‘The support we received during this very difficult time has been great’

Fairway Credit operated on a ‘business as usual’ basis from March to May and now, with golf in such demand, it is allowing golf club members who’d cancelled credit agreements to re-join schemes, writes Roger Brown, chief commercial officer of Specialist Lending at Fairway Credit.

Two months is a long time in anyone’s book, for a golf club and its diehard members it has felt like an eternity – but finally, some good news, the sun is shining, the greens are manicured, the fairways are pristine, and the golfers are back.

Hold up… is there a twist to this that will mean the world and golf may never be the same again? Will social distancing become the norm? Will touching elbows instead of shaking hands be the new way to congratulate your partner on a good round? Will raking the bunker after you have got stuck in it for the umpteenth time come back? Will removing the flag before putting come back? We don’t know the answers but, we do know that we can all play again which for many is just the pick me up that is needed during this difficult time.

What changes have you implemented at your club that will become the norm?

It’s good to know that despite the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, some things remain stable through a crisis… We have been operating as normal all the way through the pandemic, with over 98 percent of members who use the Fairway Credit membership funding solution, maintaining their payments, helping clubs retain their members throughout the lockdown period.

With over 700 golf clubs working with us during this time we have been in constant touch with clubs, offering help and assistance when requested. We’ve also helped members who requested assistance.

 Moving forwards…

Over the last few weeks we have been working hard with clubs to allow members that had cancelled their memberships and credit agreements to re-join our schemes. In that way, clubs enable members to play, clubs receive a much-needed cash injection and can hopefully start to entice new and old members back to the course. We made sure all our golf clubs were aware of how to get their Fairway Credit paying members back on board and how to get new members set up. Many clubs have expressed their gratitude for our assistance in these tough times.

Re-opening the golf clubs provides many with a way of getting outdoors and exercising, not to mention allowing keen players the opportunity to re-embrace the game they love. The ability for clubs to open their doors and have a quick and painless solution for their members to pay is something Fairway Credit continues to be proud of.

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“Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, it has been very reassuring to see that Fairway Credit are operating a ‘business as usual’ service.  The level of support and assistance the club and its members have received during this very difficult time has been great, especially when dealing with a number of cancellation and subsequent reinstatement agreement requests, for our members.

“Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands are happy to continue our relationship and work with Fairway Credit, for the future, as we feel confident using a company that has been around for over 25 years and is still a strong market leader, in an industry that has seen other providers withdraw from the marke,.” said Simon Dennis, the secretary of Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands GC.

How can we help your club?

–          We offer different periods for your members to pay, anything from three months to 12

–          We pay the full annual fee to the club, up-front, normally within an average of 30 days, or if you are prepared to wait a little longer to be paid, we can reduce our costs to you and the member

–          We can take administration away from clubs, allowing you to focus on the club

–          We take responsibility of the financial regulatory requirements

–          We offer a seamless integration with How Do I Pay from Club Systems, making collecting subscriptions even easier. 

How we can help your members?

–          They can apply through an easy to use online application

–          They can spread their payments over a period up to 12 months

–          They can be automatically renewed each year with no requirement for a new application.

Here at Fairway Credit, we would be very happy to talk to any new golf clubs who would like to discuss the possibility of using our financing facilities. We have a great team who would be very keen to talk to you now or meet up, once the social distancing rules are relaxed, to discuss how we could offer our financing solution to your club.

For more information on our range of products and services or to discuss how Fairway Credit can help you, your club and your members please contact us on: 0344 736 9818 or you can email: leisure@pcl.co.uk

We look forward to the new chapter in golf and how we can help shape the future with you.