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Country: gb Page generated at: Saturday, 11 April 2026 at 9:09:24 British Summer Time
club
From the Clubhouse: Is golf club membership worth the money?

published: Mar 31, 2023

|

updated: Apr 5, 2024

From the Clubhouse: Is golf club membership worth the money?

Steve CarrollLinkTom IrwinLink

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Pay up front or pay and play? The From the Clubhouse team take a deep dive into the value of golf club membership

golf club membership

Table of Contents

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  • Listen to our views on golf club membership on the from the clubhouse podcast
  • More on golf club membership cost

Have you paid your golf club membership subscription yet? For lots of us, deadline day is approaching very fast and it might be a last gasp decision whether to dig deep and stump up.

In this week’s From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll consider the value of golf club membership.

Is it better value for money to be a member of a golf club, pay up front, and get the benefits of exclusive use, or is pay as you play in a green fee model the way to go?

Steve outlines some of his issues with having to lump up front for full membership, and whether that causes problems for particular age groups in clubs, while Tom outlines some of the considerations you should be thinking about when weighing up the decision and looks at golf club membership benefits.

It gets a bit lively at times but, as always, we hope you appreciate the golf membership debate. Let’s get right into it…

Listen to our views on golf club membership on the From the Clubhouse podcast

Hear what we think on the From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, in the player below, or on your preferred podcast platform.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FROM THE CLUBHOUSE ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FROM THE CLUBHOUSE ON APPLE

More on golf club membership cost

  • ‘Club membership should be fair for all’: Are the days of playing whenever you want coming to an end?
  • This unique club membership model could help golfers through the cost of living crisis
  • Golf club membership numbers in decline as costs soar

What do you think about golf club membership fees and how they are priced? Should we demand lump sums or should it be more flexible and cater to the needs of players? Get involved in the discussion and let us know with a tweet.

More podcasts from National Club Golfer

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About the author

Steve Carroll
Steve Carroll

A journalist for more than 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long.

A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A’s prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.

Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men’s Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.

A part of NCG’s Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He’d like to tell you he floats around 10. The reality is more like 13.

Steve plays at Sandburn Hall, in York, and is a country member at Close House in Newcastle. He has served on various club committees during his time in the game, and is the current Rules Secretary at Sandburn.

Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NCTJ exams at Darlington College of Technology. He began his career working on weekly papers in Newcastle, before joining the York Press in 2001. After five years as a news reporter, he joined the sports desk – specialising in horse racing and snooker – and was Digital Sports Editor when he joined National Club Golfer in 2016.

What’s in Steve’s bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Odyssey 2Ball Microhinge putter.

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