How De Vere brought in 2,500 new members

Several clubs have updated their rule book in recent years, relaxing dress codes, increasing junior activities and adding more social events to the calendar, all in an attempt to keep current members engaged while attracting new ones. Recent figures from the national governing bodies in the home nations suggest that these sorts of measures need to be taken too, with members requiring added incentives to continue their often costly membership at a time when purse strings are being tightened. Almost 85,000 members across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have given up their club membership since 2005, suggesting the ‘standard’ membership isn’t meeting the needs of a number of avid golfers.

The transient 20- to 30- year-old, or busy, working parent, might find it difficult to justify a full club membership only to play a couple of times a year, or they may spend only a small portion of the summer season at home. Recognising these ‘lost’ golfers, UK hotel group, De Vere, launched the innovative ‘De Vere Club’ in March 2010, aiming to appeal not only to the transient golfer, but also to an avid club member who enjoys the social side of club life as much as playing. The points-based membership, De Vere claims, offers an ‘accessible, flexible and family friendly membership that meets the needs of a wide variety of golfers’.

In its first seven months, the De Vere Club attracted over 2,500 members, all of whom bought into the fact they can enjoy the benefits of their local De Vere venue, while also playing at the likes of Slaley Hall, The Carrick on Loch Lomond and nine other venues across the UK as part of the membership. The initial cost is £295, which arms members with 100 ‘DVC’ points, redeemable at any of the group’s 11 venues and 16 courses across theUK. Every time a member plays a round, points are deducted from their allocation and the number of points each round costs depends on the venue, time of year, time of day and day of the week. Points can also be used to sign on guests, and the cost of a round ranges from two points for a mid-week round at one of De Vere’s lesser-known venues, to 10 points for one of its premium venues on a Saturday afternoon. If members ‘spend’ all of their 100 points before the end of the season, they can simply top them up and continue playing.

The success of the scheme has been based around the principles of choice and value for money. In terms of choice, the De Vere venues are well spread across the UK (although certainly more concentrated in the north), allowing members the opportunity for a golfing trip away, avoiding the monotony of playing at the same course every week. This can be particularly useful during the winter months, when a number of courses have the inevitable course closure or winter tees and greens; and with a vast array of options, the likelihood is that at least one De Vere course will not only be open but be in good condition. Wychwood Park in Cheshire is a perfect example, having built a reputation for its year-round playability since opening in 2002. Wychwood Park’s location near Crewe (and not far from other De Vere courses at Carden Park and Mottram Hall) allows members throughout the Manchester area top quality golf all year round, at no extra cost.

Financially, the challenging climate has forced many clubs to reassess their membership packages. Direct debit payments have commonly been used to spread the costs of a membership across the year, maintaining members who are unable to make a large, one-off payment. However, it is hard to overlook the fact that you end up paying more for the privilege, and what you pay never actually reflects how often you play. Perhaps this relatively small initial fee has been the main driving force for the De Vere Club’s early success, and something the group is looking to build on in the longer term.

“We’ve been thrilled with the success of the De Vere Club since its launch, and the uptake has surpassed our initial expectations,” commented Daniel Hodson, De Vere’s Director of Golf & Leisure. “We’re continuing to drive De Vere Club memberships at all of our venues and believe that this style of membership better meets the needs of club golfers. Perhaps our biggest strength is the number of quality golf courses in our portfolio, and by pulling all of these together into one membership we think we’re adding real value to our membership offering.”

Of the courses included in the scheme, a number have hosted professional events in recent years, including the European Tour’s qualifying school at WychwoodPark, the PGA Seniors’ Championship at Slaley Hall and the PGA Cup at The Carrick on Loch Lomond. Oulton Hall near Leedsis also a notable member of the De Vere Club offering. Home to professional golf’s oldest trophy – The Leeds Cup – and one of Europe’s finest golf academies, Oulton Hall has built a reputation as a premier venue in the north of England. Other courses included in the De Vere Club which have also hosted top-class competition in recent years are Staverton Park, Belton Woods,Carden Parkand Mottram Hall, highlighting the high standard across the venues included.

De Vere’s close ties with the PGA were also notable in the launch of the scheme last March, with the PGA’s chief executive, Sandy Jones, confirming that: “The De Vere Club is an exciting new initiative that I am sure will encourage players back to golf and attract new people to the game.” Reiterating Mr Jones’ comments was the club’s honorary captain, Peter Alliss, who hit the inaugural drive at Oulton Hall. The well-known BBC golf commentator is seen by many as a golf traditionalist, however, he believes the De Vere Club could, “change the way we play golf”, fully endorsing the innovative points-based scheme.

As well as the flexibility of membership across a variety of courses, Alliss also highlighted that the initiative retains the feeling of belonging to a club, which many golfers value in their membership. “Nothing beats the feeling of belonging to a club and the more people feel they belong the more they play and enjoy the game. With all the time and money pressures these days I believe the De Vere Club is a great compromise: the flexibility and choice coupled with the wonderful traditions of club golf.” Despite only paying a small initial fee, the scheme allows members to nominate one home club, giving them the same benefits as full-members. For those in the north-west region ofEngland, the benefits of the De Vere Club are particularly advantageous, with Mottram Hall, Heron’s Reach, Carden Park and Wychwood Park all within a short drive of each other.

The club is also supportive of junior golf, offering a membership package for under-18s for £100, provided an adult in the family is a member. This membership allows juniors to have unlimited golf at every De Vere venue throughout the UK.

There’s no doubt the De Vere Club was a bold move, and although there was scepticism as to whether it would be successful, the uptake since March 2010 suggests that the scheme is not only a success, but perhaps the future of golf club membership; as the biennial EGU survey found last year, just seven per cent of English golf clubs offer flexible memberships. There will undoubtedly always be a demand for smaller, more intimate club memberships, but the success of the strategy proves that people are looking for alternatives and increased amounts of flexibility. The question is, will this lead to other clubs offering many different options for their members in order to retain them? With the variety of clubs and courses in the scheme, members of the De Vere Club appear to have bought into a quality, value-for-money project.