up

Sick Bhoy

try ballinastoe up in roundwood near djouce, it;s affiliated to the GUI,

Some good rates for joining up, 3,500 for full membership and 700 subs.

5 day membership as well. no problem getting out for a game, just turn up.

20 euro for 18 holes if you want to check it out.

good little 9 hole course , it,s a long course

SalthillGuy

As soon as the Christmas festivities are over, you will see some deals advertised.
Club committees for 2009 will be planning the year ahead.

2rs

I was disappointed to see that the Ashbourne GC have not reduced their entrance fee for '09.

They have, however, made available the facility to spread your entrance fee payments over a period from 1 to 10 years interest free. The entrance fee currently stands at 9K and the subs are around 1100.

My problem with this offer is that while it makes the club more accessible and more convenient to join, there is no value for money incentive to make me want to part with that much money.

It is a good course though and they are still improving the course and new water features as we speak, but they would want to halve that entrance fee for me to talk to them.

1916

Anyone out Newbridge direction, as reported in todays IT

PROVINCIAL TOWNS CUP winners Newbridge are offering a special deal for new members.

To celebrate the opening of their new clubhouse, Newbridge Golf Club are making a special offer.

There will be 50 memberships available for a reduced rate of € 1,950, with three payment options available.

Option 1: Payment in full up front.

Option 2: € 37.50 per week for one year by direct debit.

Option 3: € 27 per week for two years by direct debit. This includes your green fees for 2010.

More details about the club and membership details can be found on the club website, newbridgegolfclub.com.

SalthillGuy

1916 wrote: »

Option 3: €27 per week for two years by direct debit. This includes your green fees for 2010.

Why do you have to pay green fees if you are a member.?

uberwolf

played Killeen, one of my options yesterday. Some nice approach shots in places, some of the greens and their settings were very good. Other holes were weak enough.

Seemed a very busy place. They've 550 or so active members, and busy for green fee's as well apparently.

Number of leased memberships avail. Asking €1300 or so.

Har44

Hi Uberwolf,

I would be interested to know what holes you thought were weak in Killeen, are you comparing to any other particular course...not being defensive of the course, but unless you are in a premier course then all other courses have weak holes also.
I play there myself, there is no issue with the timesheet on weekend as long you have some flexibility and during the summer, evenings are fine.

uberwolf

Har44 wrote: »

Hi Uberwolf,

I would be interested to know what holes you thought were weak in Killeen, are you comparing to any other particular course...not being defensive of the course, but unless you are in a premier course then all other courses have weak holes also.

That's fair comment. I didn't like the opening stretch particularly 1-3, even 4. I we came off after the 14th, and I gather missed some of the best holes - which no doubt colours my judgement!

WHIP IT!

uberwolf wrote: »

That's fair comment. I didn't like the opening stretch particularly 1-3, even 4. I we came off after the 14th, and I gather missed some of the best holes - which no doubt colours my judgement!

I've played Killeen probably more than any other course and I would agree with you to an extent about the opening holes although I really like the 4th - tree in middle of fairway and a green that you come at kinda "sideways" with water behind.

I think the first is a weak-ish hole and in fairness the opening Five are a bit "up-and-down" but you did miss the Index 1 (15th) which is a very nice hole, as is the short par-five 16th, card-wrecking 17th a nice little closign par-three all over water.

Overall, as far as "everyday courses" go, I think it's a really good golf course. Greens are usually very good and it rarely gets rained off or closed due to frost.

1stuey1

This is been a good thread to read as i joined boards.ie to try find out some info about golf membership. cant belive i just found out about heath i would have jumped to join it, as i only live ten mins away. Can i just ask how do you's all find out this info of hand because im trying to find a good club to join but the finances are whats stopping me! the prices are just crazy and i realy hope for 09 they go down. Paying 3-10k i think is too much. i know one or two clubs ditching there entrace fee's which i hope more do. is there any way off finding out tho or is it just word of mouth / ringing them all!

thanks folks

Boden08

Check the GUI site to find out which clubs have vacancies
http://www.gui.ie/membership_search.asp?pid=140&area=1

Best of luck!

Bluefoam

,

1stuey1

Boden08 wrote: »

Check the GUI site to find out which clubs have vacancies
http://www.gui.ie/membership_search.asp?pid=140&area=1

Best of luck!

doesnt seem up to date!! some of the prices are incorrect.

Rockforest

1stuey1 wrote: »

This is been a good thread to read as i joined boards.ie to try find out some info about golf membership. cant belive i just found out about heath i would have jumped to join it, as i only live ten mins away. Can i just ask how do you's all find out this info of hand because im trying to find a good club to join but the finances are whats stopping me! the prices are just crazy and i realy hope for 09 they go down. Paying 3-10k i think is too much. i know one or two clubs ditching there entrace fee's which i hope more do. is there any way off finding out tho or is it just word of mouth / ringing them all!

thanks folks

Hi,

I worked in a large links course in the West of Ireland and learnt a lot about membership.

Overall, my advice would be to wait for another 12 months and pay green fees in the meantime. There will be phenomenal bargains to be had, with many newer clubs waiving entrance fees.

Why? In the long run, a successful club needs a good volume of active members. Clubs will need to move away from lazily relying on a large entrance fee. The solution instead is a token entrance fee (say EUR 500 - 1,000) and then an incremental increase of the annual membership fee (which works well in older more established courses - "real" golf clubs with low or no debt, rather than development company / privately owned courses which appeared more and more in the 1990s and often have greater debt to pay off and higher running costs, hence ridiculous entrance fees).

