If you’re fortunate enough to be a member of a golf club, particularly an attractive one, one of the great perks is being able to introduce friends for a fraction of the normal green fee.
And when I say a fraction, I mean it. At some clubs, the member guest rate can be as little as 10 per cent of the rack rate.
That’s an incredible benefit and, ultimately, one of the great privileges of being a member. But I’ve started to wonder whether we’re getting to the point where some golfers are using that privilege in ways it was never intended. Unfortunately, that intention is rather open to interpretation.
I overheard a conversation at a club among three or four members who were discussing exactly this sort of thing at their club. It got me thinking of how widespread the debate might be. I’m getting the impression is pretty common in clubhouses and committee rooms.
Certainly, at my own club Alwoodley, we’ve talked about how to make fair usage of member guest rates. In some cases, we’ve actually monitored which members are using it the most, and whether they’re using it correctly or not.
That’s where it gets interesting.
Where do you draw the line on member guest rates?
If I’m taking a friend who has never played the course before, introducing them to my club and playing with them, I think most people would agree that’s exactly what the guest rate is there for.
But what if I’m taking the same person five, 10 or 20 times a year?
What if they’re effectively using my membership as a way of gaining access to a club of which they aren’t a member?
And what if members start arranging guest slots for people they barely know simply because they want to give them access to a course at a fraction of the normal price?
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It’s an unbelievable privilege of being a member of a club of such stature and being able to do this kind of thing. I don’t want that to disappear. Whenever I’ve been asked my opinion on it in committee rooms, I’ve always rallied against increasing of the members’ guest rate.
I certainly wouldn’t want clubs to remove or dramatically increase them because of a handful of people pushing the boundaries.
It’s part of the member benefit and it’s part of the culture of the club. But I think there are there are certain cases where people would maybe raise an eyebrow about whether that’s legitimate or not.
Previously, I have donated and hosted some charity four balls to various different fundraisers over the years, where people will bid for a round at the clubs I’m a member of, and then I’ll go and play with them.
I’ll pay for the golf, but I’ll pay the introductory rate. I have also used the member rate to host clients or business partners of mine if we were to have a meeting on the golf course.
Are these legitimate uses? Or are they still a manipulation of my rights as a member?
I can see it being one of those things that will come under much more scrutiny as golf clubs are looking at their income more seriously.
A lot of the time, it’s quite easy for clubs to track who uses and abuses these discounts because of today’s technology.
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What do you think is an acceptable use of member guest rates? How often is too often? Do you think there are too many members taking advantage of them at your golf club? Let us know in the comments or by getting in touch with us on X!
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