Hermitage Golf Club

Don't forget to factor in the price of additional golf balls & mental health counselling if you plan to join the European 😍

Just a thought Op, I wouldn't necessarily be put off initially by being told somewhere is full. Purely by chance I've had about 4 people I think in the last two weeks who have told me they've just gotten in to, or are in the process of getting in to, some of the clubs mentioned as being full or with waiting lists and big joining fees. Usually its a variant of "...I know a few members" or "....my mate is on Committee" etc., but you never know. I sometimes wonder how many are actually full or are just being strict with their vetting.

Another way to get into the bigger clubs is through Pavilion membership, some of the clubs give you a GUI, reduced rates on courses/comps etc. Also a cheaper way to see if you like the course/club. If you are young enough much easier to get in an Intermediate member, generally up to age of 32.

Don't know if you're fixed up but I play in the Hermitage and if I can help pm .

@pinkdoubleeagle How does one get a proposer and 2 seconders? Is it meant to keep applications only to those who know members personally? I have only been a member where that might be on the application but it was waived or the office staff did an interview and said OK.

Many clubs, especially the older ones, are members' clubs. I.e. they are actually owned by the members. Very different from GAA etc.

If you become a member, you have equal rights to all the other members, so if you turn out to be an obnoxious git, it is very difficult to get you out.

For this reason, members' clubs are very cautious about who they let in.

There probably is gits in all clubs, but having it to be recommended by people in good standing (I'm sure there's unspoken rules about recommendations) limits the risk of it happening

Based on your description of the Hermitage, it seems that the standards set there should serve as the benchmark for similar situations.

I was in that boat when I lived in Australia, I just had to agree to play (I think it was 3 rounds) with a member and it was seamless after that. It would have been near impossible for me to join a club out there otherwise, because whatever chance I have a know a cousin of a friend in some club in Dublin. I’ve next to no chance of that happening in another country entirely. 

Jasus, if I went to join a club and I was handed a form like that to fill out, I’d be gone like a shot.

The world is already full to the brim of entitled t**ts, the last thing I’d want to do is spend my Saturday and Sunday mornings with them! 

The majority of times, you would have an idea of those characters before you left the 1st tee box!

I remember renting a room in my house. We showed it to something like 12 people and 11 wanted to take it. In the conversation with the other housemates on who to take we came up with such silly reasons to cross people off the list. The problem was that of the 11 who wanted it, 9 were perfectly normal, seemingly nice people. You need to decide who to say yes to somehow.

Lots of golf clubs have the same problem, in particular members clubs in dublin. They're full, they'll never get through a waiting list, they have to decide somehow how to admit new members. The proposer / seconder thing - maybe it makes it more likely that new members will integrate into the club. Maybe being a pavillion member first does the same. The added cost of being a pavillion member, then a five day before getting full membership pretty much guarantees that they're going to get committed long term members. And if they're a club with the luxury of being able to charge entrance fees and make people pay for lesser memberships before getting full membership, then why not do it?

It's great that golf is open to people now who can't afford / justify this process, but for some clubs it's not going anywhere.

I’ve been there. I remember waiting in line to check-in to play at an open competition once. The guy in front was causing blue murder because the practice range was closed (it clearly stated on their website and booking page that the range was closed for maintenance). Anyway, this guy refused to pay full rate because of this inconvenience. He eventually succumbed and forked out…

Unfortunately, that meant I’d to spend 18 holes listening to his rant. About how he was going to call his own club captain and inform him of what just happened at this club in question, like WTF is that going to do to help his plight?  I didn’t ask him where he’s a member, I probably should have, to make sure I never ran into him again!  

Id imagine it would be a popular topic!

I've actually been ok, a few quirky characters, that guy was by far the worst.

Close 2nd was a time I was playing in another open and my playing partner accosted me as we were finishing on the 9th. He was accusing me of being a bandit! I was playing off 7 at the time and was like 4 over through 9! I'm not sure what he was expecting....

He didnt bother join us for the back 9 then either. Like all you can do is laugh at a lad like that.

There are as*****s in every club and not only golf clubs. Sometimes an as*****s for one person can be a best mate for another. In other cases they are the playing partner of last resort, if at all. We all tend to gravitate towards like minded soles and so in most cases can avoid those we may not like. In any club, out of hundreds of members, there will usually be some you might prefer to avoid. In a members club, no matter the selection process there can be regrets that some slip through the process purely designed to introduce long term members that will integrate within the club and ideally contribute.

If you are interested in joining a club first find out if there are membership vacancies and then if there are ask if there is a process where someone who does not know any members can apply for membership. Very often if you dig deep enough you may well find an introduction through other sports or business contacts.