Turfers, there is a rumour circulating about a one-off levy at Piney.

Totally ignorant about almost everything except golf.

Is there??? How much and what is it for?

Bring your daughter to the slaughterrrrrrrrrrr

$150 per member to keep the club afloat. I meant to ask Terry when we were chatting at Bribie on Monday but somebody joined in before I had a chance.

Totally ignorant about almost everything except golf.

I am totally ignorant to almost everything except golf, hope that clears things up : )

Bring your daughter to the slaughterrrrrrrrrrr

My signature is yours.:-) Have our lads got the wrong story and everything at Piney is wonderful?

Totally ignorant about almost everything except golf.

All good

My club has a members advisory board. It has long term members of varying ages. The comp fees went up by $1 and all money from this rise goes to the MBA. The MBA then advises the club of proposed improvements and the work is approved and done. I guess this gives us members a voice and stops the pen pushers putting a nice plaque over their parking space.

My club has a members advisory board. It has long term members of varying ages. The comp fees went up by $1 and all money from this rise goes to the MBA. The MBA then advises the club of proposed improvements and the work is approved and done. I guess this gives us members a voice and stops the pen pushers putting a nice plaque over their parking space.

Where do I send my resume????

Our club needs to raise $21,000 for new sprinklers. They sent me a letter to ask for a donation. Am happy to.

Like Madam said clubs needs to stay in the positive, but there are better ways than slapping levies on.

Handicap, I’m working on it. – Edit: Feb 2013 still, working on it.

Where you at?

There’s many a slip ’tween a cup and a lip.

http://www.golflink.com.au/...

Hackers paradise: Melb Airport Golf Club.

we pay $3/$2…used to be $2/$1
ain’t no such thing as a free lunch

http://www.golflink.com.au/...

How is it a free lunch when you pay a membership fee?

Full membership at my club is around $1700. We have to pay something like $9 for 9 holes and $16 for 18.

That is absolutely disgraceful.

if you play 30 times a year thats another $500

Would you be happy if they sent out a notice that Fees had increased by 28% ??

I think that is steep..

Incoming Golf Balls have the right of way!

http://www.golflink.com.au/...

I don’t really care. If I was worried about the cost I’d join the local public track. I probably play there 50+ times a year. We’ve got a choice. Pay the money and have a top class facility or have a club that can’t afford to do what needs to be done to be kept in shape.

Full membership at my club is around $1700. We have to pay something like $9 for 9 holes and $16 for 18. It’s a pretty decent course that could probably charge quite a bit more for membership. I think it’s done as a way to keep membership prices down and encourage time poor players to maintain memberships.

User pay rationale. Is your course sand or clay based?

Totally ignorant about almost everything except golf.

Sand based.

In all honesty membership should be much higher and would be if the course was in one of the major cities.

Full membership at my club is around $1700. We have to pay something like $9 for 9 holes and $16 for 18. It’s a pretty decent course that could probably charge quite a bit more for membership. I think it’s done as a way to keep membership prices down and encourage time poor players to maintain memberships.

User pay rationale. Is your course sand or clay based?

Totally ignorant about almost everything except golf.

Sand based.

In all honesty membership should be much higher and would be if the course was in one of the major cities.

Belmont Golf Club at Lake Macquarie is a top sand based course. Their annual subs are $850. Just a comparison FYI.

Belmont is currently $831 for 7 day m’ship.
Probably rise by whatever the CPI is from 1st July.
16th, par 5, is having a new green built that will increase the length by 60 metres, to 490 odd.
Newcastle is a fairly good sand based course, top 20, fees currently $1980 for full membership, were $1800 last year.

Full membership at my club is around $1700. We have to pay something like $9 for 9 holes and $16 for 18. It’s a pretty decent course that could probably charge quite a bit more for membership. I think it’s done as a way to keep membership prices down and encourage time poor players to maintain memberships.

User pay rationale. Is your course sand or clay based?

Totally ignorant about almost everything except golf.

Sand based.

In all honesty membership should be much higher and would be if the course was in one of the major cities.

Belmont Golf Club at Lake Macquarie is a top sand based course. Their annual subs are $850. Just a comparison FYI.

Totally ignorant about almost everything except golf.

Belmont is a nice members course and pretty good value at that price. Last time I played they had recently put in some new greens which are in much better shape than the rest. Although they play much harder and faster.

