Discount Golf Club Membership Tips For The Wily Golfer

by danperry.com
Like most other businesses, golf courses are being hit hard by the financial difficulties currently being experienced. One of the very first things that people cut out of their budgets is expenditure on things considered unnecessary.

Now personally I would never consider golf unnecessary - I think in difficult times we all need to maintain some form of leisure activity that can help manage our stress levels.

But there is no doubt that the number of golfers have dropped and will continue to drop as people attempt to keep a little change in their pocket.

Now for golfers that are smart this can actually present you with some opportunities to play golf a little more cheaply this year. And I’m going to run you through a couple of ways I think you can do this.

Cheap Golf Memberships

I think 2009 is going to be the year for negotiations. Members are the lifeblood of many golf courses, and for the club to stay ahead of the game there is going to be some room to move on things such as joining fees and membership dues.

The first thing I will say is be willing to ask for a discount. How successful you are will depend in part on three things

1) Knowing what you’d like before you start asking questions
2) Asking the right person
3) How you approach this person

Decide What You Think A Membership Is Worth

The first thing you need to do is try and figure out what you’d be happy paying. Maybe you’d like 20% taken off the price, or you’d like the joining fee to be waived. Be reasonable in your expectations, but at the same time don’t sell yourself short. Use your common sense to come up with a figure that you think both sides will be happy with.

There are also other membership options you could consider, which I will talk about in another post.`

The next thing you need to do is make sure you speak to the right person, the one who has the authority to make a decision about these matters.

Once you know who to approach, take some time to think about the best way to broach the subject. If you’ve got a previous relationship with this person then that shouldn’t be a problem. If you don’t, try and find out something about them that may help you quickly build a good rapport with them. Rapport is one of those things that make people more willing to make concessions on these sort of things

Whatever you do, don’t approach the whole situation in a demanding manner. This will rub people up the wrong way from the start and make it tough for you to get what you are after.

If you can come away with both sides being happy with the arrangement then that is all you could ask for.

So if you are thinking of joining a golf club, take with you those famous words…’Everything is negotiable’.

Crooksy
PS I’ve got another article to come that will run you through some specific types of membership options that can help you save money. Your golf club may or may not have these - if they don’t you could talk to them about  offering it as an alternative

Related posts:

1. Golf Discount Coupons
2. Want To Play A Flash Private Golf Course…Cheap?