Let’s start by clarifying something. Every human should do their utmost to treat other humans equally. That’s a reasonably reasonable requirement of each of us.
Golf clubs are, historically, not famous trendsetters when it comes to equality but it’s, without question, something they should be striving towards. An obvious starting point is to welcome all visitors as equals for the morning, day or week of their time at the club. I think visitors should be treated as equals at golf clubs. Although there is one caveat, which I’ll come on to.
Visitors will, almost always, be paying relatively more than a member for their time spent at a club. Say a visitor’s day rate is £175, that would be the equivalent of £63,875 a year if they handed that fee over every day for golf club membership. Visitors are important contributors to the finances and successful running of clubs, and they should be thanked and appreciated.
If you’re arriving at a club to pay a hefty visitor’s fee, you don’t want to be directed to a secondary car park, a lengthy hike away from the clubhouse. Then, when you get to the clubhouse, you don’t want to be squirreled away round by the bins in a visitors’ changing facility that looks like somewhere you might run into Tucker Jenkins.
Why clubs still have members only locker rooms or members’ bars is beyond me. Visitors should be welcomed as members for the day and should have access to any of the club facilities during their visit.
Visitors will know what times they can play, either by looking at the club website or phoning in advance. There’s no issue that at busier clubs that might be at certain times or on certain days even. If they can’t come, they can’t come.
But, if they do book and hand over their cash, they should be welcomed with open arms and given the full club experience that a member would expect. I think more golf clubs should open their doors to the public, too.
Where things get a little complicated in terms of equality is when it comes to club competitions. Should visitors be allowed to enter the Saturday medal? Or the club championship? On that, I would say no.
Members are paying a subscription for the right to enter and potentially win club competitions. If you’re not a member of a club, you can’t be its club champion. So that’s the caveat – visitors can’t be absolute equals with members as they won’t be allowed to play in club competitions.
If a visitor wants to compete on a certain course, there are always open events. Most clubs will have opens for men, women, juniors, seniors, mixed events too, and they tend to be great value for money. Opens are a great time to show off the hospitality and welcome your club can provide.
PR is a good reason why visitors should be treated as equals at golf clubs. If a club wants to attract new members, then visitors who are treated as members for the day will get a clear picture of what they could expect if they signed up. A few might.
If a club wants more visitor income, visitors treated as equals will report back to their golfing circle on the good experience they have enjoyed. Their friends and family will be more inclined to turn up and pay a green fee.
In answer to the question then. Yes, it’s in a golf club’s interest to treat visitors as equals. They are an important source of income and it’s good for the club image to give visitors the best possible experience. The only slight caveat is that visitors can’t be absolute equals as they shouldn’t be allowed to play in and win club competitions.
