How To Make Friends At A Golf Club
Making new friends at a golf club isn't always easy. Here are a few tips and pointers
Getting to know people can be hard if you’re joining a new club on your own. Jeremy Ellwood highlights a number of ways to make friends at a golf club
How To Make Friends At A Golf Club
Different people want different things from their golf club membership, but expanding the circle of friends with whom they both play and socialise is important for many.
Some will find it easier to make friends at a golf club as they are naturally more gregarious than others, but I would say I don’t fall into that category and have had to rely on different ‘methods’ over the years to get to know people.
Getting involved in club competitions is absolutely key, as it provides the ideal chance to get to know people in the environment in which all golfers should be most comfortable – i.e. out on the course.
Even if you have no great desire to play competitive golf every week, it is worth putting yourself out there early on as you try to find your feet.
Clubs have a major role to play here too, especially with many struggling for members.
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My advice would be to find a club where a good percentage of the competitions are drawn randomly.
Yes, many golfers want to play with their regular partners and that is understandable, but in the current climate it’s important that new golfers are integrated fully into the club, rather than risk them leaving within a year or two because they’ve struggled to get to know people.
If the existing members simply play with who they know every week, a vital opportunity for integration is lost.
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I well remember that at one club where I was a member I put myself and my partner down on the startsheet for a mixed foursomes alongside some longstanding members.
Next week, we doublechecked the startsheet only to find they had moved themselves to a different slot with other longstanding members.
That sent out the wrong message and was the catalyst for me eventually leaving that club.
So before you join a club, find out whether or not a good number of club competitions are drawn randomly. If not, it may be worth looking elsewhere.
On top of the ‘official’ competition schedule, many clubs also have a number of informal ‘roll-ups’ throughout the week, and these can be a great way to get to know others.
My current club has a number of these friendly semi-competitive gatherings and I’ve regularly been invited along to get to know new people.
Often the secretary, pro and others will be aware of other new members looking for a game. Pairing up that way can often lead to lasting friendships between two or more people in the same boat, and that has certainly been the case for me in the past.
And if your new club has a full social calendar, get involved with one or two of those events in your early days too, so you can meet as many people as possible in one go in a relaxed and friendly environment and get a better idea of who you are likely to click with.
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Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.
Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf
Jeremy is currently playing...
Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft
3 wood: Srixon ZX, EvenFlow Riptide 6.0 S 50g shaft
Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft
Irons 3- to 8-iron: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts
Irons 9-iron and PW: Honma TWorld TW747Vx, Nippon NS Pro regular shaft
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts
Putter: Kramski HPP 325
Ball: Any premium ball I can find in a charity shop or similar (or out on the course!)
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