Is there value in a golf membership?

“A great shot is when you pull it off. A smart shot is when you don’t have the guts to try it.”

- Phil Mickelson

It’s an interesting question and one I have been asked many times while I was working in a golf shop while I was younger.

For me being a member of a golf club has always been a no brainer, but then I’m biased, I’ve been a member of a club since my Dad and I joined our local when I was about 14. However, I understand there are benefits to both sides of this question. With one of our very own getting his first membership only last month it got me thinking, what is the value behind the yearly subscription you pay? Is it really the better way to golf?

Memberships are costly things to have and despite all the benefits they may bring it really boils down to one thing. Are you going to use it?

Some people don’t like to feel obliged to play the same course repeatedly, don’t have the time to play more than once a month if that and want to play the game purely as a social outing with the only competition coming from who buys the beers at the 19th. For those people having a membership definitely isn’t worth it. Even if you enjoy you golf and are keen to improve ultimately if you haven’t got the time to spend 4 hours a week on the course you aren’t going to get your money’s worth from that membership. In these circumstances paying a green fee is definitely the better option, it saves you money, you can play as infrequently as you want with no pressure of whether you are getting value for money and you can tee it up at any course you can get a tee time.

With that said I think for those who take golf a little more seriously, even if it’s only to the extent that you want to play you weekly rollup, then a membership is almost certainly worth the money. You can play more frequently without worrying about the £30-40 green fee each time. If you are competitive like me, you get to play in club competitions where you get to test yourself against a field of 50+ golfers and not just your usual 4 ball. You can represent your club in matches, play the games only team format and take your competitive nature to a whole new level by testing it against someone you’ve never met around a course you may have never played before. Socialise with a wider club population in the bar afterwards and meet some interesting people in you Saturday morning rollups.

While the above are all benefits for me, the main reason I think memberships are worth it, particularly if you are looking to improve, is the volume of golf you play when you aren’t tied to paying each time you go out. The upfront cost while larger is worth the money if it means you book the extra tee time or two a month and head out to the course. The more reps you get on the course you are going to improve. The more you improve the more you want to play. The more you want to play the more value you get from your membership.

One thing that I think is crucial is getting a membership while you are a junior. If your kids love golf and want to get out and play having a junior membership is invaluable. They meet likeminded juniors who also love being out on the course. It provides a passion that they can throw themselves into and a metric that shows how practice and dedication helps you improve, an invaluable lesson for life in general. You can usually get a cost-effective membership at a championship standard golf course for practically very little yearly cost, having the better course to play and hone skills on only allows you to progress faster and aids when you go and play other courses. Plus for any parents that are reading this, don’t underestimate the value of dropping you child or daughter at the golf course so they can play 36 or 54 holes a day while you’re at work. It worked for my parents….