What Your Golf Club Could Learn From Mine

What makes a good golf club? Is it the course? Is it the clubhouse? Or the social scene? Maybe it’s a question of value for money? How important is the food and drink in the clubhouse? 

And, of course, it is a combination of all of the above and a good deal more besides.

Over the years I have been a member of eight golf clubs. It may sound like a lot but that’s because my career took me to various parts of Scotland and England. 

I have mixed memories of those clubs and courses. 

I left one because of the state of the greens and another because the owners decided it would be better served as a housing development. I left another because most of the land was not owned by the club and that meant members of the public were free to wander across the fairways whenever they saw fit.

I have written a great deal on Golfshake about the shortcomings of golf clubs. But, finally, I have found one that I love and I hope that you indulge me as I tell you exactly why because I believe that other clubs could learn from it.

(Image Credit: Kevin Murray Golf Photography)

I joined Dunston Hall Golf Club in February 2024 after a long injury break. I had retired from full-time work the month before and knew that I had to find something I enjoyed to fill my days. 

Pain-free for the first time in years, I picked up my clubs once more and started to look around for a club to join. It turned out to be easier said than done as many of the clubs I contacted by email did not even bother to reply. Dunston was one of only two who got back to me and after a visit to the club and a chat with the director of golf I decided that this was the club for me.

I signed up and immediately joined the seniors section. So why do I love this golf club?

Communication

One of the things that consistently winds me up is the failure of golf clubs to communicate with their members. It is something that I simply do not understand. 

So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I realised that the golf operations manager at Dunston sends out a weekly email to every single member. This tells us about everything that is going at the club, from open days to quiz nights, from special offers in the club shop to demonstration days by various club manufacturers. And every Friday the seniors captain sends out a round-up that gives details of that week’s competition and upcoming events and team games.

Introduction

Within 48 hours of joining the seniors section I had been contacted by the captain, Ken Jennings, to introduce himself, welcome me to the club and invite me to play with him. My game was nowhere near where I wanted it to be and I was pretty nervous about teeing it up alongside him. I need not have worried. He told me to focus on enjoying myself. 

He then went out of his way to introduce me to other members and before I knew it I had been invited to join a group of amazing individuals who play every Thursday. I may only have been at the club for less than a year but I have already made friends for life.

Committee Matters

In one of the captain’s weekly updates I realised that they were looking for a vice-captain for 2025. I threw my hat in the ring without any real expectation and was astonished to be told that they wanted me to take up the post. In truth, it may have had something to do with the fact that nobody else wanted to do it! 

I was then contacted by the 2024 vice-captain to tell me how much he was looking forward to working with me when he took over as captain. And I was invited to join the committee. 

And I am here to tell you that the seniors committee at Dunston Hall Golf Club is the best I have ever come across at any club. 

Each and every one of them cares deeply about both the club and its members and work tirelessly to keep everybody happy. From the secretary who keeps a meticulous record of each and every committee meeting and keeps us all on track in all matters of the correct procedure to the fixtures secretary, they are all consummate professionals. 

I was also invited to join the Charity Committee and threw myself into it with some gusto, helping our seniors captain to raise a record £8,000. It has been an absolute privilege.

Social Club

I am writing this the day after attending the captains ball. And what a night it was! Good food, great company, a superb DJ and absolutely no pomp and ceremony. As I looked around the room at one point I was struck by the fact that almost every single person had a smile on their face. There have also been quiz nights, away days and Tuesday shotgun starts that bring all the seniors together. There are joint events with the ladies section - the best and most active ladies section I have ever come across.

Smile Please

Most of us have arrived at golf clubs and been made to feel that we are being tolerated. We are greeted by sullen, unsmiling staff in both the pro’s shop and the bar. I defy anybody to level such a claim at Dunston Hall Golf Club. It is a resort course and that means it has to balance the needs of hotel guests and club members and make them all feel special. And it does so quite magnificently. We are always greeted with a smile in both the shop and at the bar - and the bar prices will not make anybody wince.

Practice Makes Perfect

The practice facilities are perfect. In truth, when I joined the club the driving range was a bit tired, but we now have Trackman technology and all the mats have been replaced. We also have a terrific chipping area with bunkers and a green, along with a practice putting green that exactly replicates the conditions you will find on the course.

Course

(Image Credit: Kevin Murray Golf Photography)

And finally there is the course. It may only measure about 6,300 yards from the back tees but the fairways are narrow, with trouble lurking everywhere in the shape of trees, out of bounds and several ponds and lakes. If you don’t find the short and prepared there is no way you are going to score well here. 

The club had experienced some serious issues with drainage on the course but huge amounts of money have been spent to put this right. And the greenkeepers have been busy during the winter months rebuilding a couple of tees and relaying a path that had turned into a mud bath.

So there you have it - this is what a good golf club looks like!

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