A new survey of UK golf club managers has found that membership resignations have risen amid annual April subscription renewals.
Contemporary Club Leadership says that it regularly surveys golf club leaders and in its most recent findings, the average resignation rate is six per cent.
“This is back to the level golf was experiencing before the pandemic struck,” Kevin Fish, who runs the company, told The Herald.
“While it is not the mass exodus many feared this year, it is still a return to the familiar slippery slope golf has been on since the turn of the century.
“For three years, golf clubs have never been busier, but the easing of lockdown coupled with the severe economic challenges of recent months has sent club boards into a tailspin wondering what increase in subscription fees could be charged this year. We have never seen more volatility in member subscription rates, with the increases ranging from zero right up to 25 per cent.”
Many clubs time their members’ annual subscriptions to run from the beginning of April to the end of March, which may explain why there’s been a recent rise in resignations.
Fish believes that the golf industry, which has seen a boom in participation in the last three years, is in a healthier position than it was before the pandemic, but questions about its long-term future need to be asked.
“Is the decline we have seen since the year 2000 terminal, or has lockdown done enough to shock clubs into running their affairs in a more business-like manner?
“Our latest survey reveals that almost one third of clubs are concerned about their long-term future, beyond 2028.
“Our data also shows that the gap between the large and small clubs is getting bigger, as evidenced by resignation rates, subscription revenue and, this year in particular, the levels of salary increases given to secure the best staff.”
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