Golfpunk,
Belmont is a good members course, around 6000metres long with new ratings of 72, blue course and 73, black course. There are about 1100 members, 800 men 300 ladies. The available ocean views and consistent course condition make it nice to be a member.
During the Lake Macquarie tournament its only defence is the wind, if it happens to be NE or SE most struggle, if it is calm the players kill it, up to 20 under has won it, but in saying that the quality of golfers has improved a lot over the years plus it is a GA selection trial and accredited world rating event so it does attract good players.
Previous winners have been and are still playing in numerous PGA tour events.

Full membership at my club is around $1700. We have to pay something like $9 for 9 holes and $16 for 18.

That is absolutely disgraceful.

I can understand the club reasoning.

Yet I would refuse to join a club or to pay extra to play social rounds in some levy example. Pay comp fees and annual membership as well as volunteer bar manager etc.

The clubs have to think a bit better to operate without these ‘hidden membership’ charges. The various state governments pull this crap enough as it is.

Caboolture golf club started introducing levies, it is an area with many unemployed and had a large membership of retirees, the result was a mass exodus from the club. Over the past 18 months they have been trying to bring them back to no avail.

The new committee has reduced fees, given incentives for members to bring in visitors and dropped all joining fees. Two things they have done which is are negative is scrap the discount for a husband and wife resulting in some of these leaving and stop accepting six monthly payments for which an administrative fee was paid, resulting in more retirees leaving the club.

Caboolture is a good course with a fantastic variety of holes, plenty of water and trees to trap the unwary and very friendly staff, however the club has now lost the trust of many locals in particular as they sacked the very popular pro who ran the shop and took the shop over as a club venture. the result is a mainly empty course with most comps having drastically reduced numbers. I normally play social on Mondays and Fridays with friends. Two years ago before all this started the course would be full on both days from 6am, we played last Friday and there were 3 groups on the course. when we left after our 18 there were no more than 8 groups on the course.

The warning is committees need to better manage the club finances and be up front to members about the financial health of the club. We had no idea the club was in trouble untill they tried to impose a $250 dollar levy 2 months from the end of the club year, with the warning that membership and playing rights would be terminated if we did not pay up immediately. 150 members resigned the next day, most of them will never return.

caboolture was in a position 6 years ago where they had to consider restricting members as they had too many to accommodate on the course, through bad management they have now gone to a situation where numbers are critically low.

welcome back Tol!!
:)

This is bullshit. Set the fees per year at what it needs to be, so people can establish a set budget before they join a club.
Your fees have gone up from $1500 a year to $2150.00 if you play two times a week! And more if you sneak in nine after work.
That’s a 25% increase, how can they justify that to the existing members.
I pay $2600ish a year at grange with $230 bar levy to use,( which gets used) and that is one of Adelaide’s top four clubs with 2 courses.
It sounds like mismanagement to me,
I would be questioning it, with some other members. If they loose members what do they achieve.
Smart clubs are finding other ways to increase membership, raise money thru functions and social days, and modern membership options.
All clubs are struggling, but 25% is beyond the joke.
Some of these costs are due to the fact clubs are negative to drive for new modern memberships, as they believe “we paid that ” so should everyone else.
Grange have an offer on for joining fees at the moment that is 20% less than what I paid. I would rather that then my yearly fees go thru the roof.
The problem with some clubs is they are CLUBS, and management committees are from elected members who make decisions and have no idea how to run a business.
Golf Australia needs to step in here and help clubs in these tough times, with maybe some draft management strategies , That have been trailed. but I can’t comment that as I don’t know enough about what they actually do.

Just my opinion

‘The problem with some clubs is they are CLUBS, and management committees are from elected members who make decisions and have no idea how to run a business.
Golf Australia needs to step in here and help clubs in these tough times, with maybe some draft management strategies , That have been trailed. but I can’t comment that as I don’t know enough about what they actually do.

Just my opinion’‘

spot on in agreeing with the sentiments here. In my third year on committee and cannot wait for it to end. The refusal to plan for the future and be active in learning about contemporary golf club management by club members has me ready to turn my back on club involvement. I find it very funny that I responded to the challenge of well if you want to be involved and express changes get on committee. So I did and have made note of members digging their heels in and deny progress.

