Membership Cork area- 2023

All Cork clubs are open for membership, prices vary massively

I would contact them all by phone

All depends on your budget. Muskerry/Lee Valley very close by but expensive, Macroom a little forward west but cheaper.

it all comes down to budget really

The first consideration for joining a club is distance or proximity, not price. No point joining a club 45 minutes away if there's one on your doorstep.

I applied to join Douglas for this year and despite having an ex-President and Senior Cup player propose me, my application was unsuccessful. 8 memberships for 50+ applicants.

Ended up joining Monkstown and very happy there, and practice facilities are improving. I believe they are still advertising full membership

Yes I think they were in trouble 3-4 years ago but seem to be very settled financially now. Chipping green opened this summer and is great albeit still bedding in. Full driving range is in construction at the moment.

Lovely course, aside from 3-5 and the greens have been excellent all summer

Ah thats good to hear. It is somewhere I may end up joining in a few years if it suits, although not a fan of hello money.

What we're the issues with 3-5? I liked those holes myself although wish I didn't try lay up on 3.

3rd hole is the worst on the course by far - up there with the worst hole in all of Cork I'd say... a completely blind 2nd shot where really good shots can be punished very harshly and really bad shots can be absolutely perfect

4th is what it is.. in the summer it is very short, could be hitting an iron up there and running onto the green, when its cold and windy it can be a tricky tee shot because you feel like you always have to go for it and if you are trying to carry it up there it gets a lot tighter -especially to the bushes on the right .. which the land naturally falls

5th is of divided opinion I think, I like it because I can carry it a good way up the hill and still have a short iron/wedge in, alot of ppl find it very long though with the gradient of the hill - tricky green as well big slope from left to right as you approach, can have some interesting putts

I am probably being overly harsh on 4,5, its just the stretch of holes I wouldn't be a fan of. 3 is one of the worst holes I've played. Hit good shots and gone over the back, hit bad shots and ended up on the green.

well there is if its 10K on your doorstep or €800 45 mins away. Price and available disposable income are key concerns for a lot of people

A bit of the financial hit and a bit of normal life resuming I'd imagine. Lads around my age early-mid 30s are back at GAA/soccer/5 a side etc. The social calendar also has picked up and holidays are another cost to be considered. Less time to play golf so maybe not in a position to justify full membership.

The first club golfers will nearly always look at is the closest one to them, if they can't afford that one they will look at the next closest one etc. I've never said that price wasn't a concern, just that it's not the first concern.

The issue for clubs where decision makers think that price is the only concern is they market only on price and not all the other reasons why golfers join clubs, it also prevents the clubs from running as profitable businesses. I can certainly understand a big difference between an €800 subscription and a €2,000 subscription and a €40 green fee and a €200 green fee but to think that an €800 sub is more attractive than a €900 sub or a €40 green fee is more attractive than a €50 green fee is why so many clubs get into financial difficulty.

Think last year it was around €1,350 , they had upped it a lot on previous years. Think there was more people looking at joining clubs since covid. That interest might start to decrease again with everyday costs rising, so there might be deals available again for next year

I’d say it’ll be increases across the board nationally with memberships continuing at an all-time-high

Regarding Lee Valley, hopefully "Joining Fees" aren't making a comeback in general. Some of the "Hello" money back in the day was nuts. Was Blarney 10K or something when it opened?

@big_drive , yeah 1500 seems a lot for Muskerry alright. I wonder does that include a bar subscription and/or a bunch of green fees or something etc?

The best option there is Macroom. Muskerry isn’t worth 1,500, LV being just shy of 3K for a new member isn’t worth it. Blarney similar to Macroom so all depends on your commute

Speaking of macroom earlier anyone know a bit more about club at moment.

Is it busy/difficult to get on timesheet,etc?

I presume new bypass might make it easier get up the town to course and save a few mins travel time

I'd probably agree. Haven't played either course in last couple years but I always like Lee Valley

Muskerry is a lot shorter from what I remember, probably 2018 since last played it.

Played lee valley in 2021 but weather was awful so wasn't a very enjoyable day.

Have they put in new practice facilities in LV in the past year?

Muskerry is a member owned course, Lee Valley is privately owned,.

I would also take that into account

No issues really unless your looking at prime time Saturday/Sunday morning then it’s a case of be ready when the sheet opens

I'm moving to Cork city in the next 12 months and this thread is very helpful. Is there any GC's you'd advise avoiding? I'd like to join somewhere with a half decent putting/chipping area. Thanks