'The Principle Problem My Golf Club (And Many Others) Is Currently Facing Is That It’s Simply Not Much Fun Being A Member'

Three golfers looking happy on the golf course with one of them giving a thumbs up

(Image credit: Kevin Murray)

A friend of mine has a saying he likes to trot out occasionally when the morale of a group is flagging. “It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun,” he will say. Cue groans from those in the party frozen to the bone by wind, rain or snow while skiing, climbing or similar in grim conditions.

We all know what he means though. Sometimes achievement against adversity can be the most fun you can have.

Golf can deliver it too. Completing a decent round in gale-force sleet may not seem like fun when you’re halfway up the 12^th, but it will feel amazing when you’re warm in the clubhouse bar afterwards recounting your exploits.

What absolutely does have to be, simply, fun in golf is being a golf club member. If you’re handing over thousands of your hard-earned pounds for a recreational activity, you require it to be fun.

You wouldn’t pay a subscription to Netflix if it showed nothing but re-runs of Brush Strokes. You wouldn’t buy a lame racehorse or a Porsche 911 with a limiter on the engine.

Taking my club as an example. Members are made to feel guilty about the current state of the finances, the ever-rising subs and the lack of new (particularly younger) members. It’s our fault apparently.

Well, I can tell them: It’s not our fault. The principle problem my club, and many other clubs, are currently facing is that it’s simply not that much fun being a member.

Golfers walking and laughing together — Golf is supposed to be fun!

'At Least 50% less fun'

So many of the missives sent out are negative. “We need to raise fees. People aren’t using the clubhouse. The bar is closing early as nobody’s come in. The course is closed again. It’s maintenance week.”

Not, “Thank you for your investment and here’s what we’re offering you.” More, “Well you bunch of cheapskates, if that’s all we can milk out of you, then this is all you’re getting.”

The insinuation is that it’s our duty as members to pay more and expect less. That is not a way to encourage people to be supportive. If you make it all about the doom and gloom, why would people want to be a part of it?

We as a club must accept that fees have risen by 50% in under 10 years and the club is at least 50% less fun than it was at the end of the last decade.

That is why clubs are failing – they are not delivering bang for buck. They must be fun for people to be willing to spend big chunks of their annual income to be a part of them.

The club must be an entertaining prospect. There must be fun events on the course, and all should feel welcome.

WHS has made competitive golf difficult. That’s something I truly believe. But let’s not capitulate. Let’s find different ways of enjoying social golf together.

More roll-ups with handicaps that shift according to performance (outside of WHS.) More mixed events. More senior-junior events. More season-long aggregate or eclectic comps. Something to play in every single day.

Salisbury South Wilts women love to mix up playing partners — Smiles should be commonplace all over the golf club

And off the course – There must be life. There should be parties in the clubhouse!

Those in charge must create an exciting and enticing atmosphere – Quiz nights, poker nights, after-dinner speakers, dances, yoga classes, race nights, sports promotions, kids’ events etc. Something to appeal to everyone.

Apart from those one-off events, there should always be a lively ambience. The bar should be welcoming, the captain should be strolling around greeting people, the senior staff should be lively and present and bustling. There should be music playing, bacon frying, pints flowing, bar games being played.

There should be things happening and people should be encouraged to use the club whether playing golf or not. Less of the “use it or lose it” mentality, more of the “come and join in” mentality.

It’s not my duty to be a member, although I am hugely loyal to a club I have been a part of, and contributed to significantly, since I was a junior.

I understand the economics behind raising fees and, to a point, accept the increases. I just wish I got a little more fun in return for my outlay.

Being a golf club member has many highs and lows. We all have opinions on hot topics like the general state of the game, dress codes, slow play and the World Handicap System, and so does the Secret Club Golfer. Documenting every aspect of golf club life, the Secret Club Golfer opines on the themes that dominate discussions on fairways and in clubhouses all around the world. The Secret Club Golfer is one of us.

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