Naturally, a golf course has high running costs. But, unfortunately, in the late 1990s/ early 00s, many clubs spent *crazy* money (your entrance fees plus debt) to build huge clubhouses that no-one uses. Instead of adding facilities like pool, sauna, steam room (like many successful US courses / country clubs) to ensure members spend more time and money in the clubhouse and thereby building a long term golf club community, most just expanded what was already there. This, added to drink driving laws, has also seen the demise of crowds in the evening time.

In 2009, you will actually see some golf courses close, particularly those on privately-owned estates where the adjoining housing developments are not selling. Builders used "golf course + hotel" as a honeypot to sell residential property on these estates. Before you pay any entrance fee, check the small print. Many recent golf courses are limited companies, where members have no voting rights or real say in what happens at the club. You don't want to borrow an entrance fee from a bank only to find the club goes bust in 12-24 months and you can't redeem the fee.

So, I would say wait. There will be huge choice in the next 12-24 months.

spurscormac

Or do what I did - joined my hometown club as a distance member, only just over an hours drive away & only cost me €175.
I only usually play when home visiting the folks, so works perfectly for me.

Not sure how relevent it is to Dublin area, probably doesn't even exist, but down the country, there's deals to be had if you look around.

uberwolf

moyvalley have updated pricing structures

http://www.moyvalley.com/golf/membership-packages/payment-plans/

copacetic

uberwolf wrote: »

moyvalley have updated pricing structures

http://www.moyvalley.com/golf/membership-packages/payment-plans/

seems like a lot of the deals being offered are very similar pricing. This one again is a bit steep imo unless you are located nearby. It's too far out for me.

1stuey1

anyone else know any good deals popping up?

ShriekingSheet

copacetic wrote: »

seems like a lot of the deals being offered are very similar pricing. This one again is a bit steep imo unless you are located nearby. It's too far out for me.

Yeah, that €1,500-€2,000 bracket is becoming quite clogged. It seems to me that the only clubs who are actually gaining members with these offers are ones that already had pent-up demand.

Druids Heath was an early mover to that price-point and had a great brand association with the Glen which they capitalised on really well, but that's an extremely rare combination to find.

South County have had a constant trickle of new memberships over the last 12 months and some groups of golfers have been leaving local clubs to join. Personally, I really don't like to see local clubs canibalising eachother, and I've seen some horrible offers by clubs who give a discount to members leaving other clubs to join! The South County influx has more to do with some members of other clubs being treated quite badly by the owners of their course.

Tulfaris has a similar offer again but doesn't seem to be turning over much business. I know that their membership is quite small and actual playing membership is extremely small so it puts them at a disadvantage compared to other clubs where members beget members.

Anyway, my point being that in the succesful cases it seems there was already demand factors in place before price just tipped the balance. I think clubs have less of a chance trying to attract on price and a good course alone.

Rockforest

Yes, good points.

Remember, older clubs are run on a "not for profit" basis - by the members, for the members. If they run a surplus, they reinvest in the club.

Newer clubs: a large number of newer clubs that emerged in the last 15 years are really Limited Companies that own the club / golf course. You become a member, but have no rights in reality.

To my earlier post a few weeks ago (a few posts above from here I think still), there is going to be a bloodbath. Massive entrance fees will go the way of the dodo. Just like the property market, the buyer is going to be back in control. Two weeks ago, one membership for Carton House was for sale in the Irish Times for 25k......two columns to the left another membership was advertised for 15k.

The back page of the Irish Times carries quite a few ads from newer clubs with good deals. But I still think the tipping point will come at the end of 2009 / early 2010 as clubs that relied on massive entrace fees will have cashflow problems.

Bottom line - more deals to come.....

1916

Rockforest wrote: »

Two weeks ago, one membership for Carton House was for sale in the Irish Times for 25k......two columns to the left another membership was advertised for 15k.

I bet the €25k person was rightly p***ed off

f22

Probably as pissed as the guy selling for 15k whose going to lose his stones compared to what he bought it for.

I know a guy who had 2 memberships and was trying to offload them a year and a half ago for 25k each to no avail. He bought them as an "investment".

Lucky to get 10 to 12k in my opinion

death1234567

f22 wrote: »

He bought them as an "investment".

Schoolboy error. There are many better investments than gambling on golf course membership appreciation, even in these recessionary times.

Rockforest

I also think for many people it was a *status* thing rather than an investment. Problem for most people is these clubs rolled a red carpet up to the local bank branch...so you had the privilege of borrowing your "first born" to give to the club so that they could spend it on really thick unnecessary things. Talk about transferring risk! You end up in effect "banking" the club.

WHIP IT!

f22 wrote: »

Probably as pissed as the guy selling for 15k whose going to lose his stones compared to what he bought it for.

I know a guy who had 2 memberships and was trying to offload them a year and a half ago for 25k each to no avail. He bought them as an "investment".

Lucky to get 10 to 12k in my opinion

I was under the impression you could not sell CH shares for profit? You had to give first refusal to the club at no more than the same price you gave them for it?

george67

1stuey1 wrote: »

anyone else know any good deals popping up?

arklow is 1500 a year for new members for 10 years

yearly sub after that (830 at moment )

a good members club playable all year round

BUACHAILL

Am i right in saying thats on tp of €6500 hello money george67 ????

george67

that 1500 includes the hello money

BUACHAILL

That sounds like a great deal to be fair !!

death1234567

Anyone know any good deals in the galway area?

clog

george67 wrote: »

that 1500 includes the hello money

The deal at Arklow is e670 per year in addition to the normal annual subs currently e830. This extra payment is to be paid every year for 10 years in effect you will pay e6700 'hello money' over the course of 10 years.

BUACHAILL

yeah I knew that, but you get full membership. Other deals are the same money but with no guarantee of being there over a long period so you are open to the discretion of the golf club, things pick up in 3-4 years and they no longer need your money your out... wasted money in so far as u still have no club !!