MOVE OVER ‘COLONEL BLIMP’

It does not seem that long ago when the great game of golf was seen as the preserve of those mainly from a privileged background. The member’s committee tended to be made up of retired Majors and Group Captains and the etiquette of the game was what really mattered - the ‘Colonel Blimp’ age as I heard someone put it.

Thankfully things have changed and the game is now enjoyed by people of all different classes and backgrounds.

What’s more the advent of satellite TV means more golf then ever is being beamed into people’s living rooms bringing the game to an ever wider audience.

But drive by many golf courses these days and you will more than likely see banners up encouraging you to join, often with very tempting offers! Speaking to others in the industry it seems most golf clubs are desperate for members. So why is this?

No doubt there are several reasons, in the ‘Colonel Blimp’ age courses were few and far between and therefore they could be choosy about who they did, and did not, allow to join. However with the plethora of course building in the late 20^th century suddenly there were more and more clubs looking for members.

Clubs it could be argued with a more liberal attitude to members - and who were prepared to welcome the masses.

But this increase in the number of clubs led to a new breed – the nomad golfer! Someone keen on the game but who did not want to be tied down to playing the same old course 52 weeks of the year. Rather why not choose where and when you want to play, try some different courses, go back to the favourites and forget about the rest.

‘Green fees welcome’ became the new mantra. This of course had a knock-on effect on membership levels at clubs which started to decline. One club I was told lost over 40 members last year – or put another way about £35,000!

So what can be done? Well some of the more progressive clubs are offering more options to a straight one year membership. The most popular seems to be a ‘Points System’ where you buy points in advance and then redeem them against rounds of golf. One example is that £300 would buy the equivalent of 20 weekend or 25 mid week rounds – more than enough for many social golfers.

On top of this others are introducing a ‘buddy’ system where new members come under the wing of seasoned members who can play a few rounds with them, do the introductions at the 19^th hole and generally help them to settle in.

Home grown golf talent has never been stronger, holding the numbers one and two players in the world spots; Darren Clarke has just lifted the Claret Jug and Rory McIlroy won the American Open.

Let’s hope this can be used to ensure this great game of ours thrives in the UK.