The Hidden Cost of Losing a Golf Member – And How Clubs Can Prevent It

Golf clubs often view member loss as a simple gap in subscription income.

In reality, it’s closer to a slow leak across multiple revenue lines — plus a time and capability drain that most teams don’t have capacity to absorb.

At PlayMoreGolf, we work with 200 partner golf courses and support 12,000 members across the UK. That gives us a front-row seat to what causes resignations, what prevents them, and what “retention” looks like when it’s run like a system — not a last-minute scramble at renewal time.

The true cost of losing a member (it’s rarely just the fee)

Let’s put some realistic numbers around it.

Most clubs can estimate the obvious part: the annual subscription. But the hidden cost sits in the “secondary spend” and the replacement effort.

Here’s a simple framework you can use to create a rough but credible retention cost estimate:

1) Lost subscription revenue
Example: £1,200 per year.

2) Lost secondary spend
Even modestly active members typically contribute through:

• bar/food spend
• pro shop purchases
• buggy hire / trolley fees
• competition entry fees
• coaching / fittings
• social events

If that averages £25–£60 per month, that’s £300–£720 per year in secondary spend (often more for engaged members).

3) Lost guest and group revenue
This is the one clubs routinely miss.

Members don’t just “play”. They bring people:

• guests paying green fees
• society friends trying the club for the first time
• family/friends spending in the clubhouse

If a resigning member brought only 4 guests per year, at (say) £40–£80 per round, that’s another £160–£320 in direct green fee value — before food and drink.

4) The cost of replacement (time + skillset + cash)
Replacing a member involves:

• marketing (paid + organic)
• lead handling
• follow-up calls
• tours / conversion conversations
• admin, payments, onboarding, queries

Even if your ad spend is “only” £100–£250 per month, the internal time cost is real. And unless the club has strong marketing and sales capability in-house, acquisition becomes inconsistent or overly discount-led.

Across most industries, acquiring a new customer is commonly cited as multiple times more expensive than retaining an existing one — because you’re funding attention, persuasion, and onboarding again.

A realistic “all-in” estimate

For a typical full member, a sensible rough range to use is:

£1,700 to £3,000+ in value lost in year one, once you include subscription + secondary spend + guest impact + replacement effort.

And that’s before you factor in the operational knock-on effects:

• fewer competition entries (which can reduce overall participation)
• less atmosphere in the clubhouse
• weaker member culture (which impacts retention of others)

The painful truth: one resignation often creates a wider retention problem if the club doesn’t intervene early.

Why members really leave (and the red flags most clubs miss)

Most resignations don’t start with a complaint — they start with a behaviour change.

From our retention work, the most consistent “at risk” markers include:

• play frequency falling
• no competition entries
• fewer advance bookings
• reduced bar spend
• more last-minute bookings
• a pattern of renewing later each year

The key is timing: these signals often show up months before the resignation email arrives.

Best-practice retention: what to do before renewal panic sets in

1) Start earlier than you think

Retention work should begin well before the renewal letter.

A simple communication cadence works well:

• 90 days out: friendly update and “what’s coming up”
• 60 days out: value reminder + improvements/events
• 30 days out: clear renewal message and options
• final week: gentle nudge and an easy next step

2) Segment your members — and personalise the retention plan

Not every member needs the same message.

A practical approach is to group members by behaviour:

• highly engaged: reinforce community, competitions, belonging
• time-poor: reduce friction, highlight flexibility, make booking easy
• at-risk: personal outreach, listen first, offer an alternative route

3) Run a “save plan” (not a discount plan)

Discounting at renewal is often a short-term fix that trains members to wait.

Instead, create a pathway that keeps them in your ecosystem:

• a clear downgrade option that protects your core category
• a structured alternative that matches how they actually play

4) Have a trigger-led outreach process

The biggest retention wins come from doing one thing consistently: when the red flags show up, start a conversation.

Not a sales pitch. A check-in.

A simple script works:

• “Is membership still fitting around your life?”
• “What’s changed since last season?”
• “If we could solve one frustration, what would it be?”

You’ll save more members through early human contact than any one offer.

The takeaway

Losing a member isn’t a £1,000 problem. It’s a £2,000+ problem when you account for secondary spend, guest value, and the cost of replacement.

The clubs that protect revenue don’t “try harder at renewal”. They build retention systems that spot risk early, communicate on a timeline, and offer the right pathway before the member mentally checks out.

How much does a non-renewing full member cost your club?

Membership fee: £____

Avg monthly secondary spend: £____ × 12

Guests per year: ____ × £____ average yield

Marketing cost per join: £____

Internal hours to replace & onboard: ____ × £____ hourly cost

True cost of loss (Year 1): £____