Seven out of 10 golfers say they are worried about their golf club membership fees increasing in 2025 – but most will still renew regardless.
As part of a massive survey of National Club Golfer readers, 70 per cent of respondents, asked how concerned they were about annual subscriptions rising, confessed to being either slightly or very worried about the prospect.
Despite concerns over prices, though, and with the cost of living continuing to bite across the UK, very few players say they’ll be walking away from their club.
Just under 84 per cent of those who filled in the survey declared they were planning to renew their membership this year. Only two per cent admitted they would be leaving, while 14 per cent still haven’t made up their minds.
NCG’s Club Golf Survey, sent as part of our daily email newsletter, was filled in by 3,250 players. Over the coming weeks we’ll be revealing surprising data on crucial clubhouse issues such as what golfers really think about the World Handicap System, dress codes, the Rules of Golf, cheating at the grassroots level and much more.
But with some players already having to fork out their yearly dues, and many more now receiving emails and club communications on what they’ll need to pay in the coming months, membership is high on the clubhouse agenda.
In a series of questions quizzing golfers about what’s going on at their clubs, we asked players If they were planning to renew, if their club was increasing fees, and how worried they were about membership fees increasing.
The answers came back as follows…
Golf club membership: What did the NCG Club Golf Survey reveal?
Is your golf course increasing its membership fees next year?
Yes – 87%
No – 13%
Are you planning to renew your membership?
Yes – 83.9%
No – 2.3%
Haven’t decided – 13.8%
How worried are you about your membership fees increasing?
Not at all – 29.8%
Slightly worried – 56.4%
Verry worried – 13.8%
The figures might ease the concerns of those forecasting a tougher year for the golf industry following the participation boom that followed the Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.
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In a recent episode of The NCG Golf Podcast, England Golf chief executive Jeremy Tomlinson said he thought club membership in the country might fall slightly this year, though he insisted the sport was in a great place and that the golf boom was “still very much there”.
We also asked golfers how much they were paying for their golf club membership and how long they have been members.
More than 70 per cent of those who replied are clubhouse stalwarts – having been at their club for more than five years – while, despite all the hype about new players and the ever-present drive from committees and boards to bring in new members, those who had been at their club less than a year, or between one and two years, made up just over 11 per cent of respondents.
In what be a surprising statistic, given that golf club membership is perceived to be very expensive and our earlier figures on the vast majority committing to increase their fees in 2025, is the spread in what golfers pay.
The biggest proportion of respondents – just under a third – pay under £900 to enjoy the privileges of membership.
More than a quarter said they shelled out between £901 and £1,200 with the top bracket – over £2,000 – accounting for just over six per cent of those who filled in our form.
Finally, whatever we might think about the cost, survey respondents indicated that, on the whole, they are happy with what they get for their money.
Asked to rate the value of their golf club membership, more than 60 per cent said it represented either great or goof value, with just five per cent claiming it was poor or very poor value.
How do you rate the value you get for your golf club membership?
Great value – 22.6%
Good value – 39.8%
OK value – 32.7%
Poor value – 4.5%
Very poor value – 0.5%
Listen to The NCG Golf Podcast
Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll discuss these figures on The NCG Golf Podcast. Should golf clubs be bullish or worried? What can they do to enhance the member experience? Listen in and see if you agree.
Now have your say
What do you think of our NCG Club Golf survey figures. Do they chime with your own experiences? Are you paying more for membership this year? Are you happy with your lot? Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment on X.
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