The benefits of joining a golf club in the UK

The benefits of joining a golf club in the UK

Are you considering joining a golf club? Perhaps you’ve picked up the sport recently, honed your skills to a reasonable level, and fancy taking things a step further. Or maybe you’ve played casually for years but want to commit to more. Either way, there are plenty of perks to signing up at your local club.

There’s a strong chance you won’t be alone, either. Lockdowns and social distancing rules have driven a surge in the sport’s popularity, and it continues to grow with the latest report showing 5.3 million golfers stepped onto the greens of Great Britain and Ireland in 2021.

At the same time, golf club memberships rose by almost 90,000 in 2021. However, few club memberships come cheap – so you’ll want to weigh up the benefits and see if they apply to you. Read a quick round-up of the perks and other ways to play below.

Benefits of becoming a golf club member

Cheaper golf, regular competitive play and social aspects are the three key perks for most club members.

That first point depends on how much you intend to play. Most memberships are annual, so you’ll need to work out how many rounds you’re likely to complete and how much they would cost as a non-member. Generally, playing a round once a week will make a membership good value.

Secondly, most golf clubs hold multiple competitions each week for members. This is great if you want to test your skills and perhaps grab some prizes – and bragging rights – along the way. Competitive play feels a little more meaningful, especially as you’ll get an official handicap, and it’s likely to help improve your ability too.

Thirdly, the social aspect of golf is undoubtedly one of the most appealing. Whether you play with friends or join partly to meet new people, being part of a club will allow you to mix with different people and blow off some steam in the great outdoors.

Ready for a bonus perk? If you join an England Golf–affiliated club, you’ll be covered for personal liability with golf insurance, so this can give you some added peace of mind in the event of injuring a third party or damaging third party property.

Other ways to play

Pay-as-you-play golf is the most obvious alternative to membership. This way you’ll have to book tee times and pay upfront fees for each round, which could work out cheaper if you have a flexible schedule and aren’t bothered about competitive play. You might also want to explore different courses – the UK has the most in Europe, according to pre-pandemic statistics.

Not sure about committing to a golf club but would like to build a handicap? Why not try iGolf. iGolf is a subscription platform that, for the first time, allows non-members of golf clubs to obtain an official World Handicap System (WHS) handicap index. It also gives a player the opportunity to input scores from their pay-as-you-play rounds and track their progress via England Golf’s ‘My EG’ app. It costs just £40 for an annual subscription and personal liability insurance comes as part of the package.

Another option is to join a golf society. These societies offer some of the social aspects of membership but with scheduled rounds at nearby courses. While you might struggle to get primetime rounds at some courses, you can simply play those which work for you, which is easier when they’re booked well in advance by someone else.

Could golf membership be a rewarding option for you, or will you take a different approach?

We hope you enjoyed the article ‘The benefits of joining a golf club in the UK.’ Will you be joining a golf club in 2022? Let us know!

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