I joined my local club, Banchory, when I was eight years old and it has been a central part of my life since then.
I was junior champion and junior captain. I joined the committee in my 30s and was club captain in 2018 and 2019. I have played for teams at both junior and adult level and, as Mrs Bisset would confirm, I have spent a large part of my waking life there.
I love the place, the course, the beautiful setting beside the majestic River Dee, the camaraderie and “most” of the people. I will, hopefully, remain a member until death do us part.
I was asked recently by a colleague about how the club has changed over the last four decades and I couldn’t really give a satisfactory answer on the spot.
I decided to think about it and, to your question Nick, this is a more considered response than the “Quite a Bit” I initially blurted out.
These are the five biggest changes I’ve seen at my club. How has your club changed? Let us know in the comment box below.
The Cost
The cost of annual subs is going up, and up!
(Image credit: Getty Images)
This is the obvious one. Golf club membership has become far more expensive in the last 40 years. And I’m not simply talking about inflation.
My father found an old receipt that shows, in 1991, annual subs at Banchory for ordinary membership were just £120. For this year, it’s £910.
The Bank of England’s inflation calculator shows that goods and services costing £120 in 1991 would cost £283.40 today.
Our subs have gone up by more than £600 above inflation in the last 35 years. That seems insane.
What are the reasons for it? There are a few and those will be covered by the other changes I’m about to go through.
A Changing Membership
(Image credit: Tom Miles)
When I first joined as a nipper, Banchory had a waiting list – not only for adults but also for juniors. In fact, the junior waiting list was as long as the one for adults at one point. Parents would put their kids’ names down as soon as they were born.
For ordinary membership, the waiting list was at least three years (up to five or six) in the late 80s and early 90s. The members were also all local.
The club had a policy that…
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