Independent Golfer Ireland

It'll have to be in for a couple of years before clubs find out if they're losing members because of it. If they are losing members, I'd expect clubs to restrict open competitions to non-iGolf members.

This will actually kill of clubs and is a disaster, we all know of a few clubs you can join for €150 and get a handicap and the large numbers that go to them rather than support a local club. Local clubs will struggle to survive, already many are club hopping to get cheap golf. IMO it's a money grab by the GUI who couldn't care less about the clubs and how they are to survive. I expect alot of clubs to fold and be snapped up by developers. The GUI will have golfers at their mercy in the long term with fewer clubs. Clubs need to get together and respond in a meaningful way that will hit the GUI and their cronies in the pocket.

such hyperbole. Such nonsense.

If any club in any area wants to fend this threat off (perceived or real), they will have one simple manoeuvre to make: refuse to host any green fees, societies, opens or guests, at weekends.

If clubs can now have open comps and charge some people extra for entering them they'll be delighted about it.

I went on a 2 round overnight golf trip with my college mates at the weekend. 8 of us played. Of the 8, 1 is a member of 2 clubs and gets lots of use out of both. I'm a pay and play member of a club because I can't justify full membership anywhere while I won't get to make reasonable use out of it. I have previously been a full member of a club. 2 are former club members but have taken a break as they can't justify membership while they don't have time to use it. 1 has the independent golfer type of membership in Australia - for him it's a way into the game. For 200 dollars he gets a lesson, I think he said it includes a couple of rounds and he gets discounted rounds on a few courses. He's delighted with it and if he takes to the game he'll look at full membership somewhere. He won over the two days so I suspect he'll stick with it. The other 3 lads have never been a member anywhere but would have an interest in some sort of membership in the future. I'd say they'll be a long while before they'd consider parting with a grand or two for full membership anywhere though while they're only playing a few times a year.

For me, I was looking at our group and thinking that one of the 8, two have already left clubs because they can't justify the membership fees considering how little they use them. If I only had full memberships as options available to me, I probably wouldn't justify being a member anywhere either. I think golf as a sport will be better served when people can be kept in touch with the game as some sort of members somewhere. They'll play more if they are and they'll pay more if they are. That will benefit clubs. I could be wrong, but I'd be amazed if we see any mass exodus from clubs from people going to Independent golfer. If lads are members of places just for a handicap they're using the pay and play options, or distance membership, not full memberships.

I was previously a distance member in your club, so in fairness not a small rural club. Interestingly, I remember when I was a distance member there being told by a couple of members that they didn't think the club should do distance membership. They for one felt that if you have full playing rights you should pay full subs. They were also of the opinion that people would use fake addresses to claim distance membership. In my case I was living in Dublin, but in their view since I was in my early 20s sure I was down every weekend, it's no different to living in the town.

If I remember correctly, I was paying €550 for that membership option. At the same time, there were clubs offering distance membership for about €150. If people just wanted the handicap, they'd choose the €150 option. Why would anyone even pay €151 for it somewhere if they could get it for €150? People choosing distance memberships do so because they get some use out of them on top of the handicap. In my case, I was splitting my weekends at the time between Dublin, Tramore and Tullamore. The big advantage of a distance membership in my home town was that when I was home for the weekend I could play in the Sunday comp with my father / friends. A handicap only option would by and large rule out Sunday golf. It was also handy that I could play in opens in the midlands on bank holidays, I used to play in a couple each year. I don't recall ever playing in an open in Dublin in that time. Having a handicap was very important to me too. In my eyes, it's the only real measure of how good you are. Doing well in comps can be great, but sometimes all it means is that you were playing badly for a long time before you got your game together. Your handicap is how good you are.

Another angle to look at - do people remember the furore when a club started offering distance membership for €150? There was outrage. Golfers were taking it up essentially to buy a handicap and a hell of a lot of people thought clubs should not be allowed to do that. Are we now okay with clubs selling handicaps with no golf attached (it might have been on offer, but if it was never going to be used it was in essence no golf attached)?

I supposed I still just don't see where any significant loss of members / revenue is going to come from. How many distance members in small rural clubs who have no little interest in playing those clubs can we possibly have?

When is this due to come in? Or is it still just rumoured etc?

Seems to be working in England

https://www.thegolfbusiness.co.uk/2024/05/club-membership-increased-in-england-in-2023/

Huge jump of 100,000 in 2020-2021, ("Since the pandemic struck in March 2020, affiliated golf club membership in England has increased by 100,000.") drop of 15,000 in 2022, small rise in 2023.

Clubs did very well keeping most of the Covid joiners

Out of curiosity, do you know if the strategic plan was voted for and approved by the clubs? I just had a look at the strategic plan (published in early 2022) and it does include the possibility of an independent golfer scheme.

Love the course but membership value had been completely dissolved in my opinion.

It’s my home town so has sentimental value in that sense. Blue tee comps now €8 for members, up from €6. Normal comps now €6 I think, up from €5. Membership price gone up annually.