Golf Aust is trying yet here I am at a club where the Golf Link card swipe is not even used on comp days because of refusal by the captain to make any effort to do so. This is just one of several hurdles that I just shake my head at and say stuff this I just wanna play golf.

The only way this is going to improve is for GA to enforce changes and clubs not wanting to ‘modernize’ to be deregistered. These club not adopting new management practise are on the way to failure. I know all clubsare different yet I am on a committee where others will not use email ffs! Member/club representative days of a monthly meeting approve a few applications talk about the golf club operation are long gone it is now about business management and “communication” with members and using the tools of the digital age.
from Tolmij post above;
“The warning is committees need to better manage the club finances and be up front to members about the financial health of the club. We had no idea the club was in trouble untill they tried to impose a $250 dollar levy 2 months from the end of the club year, with the warning that membership and playing rights would be terminated if we did not pay up immediately. 150 members resigned the next day, most of them will never return.

caboolture was in a position 6 years ago where they had to consider restricting members as they had too many to accommodate on the course, through bad management they have now gone to a situation where numbers are critically low.”

Caboolture golf club started introducing levies, it is an area with many unemployed and had a large membership of retirees, the result was a mass exodus from the club. Over the past 18 months they have been trying to bring them back to no avail.

The new committee has reduced fees, given incentives for members to bring in visitors and dropped all joining fees. Two things they have done which is are negative is scrap the discount for a husband and wife resulting in some of these leaving and stop accepting six monthly payments for which an administrative fee was paid, resulting in more retirees leaving the club.

Caboolture is a good course with a fantastic variety of holes, plenty of water and trees to trap the unwary and very friendly staff, however the club has now lost the trust of many locals in particular as they sacked the very popular pro who ran the shop and took the shop over as a club venture. the result is a mainly empty course with most comps having drastically reduced numbers. I normally play social on Mondays and Fridays with friends. Two years ago before all this started the course would be full on both days from 6am, we played last Friday and there were 3 groups on the course. when we left after our 18 there were no more than 8 groups on the course.

The warning is committees need to better manage the club finances and be up front to members about the financial health of the club. We had no idea the club was in trouble untill they tried to impose a $250 dollar levy 2 months from the end of the club year, with the warning that membership and playing rights would be terminated if we did not pay up immediately. 150 members resigned the next day, most of them will never return.

caboolture was in a position 6 years ago where they had to consider restricting members as they had too many to accommodate on the course, through bad management they have now gone to a situation where numbers are critically low.

I will break 90 this year.

It is NOT my age.

It is NOT for 9 holes.

I hope this is a warning to all committee members who are members here…........you try and sucker the members who already pay a membership and then try and sting them with some stupid fee to play a few holes after work and we will vote with our feet and quit being members. The only losers will end up being the golf clubs finances, i have seen this too many times through golf clubs being greedy.

Caboolture golf club started introducing levies, it is an area with many unemployed and had a large membership of retirees, the result was a mass exodus from the club. Over the past 18 months they have been trying to bring them back to no avail.

The new committee has reduced fees, given incentives for members to bring in visitors and dropped all joining fees. Two things they have done which is are negative is scrap the discount for a husband and wife resulting in some of these leaving and stop accepting six monthly payments for which an administrative fee was paid, resulting in more retirees leaving the club.

Caboolture is a good course with a fantastic variety of holes, plenty of water and trees to trap the unwary and very friendly staff, however the club has now lost the trust of many locals in particular as they sacked the very popular pro who ran the shop and took the shop over as a club venture. the result is a mainly empty course with most comps having drastically reduced numbers. I normally play social on Mondays and Fridays with friends. Two years ago before all this started the course would be full on both days from 6am, we played last Friday and there were 3 groups on the course. when we left after our 18 there were no more than 8 groups on the course.

The warning is committees need to better manage the club finances and be up front to members about the financial health of the club. We had no idea the club was in trouble untill they tried to impose a $250 dollar levy 2 months from the end of the club year, with the warning that membership and playing rights would be terminated if we did not pay up immediately. 150 members resigned the next day, most of them will never return.

caboolture was in a position 6 years ago where they had to consider restricting members as they had too many to accommodate on the course, through bad management they have now gone to a situation where numbers are critically low.

I will break 90 this year.

It is NOT my age.

It is NOT for 9 holes.

