32 replies to this topic

[bartybates]

I'm only new to golf and I have been wanting to join a club in my area so after looking through the map & the web I wrote down a list of clubs to call and inquire about membership and tuition. My first club I called was The Royal Sydney Golf Club. After waiting for a short period a woman answered and said I had phoned the The Royal Sydney Golf Club. I said politely that I was calling to inquire about becoming a member. She said something a long the lines of "You can't ask that", and then I was asked what I was calling for and how did I get the number etc. I then said I was just simply making some inquiries about membership and then she stuttered & stuttered again (as if in disbelief that someone would have the cheek to even ring the royal club about membership) and finally got the words out "We are not having this conversation" .. I was quite shocked at how rude she was and just said "that is weird" goodbye... I want to make it clear I was completely polite and punctual and I never said anything much more than what I wrote here. I put down the phone and sat there for a minute in total disbelief and I felt very disappointed. If I had never witnessed complete snobbery then I certainly had now. I had guessed that that club might have an exclusive membership or it would be expensive to join but I had never thought I would be treated to that. I never bothered calling any more clubs after that. Is this normal for this club to be so downright rude to someone that is simply calling to inquire about joining the club? One of the attractions I had to this club is that it is close to where I live in Bondi and it also has tennis courts as I love tennis. Now I'm not sure about calling any more clubs in my area after this. This is definitely the way to put people off taking up the game of golf.

[slickone]

You have selected the wrong club to ask about membership, from what I can gather members in the past nominated their kids to be members not long after they started school, because it would be years before they could become a member. If you read some feeds here the joining fee is about $30K, with annual subs. of several thousand, another club not to ring is the Australian, these 2 would be the most exclusive clubs in Sydney and the most expensive. There are a lot of clubs in Sydney but unless you are rich, look for one out of town, eg Central Coast or Blue Mountains.You may have to spend a bit of time working on economics.That woman is not indicative of 'normal' golf club staff.

[KycGolfer]

Never experienced this sort of Sh*t for a club before and hope not too But closer to this is the Royal Canberra Club But still the Staff in RCGC has been civil enuff not to dish out shits like that.... That Women Shouldhave explained the membership procedure in a professional way and not be such an AH. Is not as if you r making a cold prank call.....are you ? I bet she is a Newbie ......even then no excuses

[bartybates]

KycGolfer, I agree it was very unprofessional and it really surprised me. Even if they are exclusive like I understand now then just a simple explanation on this or a referral to another resource to find a suitable club but a blunt reception as I got wasn't very polite. slickone, the membership is very high but not unaffordable to me although I don't see any point in paying 30k+ at my level if I can get the practice facilities etc that I need at another club. 1-2k joining for my first year would be more to what I would like at this stage. Anyway I would feel more comfortable at a club that invites activity and new membership with everyday people. One club that looked ok which is close is the Moore Park one. What is this club like? The membership details on the web page looked ok from what I read. I would like a club that offers great practice facilities through the day for driving chipping and also some weekly competitions for hacks like myself. Location is important and I would rather have something close I can zip down to anytime through the day.

[aidanjm1372662214]

Barty- I would suggest the following....start at The Coast, Moore Park or Eastlakes then if you like it move toThe Lakes (if you have alot of spare dough) or Bonnie Doon. Get lessons with Ramon at Moore Park or David and Eastlakes. Both great guys. Once you get your handicap you can play open days at Bonnie Doon on Mondays and St Michaels on Thursdays. Problem solved. Its not hard to get into golf once you network a bit you'll meet people on open days swap cards and swap invitations to your club and there's and you're away

[HopSing]

If you have to ring and ask for membership they already know you not worthy for them.

[Chook Norris aka L4G]

If we got all the golf clubs renamed 'Royal' that might solve the problem of this sort of thinking...Royal Wyong, sort of has a ring to it :)

[terrys]

HI Barty, I have just gone through the process of finding a club in Sydney close to the city and I decided to join Moore Park. I spoke with the club secretary who was extremely helpful and polite and answered all my questions in a friendly and informative manner. I was in the car when I was speaking with her and she offered to email all the details to me. I was parking in my garage as she said this. By the time I got out of the car and walked upstairs, the email was already sitting their waiting for me. Customer service is a pretty simple thing, but it is amazing how many people who are in customer facing roles have absolutely no clue. Joining fee is $2000, and the pro rata rate until June 30 is about $800. cheers terry

[alibaba]

barty Moore Park is a friendly Club. It could be the one for you as far as practice facilities etc. go. Cheers

[pt73]

The waiting list at RSGC is over 10 years for those who don't have family who are members, I know this because my best mate is a member.

[KycGolfer]

The waiting list at RSGC is over 10 years for those who don’t have family who are members, I know this because my best mate is a member.

Isn't this NEPOTISM , Bligh me ??

[Proulx]

I am also not yet a club member in Sydney, have friends who are members of Royal Sydney and Royal Canberra, their facilities are about equal however Royal Canberra is $6K joining and $2.5 per year, Royal Sydney, due to its location/staffing etc is far more expensive. If I was able to fasttrack the membership and had enough nominations I would go Royal Sydney. However I believe that all memberships are dated, it is ridiculous that you cannot bequeath a membership to family members, or offer better packages for members. Just a shame that G Norman's new course is not within 30 mins of the Eastern Suburbs, I would join it in a minute based upon his other courses I have visited. The NSW is a 13 year waiting list. Apparently the best course in NSW...at least until Norman's track is finished.

[Proulx]

I am also not yet a club member in Sydney, have friends who are members of Royal Sydney and Royal Canberra, their facilities are about equal however Royal Canberra is $6K joining and $2.5 per year, Royal Sydney, due to its location/staffing etc is far more expensive. If I was able to fasttrack the membership and had enough nominations I would go Royal Sydney. However I believe that all memberships are dated, it is ridiculous that you cannot bequeath a membership to family members, or offer better packages for members. Just a shame that G Norman's new course is not within 30 mins of the Eastern Suburbs, I would join it in a minute based upon his other courses I have visited. The NSW is a 13 year waiting list. Apparently the best course in NSW...at least until Norman's track is finished.

[whosback72]

yeah wrong choice on ringing that club as you can only get membership by being well nominated by a fellow snobby member........not been a jew or lebo helps too or so im told..........!!!! dont give up on applying to other courses m8t....turned a job down there myself as they are f**king jokers........

[Rodent]

Played last week with a mate who is a member there. I asked about the waiting list and he said it's down to 4 years :)