Annual subscriptions at my club have risen sharply in recent years and the rumour mill suggests they will go up again, above inflation for 2026. Indeed, Increasing subs are a common theme around the golfing world (although there still are some good-value membership options out there).
As subs increase, membership numbers are falling as more (particularly younger) players are struggling to justify the expenditure in a challenging economic climate.
As membership numbers go down, the shortfall in income must be covered. At my club, we have worked hard to increase visitor numbers, but we’re not a prestigious venue so green fees can only do so much. The hole in the finances has to be plugged by the members so subscriptions go up further.
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That leads to more members saying it’s just too much and giving it up. It’s a vicious cycle.
But I don’t think it needs to be. We just need to stop spending so much money. All I want from my club is a course that’s playable with decent greens and a functioning bar and kitchen. I would happily tighten my belt, pay less for membership and accept a very basic product.
Those in charge, though – the committee members, many of whom are retired with whopping great pensions and assets coming out of their ears – just seem to think they can spend their way out of trouble.
We don’t need new carpets in the dining room. We don’t need to paint the clubhouse windows a different colour. We don’t need to rebuild the whole green complex at the 15th. We don’t need to employ an extra greenkeeper and have three members of admin staff.
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The well-off few who have the time available to go onto the committee are spoiling it for the less well-off with stressful jobs and busy family lives who just want somewhere to play golf and go for a quick coffee and a bacon roll on a Saturday or Sunday.
Speaking to friends and colleagues in other parts of the country, it would seem I am not alone in feeling that the average working person is being priced out of club membership.
If you agree or disagree with that, please do let us know in the comment box below.
If you only have a chance to play a couple of times a month, the cost per round means membership is simply not worth it for an increasing number.
I say that this should be a time of austerity for the average second-tier local golf club. At my club, I would love to see a radical shift to reduce budgets and move to more of a skeleton operation with lower subscription charges.
I think a hold should be put on any costly course improvements right now and greens expenditure should purely be for maintaining the current layout in the best possible condition that the closely monitored budget allows for.
When it comes to the clubhouse, again, it should be basic maintenance only. Any suggestions of improving aesthetics or adding facilities should be dismissed. If the lights are on and the bacon is frying, that’s just fine with me.
Unfortunately, the committee doesn’t see it like that, and they continue to spend money we don’t have, making unnecessary changes and supposed improvements.
As a result, the subs continue to rise inexorably and the (often) younger, less wealthy members continue to be squeezed out.
We need more of the younger, less wealthy members to get onto the committee to put their feet down, but it’s a catch 22 because they tend to be the busiest with the least time to spare and committing to a committee is a commitment too far.
Club committees must consider all members from different economic backgrounds. The wealthy few might not blink at a 15% increase in subs, but there are plenty of members at many clubs across the country for whom that type of increase is a step too far.
To protect our golf clubs and maintain healthy and diverse memberships, cost reduction should be the order of the day. Save some money, save golf clubs.
Quiz: Can You Even Call Yourself A Golfer If You Can’t Answer All These Questions Correctly?