I hope this is a warning to all committee members who are members here…….....you try and sucker the members who already pay a membership and then try and sting them with some stupid fee to play a few holes after work and we will vote with our feet and quit being members. The only losers will end up being the golf clubs finances, i have seen this too many times through golf clubs being greedy.

Come on down to Piney and meet some friends of mine.

I’m not sure that greed is the right word. It takes money to operate and maintain a golf club, lots of money. Somewhere along the way assets have to be replaced or upgraded. Revenue from member subscriptions may only cover the salary and wages budget for the year. This leaves the club to raise the money for the balance of the budget expenditure from other sources. The owners of the club are usually the members, so the financial responsibility for the operations of the club rests with the members. Committees are always on the lookout for a cash cow. Sometimes they see something that other clubs have done to increase their revenue base and introduce a similar thing without really thinking it through properly. The usual culprit is one or two strong personalities on the Board/Committe who get their way.

Clubs are paying for the sins of previous Boards.

Assets do need to be upgraded and clubs should have a plan/projection in place for capital replacements, and factor that into cash flows for years in advance.

Why don’t clubs have a “sinking” fund that can be reserved and allocated for regular asset replacements? Take 5% of revenue as a regular item and put into the fund- you would have so much $$ for fixing things up and you wont have the issue of levies.

Caboolture golf club started introducing levies, it is an area with many unemployed and had a large membership of retirees, the result was a mass exodus from the club. Over the past 18 months they have been trying to bring them back to no avail.

The new committee has reduced fees, given incentives for members to bring in visitors and dropped all joining fees. Two things they have done which is are negative is scrap the discount for a husband and wife resulting in some of these leaving and stop accepting six monthly payments for which an administrative fee was paid, resulting in more retirees leaving the club.

Caboolture is a good course with a fantastic variety of holes, plenty of water and trees to trap the unwary and very friendly staff, however the club has now lost the trust of many locals in particular as they sacked the very popular pro who ran the shop and took the shop over as a club venture. the result is a mainly empty course with most comps having drastically reduced numbers. I normally play social on Mondays and Fridays with friends. Two years ago before all this started the course would be full on both days from 6am, we played last Friday and there were 3 groups on the course. when we left after our 18 there were no more than 8 groups on the course.

The warning is committees need to better manage the club finances and be up front to members about the financial health of the club. We had no idea the club was in trouble untill they tried to impose a $250 dollar levy 2 months from the end of the club year, with the warning that membership and playing rights would be terminated if we did not pay up immediately. 150 members resigned the next day, most of them will never return.

caboolture was in a position 6 years ago where they had to consider restricting members as they had too many to accommodate on the course, through bad management they have now gone to a situation where numbers are critically low.

I will break 90 this year.

It is NOT my age.

It is NOT for 9 holes.

I hope this is a warning to all committee members who are members here………..you try and sucker the members who already pay a membership and then try and sting them with some stupid fee to play a few holes after work and we will vote with our feet and quit being members. The only losers will end up being the golf clubs finances, i have seen this too many times through golf clubs being greedy.

Come on down to Piney and meet some friends of mine.

Bring your daughter to the slaughterrrrrrrrrrr

I hope your talking about pine rivers…...........jeeeeeesus.

I’m not sure that greed is the right word. It takes money to operate and maintain a golf club, lots of money. Somewhere along the way assets have to be replaced or upgraded. Revenue from member subscriptions may only cover the salary and wages budget for the year. This leaves the club to raise the money for the balance of the budget expenditure from other sources. The owners of the club are usually the members, so the financial responsibility for the operations of the club rests with the members. Committees are always on the lookout for a cash cow. Sometimes they see something that other clubs have done to increase their revenue base and introduce a similar thing without really thinking it through properly. The usual culprit is one or two strong personalities on the Board/Committe who get their way.

Totally ignorant about almost everything except golf.

Could not agree with you more, every point you make is spot on, and how many clubs were doing fine (not making heaps but still getting through every year) and then you get a couple of ‘business men’ on the committee and f#ck it all up?
Again, members are not stupid, if they are not getting what they think is value for their membership fee’s, they are going to leave.

But i still think greed is at the heart of it.

Re Belmont Golf Club, their web site says they charge $5 a time for members social play. Charlestown, also in Newcastle charge $4.

But i still think greed is at the heart of it.

How can it be “Greed”? more like survival.