Having explored extensively what golf club members want from their memberships in 2026, the next question that sprang instantly to mind was whether the traditional model itself was still valid in this day and age.
It’s a contentious premise as memberships undeniably remain hugely popular, they are the backbone that the golfing ecosystem is built upon, and it would be a mistake to ignore the fact that it works for a significant number of golfers who play regularly and relish the full environment and benefits offered by being part of a club.
But it’s also true to say that there is a reason (or indeed many) why non-members – and there are a lot of them – choose not to join, and the factors overlap with those frustrations expressed by some club members.
If those who are still members of a golf club are beginning to say the same things as those who have left or who don’t believe classic membership works for them, then that question of whether the model is still relevant is asked more loudly.
After recently surveying 2,500 golfers, we’ve seen a growing trend that points to a disconnect between what golfers want and what most clubs still offer.
The key words of affordability, flexibility, and inclusivity are now being further highlighted, with 11% of golfers we surveyed declaring that they had stopped their membership in the past year.
Why Do Golfers Leave Golf Clubs & Why Don’t Others Join?
(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)
Explaining why golfers are choosing to give up their memberships is a vital ingredient to ensuring that clubs can thrive into the future. The 2024/25 Hillier Hopkins Golf Club Survey found that 22% of clubs had more leavers than joiners and that waiting lists are beginning to shorten, which suggests that there is a dark cloud potentially looming on the horizon.
Ultimately, there is a trinity of standout issues that golfers cite. They are cost, value, and lack of time.
Perhaps most notably of all, the percentage of golfers who said they had considered joining a club dipped slightly this year – from around 13-14% to 10%.
Let’s take a look at some of the comments we received when it related to cost:
“Don’t play enough to justify £1,700 p.a.” “Membership subscription increased by 10%.” “Cost of playing became too much.” “The astronomical price.” “Lack of courses at fees I can afford.” “I wanted to go nomadic this year and membership was too expensive to do both.”
Finding value for money in a product like membership is not just related to how much it costs, but how often you’re able to use it, and that’s a problem for those with work, family and other commitments who find it challenging to justify the expense of being a club member:
“I only play once per week.” “Didn’t feel I would get VFM.” “Fewer opportunities to play as the course got busier.”
There is an increasing sense that golfers are beginning to feel restricted by being a member of just one course and that they would prefer having the opportunity to play a greater variety of layouts. If that’s not possible through being a traditional member, then a nomadic existence, or alternative, flexible models of golf membership start to become highly appealing.
“I wanted the variation of playing different courses.” “Enjoy exploring other courses and the challenges they bring.” “I like playing different courses.” “Don’t want to be tied to one course.”
It’s also important to stress the desire for quality. If golfers don’t feel like what they’re getting is reflective of the fees they are being asked to pay, then they will begin to look elsewhere, either to a different club or embrace another form of membership entirely.
The standard of the course is essential and the same can be said for the ethos and atmosphere of the club itself.
“Not value for money and declining maintenance.” “Stopped being the club I had joined and enjoyed.” “Poor course conditions in late summer.” “Bad weather closures made it poor value.”
All of that makes sense to explain why golfers are leaving their clubs and why others aren’t keen to join, but you could raise the counterpoint of whether non-club golfers would ever sign up to a membership anyway as it’s just incompatible with their personal circumstances.
Will Non-Members Ever Join a Golf Club?
16% of the non-club golfers we surveyed said that they planned to join a club in 2026, which is encouraging, but it’s also down slightly on previous surveys. Nonetheless, this still a significant proportion of the golfing population who could become a member, but only if the product offered suits their lifestyle.
Rather than golfers having to adapt their life to a standard model of club membership, perhaps there should be a greater emphasis on establishing formats that can work for them.
59% of non-club golfers plan to play more golf next year, showing that the appetite is there, and clubs could benefit, if they can evolve to embrace them and their needs.
What Do Non-Club Golfers Want?
We asked golfers to identify the changes they wanted to see in golf club membership models, and several dominant themes emerged.
Among this group of non-members, golf memberships were viewed as too expensive, with high joining fees in some cases being an additional obstacle. There is also that issue of value for those who can’t play regularly.
“I feel more and more like I’m being priced out of golf.” “Joining fees scrapped – they keep the sport elitist.” “Pay quarterly to join golf clubs.” “A reasonably priced membership with a nominal green fee each time you play.”
Price is a barrier to entering golf clubs. If a greater number of affordable memberships were available, or these were more financially dynamic in terms of their structure and payment demands, it could bring more people into venues.
Continuing that theme, flexibility is a request we’ve seen, as the classic model increasingly doesn’t satisfy a modern lifestyle, with some bolder suggestions even saying that shorter forms of the sport should be offered.
“More flexibility – why only 5- or 7-day memberships?” “A 5- or 10-round voucher at a competitive price.” “Monthly memberships that can be cancelled without penalty.” “9-hole membership.” “Twilight or afternoon-only memberships.”
It’s clear that a one-size-fits-all annual memberships don’t work for everyone. Some clubs have adapted to this, but there is more work to be done as demands are trending in this direction.
Beyond just the parameters of a membership, flexibility in terms of what you get for it is also a factor.
Golfers want to play more than just the same course all the time and those arrangements, whether an advancement on reciprocal agreements, or something more formal, could be the future of the game.
“More clubs offering flexible membership – clubs combining together to offer golf at different venues.” “If you’re a member of one club, you should be able to play others for free or a small fee.”
Rather than taking an overview of the membership model itself, are there things about clubs themselves that should evolve and change?
Some places still have a reputation for being exclusive. And golfers would like to see more benefits as part of being a member:
“End snobbery and aloofness.” “Be more inviting to younger females.” “Make it easier to integrate new members.” “Inclusive buggies for disability.” “Free range balls.” “Reduced rates when the course is unplayable.” “Committees and favouritism put people off.”
If golfers aren’t getting what they want from a traditional, 12-month, single-course membership, then they may start looking for alternatives.
New Golf Club Membership Models Are Emerging
Different forms of membership already exist, as a variety of innovative models have sought to address the frustrations and wishes of golfers, providing them with the flexibility they are keen to benefit from.
Mashie Golf offers members access to premium courses, discounted green fees, hosted events, and concierge services – all within a flexible structure. Golfbreaks Links Club provides £600 of tee-time credit across 60+ UK courses, £200 credit for amateur events, and £100 towards golf holidays.
Each of these models have integrated versatility with a sense of community and that could be the template of the future.
What is The Future of Golf Membership?
While the traditional model of membership remains in a good position and it does still work for a significant proportion of golfers, there is a growing number of players, both members and non-members, who are keen for something different or new.
As time goes on, if fewer players see a classic membership as being suitable for them, that becomes a problem for both golf clubs and the wider game. Evolution is natural and models that place a greater emphasis on flexibility, variety and inclusion should eventually thrive.
There is genuine validity to being the member of a golf club – and that will always likely remain the case – but the terms of that may have to be adapted in the years to come if the sport is to stay healthy and relevant for the generations to come.
Kieran Clark is the Digital Editor of Golfshake. He oversees editorial content, community engagement, forums, and social media channels. A lifelong golfer from the Isle of Bute in Scotland who has now lived in St Andrews for a decade, he began playing at the age of five and maintains a passion for exploring courses, with a particular affection for historic layouts. Kieran regularly contributes in-depth opinion pieces and features, drawing on his enthusiasm for the game and its culture.
