The Things That Golfers Would Change at Their Golf Club

You never let us down. Our most recent survey on golf club membership attracted more than 3,000 responses. That is impressive enough but what always impresses us is the time and trouble you take. It is one thing to tick some boxes and press the send button, but it is something else again when you take the time and trouble to share your personal views with us.

And, once again, you have done so in style.

The issues that concern you turn out to be the ones that play on most of our minds as club golfers, covering everything from course conditions, communication (or lack of it), annual fees, clubhouse food, and, of course, slow play - and that is where we start with your comments.

So, without further ado, here we go…

Slow Play

"Let’s address slow play and see the ranger to do his job regarding late starters."

"Sort out pace of play - five-hour rounds cannot be considered the norm."

"Address the slow play of societies."

"The gap of eight minutes between tee times causes delays and queues on the course. If times were extended to ten minutes it would speed up play."

"Enforce the pace of play. Anyone falling a hole behind the group in front should be told to skip the next hole to catch up the group in front and should be escorted there by a marshall."

"Employ a course marshall to monitor pace of play."

"We should reduce fourball matches to increase the pace of play." 

Many of you have called for the employment of a course marshall but that does, of course, mean an additional cost for the club. And who will pay for it? The members, in the form of increased annual fees. 

However, there is most definitely something to be said for ensuring that club golfers do actually adhere to their starting times, something that often fails to happen. You only need a group to start five minutes late and the knock-on effect is pretty obvious. 

And while reducing or banning fourballs would speed up play, this is the format most of us most enjoy - and if you only allow twoballs how would you fit them all in as you would then need twice as many tee-times? There are some courses that insist four golfers play foursomes format, but how many of us want to do that?

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Dress Code/Etiquette

We are on the cusp of 2025. Has the time come to relax dress standards?

"Although we have a dress code for both the clubhouse and the course it is not always adhered to, particularly by visitors and new members. My club is more than 100 years old and sadly many new members are not interested in its history and traditions."

"Bring higher standards to the membership, no changing in the car park."

I can tell you from bitter personal experience that there are still golf clubs who do not allow visitors to use their changing rooms. I do not want to change in the car park, but sometimes there is no choice.

"Relax the dress code, particularly for the bar area. But also on the course - it does not matter if shirts are not tucked in."

I appreciate that this in an issue that divides opinion but this view gets my full support, most especially if we truly want to attract younger golfers to the game.

Practice Areas

In an ideal world we would want to be members of clubs that feature their own state-of-the-art driving ranges. This is not always possible. And those that do are not always perfect.

"Although we have a very good driving range, the practice nets near the first hole are poor. I have seem many visitors comment negatively on this."

"I want a short practice area, including bunkers."

"I want to see better practice facilities."

Several of you said exactly the same thing but this depends on available space and if you do expect your golf club to provide you with a driving range with tracking technology there will probably be a price to pay. 

Course Conditions

Unsurprisingly, course conditions have once again exercised your minds, all the more so because the climate is changing and we are seeing more rainfall.

"Improve drainage of course so you can play during winter months."

"Get course maintenance sorted out. For four months of the year both courses at my club are almost unplayable."

"Ideally, I would want to see further improvements to the course, including better paths, but I recognise that this probably is not affordable without significant increases in subs."

"More work in summer to ensure course is in top condition."

Clubs and their greenkeepers face a pretty thankless task here. If your course suffers from poor drainage and/or flooding then the only way to resolve it is by spending vast amounts of money to improve the situation. And who is going to pay the bill for that?

"Bunkers in play in the winter."

Not sure about this one. There is little doubt that the quality of bunkers at some clubs leaves a great deal to be desired but when bunkers are subjected to days of incessant rain it is difficult to see how they can all be kept in play throughout the winter.

"Start using correct sand and sand depth in bunkers. The bunkers are the Achilles heel of my club, despite 95% of them being refurbished and/or replaced and/or re-designed."

To be honest, I do not know anybody who is a member of club at which the quality of the bunkers meets the standards they would expect.

"Keep the rough at a respectable length. Golf is meant to be enjoyable and not involve spending ages looking for lost balls."

"Get the head greenkeeper to set up the course for the average handicapper and not single figure golfers who are in the minority of the membership. It's too hard and not enjoyable."

Many of you made the point that the set-up of your courses is too difficult, especially during the summer. Again, this a tricky balance to get right - you want a course that is going to challenge you without bringing you to your knees.

"Members have to waken up and recognise that having the course managed daily and the bunkers upgraded, the bar open and catering available and staff available at all times, costs money and it is the members who need to pay for this."

I could not have put it better.

Communication

Here at Golfshake we firmly believe that in this day and age there is no excuse for poor communication between a golf club and its members, but many of you are still deeply unhappy about how poorly clubs keep in touch with you.

"We need better communication with members."

"Communication from the club could be better - most news comes via members and committees."

"More member consultation prior to decisions. We converted to a limited company and the board don't understand that they should make decisions based on the policy guidance of the members and not a dictatorship."

"Engage more with members about what improvements to the course they want to see."

"Policies and processes for members are not clear and hidden in certain areas of the system they use. We also have miscommunication in competitions (which tees we play off, rake and place in bunkers, etc) which causes chaos."

And this is the way it should be done…

"We have a club manager who is doing very good things for our club. We are now beginning to see his vision and with monthly club newsletters, we get to see and read what changes are being made for the good."

Catering

My own experience of clubhouse food in 2024 has been pretty positive, but you tell us that there are still some concerns, not only with the standard of food but when it comes to clubhouse opening hours.

"Let’s see cheaper food in the clubhouse and organise some social get-togethers like BBQ in summer and hot soup days in winter."

"The clubhouse should be open longer in summer to cater for all start times."

"Better catering and more welcoming to visiting parties. This will increase revenue to invest in the club."

Again, there remains a perception that many clubs remain unwelcoming for visitors but are only too happy to take their money.

New Members

I joined a golf club this year and was concerned about the fact that I did not know a single other member. Would the club go out of their way to make me welcome and introduce me to other golfers? I need not have worried. I joined the seniors section and was immediately introduced to the captain, who invited me to play with him and introduced me to other golfers. This is the way it should be but it would seem that some clubs are failing to deliver.

"Make it easier for new members to integrate and find people to play with."

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