Golf group launches alternative to flexible memberships

A group that runs seven golf clubs in the UK has launched a flexible membership option which is different to the traditional offerings that have been a major industry trend in the last few years.

Several golf clubs now operate a flexible membership policy in which golfers pay a relatively small amount to be a member of the club, and then pay reduced green fees every time they play a round. This can more than halve the traditional cost of one-lump-sum-for-unlimited-golf for golfers who only want to play their course a few times a year, and nearly two in five clubs offer this, a rise from less than one in ten just a decade ago.

Glendale Golf has now launched ‘LoyalTee’, which offers three reciprocal categories to suit a variety of playing habits, plus a choice of payment options. The most eye-catching offering is a membership category in which golfers can pay monthly for unlimited golf at several venues – and cancel at any time during the year.

That is ‘LoyalTee 1 Month’ – a one-month golf membership, payable by direct debit. It offers unlimited golf at a Glendale Golf venue up to seven days a week, plus rewards, special offers and golf events to play in.

Two other products – ‘LoyalTee 12 Month’ and ‘LoyalTee Pay & Play’ – have been launched at the same time, giving golfers three distinct choices as to how they satisfy their golf habit. There are also new LoyalTee Junior and LoyalTee Intermediate options available for the younger golfer.

LoyalTee 12 Month gives the reciprocal benefits of LoyalTee 1 Month membership, and at a lower monthly price – with the benefit of free golf at all Glendale Golf venues around the UK on either a five-day or seven-day basis.

LoyalTee 12 Month members will also pay lower prices for their food, drinks, buggy hire and range balls, as well as receiving discounts in Glendale Golf pro shops. Their membership also includes a free LoyalTee Junior membership for one family member, a complimentary gift upon renewal, and the option to pay annually or via monthly direct debit.

LoyalTee Pay & Play is free to join and promises the best prices on green fees.

All of the new LoyalTee memberships offer an optional upgrade which gives access to club competitions and handicaps. This enables pay and play golfers and those on short-term one-month memberships to feel more like club members, with competitive golf and handicaps on offer at their local Glendale Golf centre without an up-front commitment.

“This is the easiest way yet to join a golf club,” said Tom Brooke, managing director of Glendale Golf. “You just can’t make a golf membership simpler or less intimidating than this. As the name suggests, LoyalTee 1 Month is a one-month commitment with no large minimum payment, which we know people prefer not to pay.

“We trialled LoyalTee 1 Month in summer 2016 and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Our new LoyalTee membership with its three options represents the start of a new era of golf membership for Glendale Golf, and we think it will attract a lot of newcomers to the sport.”

From now on, casual green fee golfers at Glendale Golf venues will be offered LoyalTee Pay & Play membership for free, receiving five per cent off all standard green fees, or 10 per cent off if booking online, plus guaranteed lowest rates and access to LoyalTee promotional offers through the year.

“Up and down the UK, at every one of our golf centres, we are making golf as affordable and accessible as possible, while still offering a high-quality experience,” said Tom Brooke. “We are truly committed to integration, to long-term customer relationships and to opening up the sport to everybody – and we believe that LoyalTee is the membership for golf’s future.”

Glendale Golf’s seven clubs are Tilgate Forest Golf Centre in West Sussex; Richmond Park Golf Course and Palewell Common Golf Course in south west London; Portsmouth Golf Course in Hampshire; Edwalton Golf Centre in Nottinghamshire; Duxbury Park Golf Course in Lancashire and Castle Point Golf Course in Essex.