Golf Membership Revenue vs Ad Hoc Green Fee Revenue? 

Golf members watching green fee golfers in the rain
By Brad Chard - 09/04/24

Will your golf club generate more revenue through membership or green fees?

Should I try to take on more members or casual green fee visitors? 

Are you a club that prefers to have contracted members? Or do you prefer that your customers ‘pay & play’ which is ever more dependent on unreliable weather conditions? 

It will come as no surprise that many golf clubs across the UK favour contract revenue membership brings. It gives them an upfront fee of anywhere between £300-£2,000+ versus £15-£50+-per-round pay & play customers. 

However, across the UK, the traditional membership model is becoming less suitable for those golfers that do not play on a regular basis. With these golfers leaving their golf membership the reliance on unreliable green fee revenue has increased causing clubs a dilemma. 

At PlayMoreGolf, our aim is to turn the infrequent golfer, who is not a member of a golf club, into someone significantly more than that through our flexible golf membership category. So, why is contracted revenue membership so important versus that of pay & play revenue? Additionally, what difference can it make to your golf club? 

The benefits of contracted revenue golf memberships for your golf club 

Contracted revenue golf memberships enable golf clubs to grow their business and secure the success of their golf club. By receiving an upfront fee and forecasting the revenue from new customer sign-ups and/or customer retention. They can cater for their year-long visitors with peace of mind, as opposed to golf clubs relying on pay & play, one-off golfers that contribute unforeseeable revenue. 

There is also no need for clubs to look out the window in hope for dry weather. Contracted revenue golf memberships remove the element of weather dependant green fee revenue that golf clubs gamble with from pay & play customers. 

Revenue made through merchandise and club amenities can also see a positive impact, with a greater average spend in the golf shop of £2.50 per round, and food and drink equating to £4.50 per round. 

Interested in adding a flexible membership category to your membership options? Discover why PlayMoreGolf is the home of flexible golf membership. 

How does a PlayMoreGolf membership work for your club? 

At PlayMoreGolf, we help support golf clubs to drive new membership enquiries – often between 25-40 per month. We can then help with follow up process to ensure golfers join our proven yielded flexible membership category. 

Working together to expand a golf club’s offering and improve golf membership uptake, over 180 clubs in the UK have now chosen PlayMoreGolf to operate their flexible membership category. 

We have also made several product developments making a partnership even more flexible to your golf club. The most noticeable development: allowing golf clubs to set their own membership selling price, meaning more ‘premium’ golf clubs are now seeing the revenue benefits of choosing to work with us. 

Some of the benefits of adopting a PlayMoreGolf membership includes: 

  • A proven yield managed point system 
  • Retain control of your tee-sheet 
  • Automated referral and retention communications 
  • Drive added-on spend revenue 
  • Higher yield per round versus full members/visitors 

 
Why your golf club should have a flexible membership category driving additional contracted revenue 

Membership is the heartbeat of all golf clubs. But times are changing, and golf clubs have had to adapt their approaches to address a declining membership and find new players to fill those revenue-draining empty tee slots.  

With initiatives like flexible memberships, golf clubs are being provided with the opportunity to plan for their future, within the interests of their visitors, and with the revenue and knowledge to help their club survive and strive. 

If you are a golf club becoming increasingly dependent on pay & play customers, ask yourself this: would you prefer people being dependent on good weather to bring in revenue?  With guaranteed membership revenue, there is never a rainy day. 

If you are interested in becoming a PlayMoreGolf Partner Club and would like some more information, then please contact us on [email protected]