Royal Ottawa looking for new members?

[mjf]

There was an card in the Ottawa Citizen this morning advertising membership at Royal Ottawa. The website listed is: http://www.rogc.com/families

Not that I think I'll be getting a membership at Royal Ottawa anytime soon but... what does a membership there go for?

I wonder how much the current world financial situation is going to hurt upscale private (and public) courses this year...

[Hacker]

Indio qualifies for membership at the Royal Ottawa..............the hospital, NOT the golf course

[Marcos]

A few years ago,I had the pleasure of playing with a few members and at that time you had to have someone vouch for you.She said that it was aprox.27,000 for initiation and cant remeber green fees.Not exactly cheap,so i think they are feeling the pinch like everyone one else.There are a few members on this forum that could fill you in on the details i'm sure.

[mpare]

I looked into joining when I first moved to Ottawa. It was a no-go for me as the costs were simply too great. Quite apart from the initiation fee, the annual dues were hefty. Added to that was a bar/meal levy that was equally substantial. For some, these expenditures were not a problem. They were for me. I'm sure that if you have the cash, you will enjoy yourself there. It's an interesting course with a very active membership.

[John]

I am pretty sure the yearly dues for a full member with bar tab is close to 5,000$ or so.

[mpare]

Which ward?

Indio qualifies for membership at the Royal Ottawa..............the hospital, NOT the golf course

[BC MIST]

I wonder how much the current world financial situation is going to hurt upscale private (and public) courses this year...

I doubt that the private clubs will be hurt by the current financial situation, however, it will be very interesting to see if those who currently play at semi private or public courses, reduce their spending on golf this season.

[jeffc]

my dad is a member of a course in cambridge and they have reduced their initiation from $12K to $2K for family members, though I think they are willing to bend on that. So they are having trouble attracting new members as they lose a certain number every year.

[big easy]

I can't disclose the deal that has been offered to me to join Rivermead but it appears that private clubs may not as exclusive as they used to be in terms of initiation fees. You have to take the deal when it's there. I guess their waiting lists have shortened quite a bit. Annual dues are still pretty high though...wife told me to take my bike to get to the course!!!...

[big easy]

I also believe, although I don't have any accurate stats, that the age average of the membership at Royal Ottawa is also becoming an issue...may be also true for other clubs but it's pretty hard to find 30-45 years old individuals willing to spend $5000+/year to play golf...

[Hacker]

Which ward?

Psychiatric ward - do they differentiate by disorder?? He'd qualify for the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia and probably Tourette's Departments

[Section Thirty One]

For what it's worth, my home club in Cambridge had an attrition rate of 6.5% this year. That was actually down from the year prior. I'd say we're still in good shape.

jeffc, the course you're speaking of wouldn't happen to be Galt CC would it? If I could get in for 2K, i'd probably go for it.

[big mac]

I wonder if they will let you "test drive" all 18 holes before you decide

[beamtown]

I had heard that the ROGC was offering a discounted membership fee? Seems odd but does anyone know if this is true? If not, can anyone comment on the initiation fee and annual dues?
Tks

[Grndmstrphat]

I know of a small group that approached Rivermead and they had their intitaion reduced to $2k with yearly fees for a full membership around $4500 all in (taxes, bar, club storage, locker)

[focal]

I personally left Club Link for a one these new deals at traditional clubs here in Toronto.

initiations are definitely coming down one club at a time. The one I joined definitely was first with an aggressive rate and will be rewarded with full membership this year or close to it. Looks like they've attracted a whole new group of members in the 35-50 age bracket which is ideal.

age is always the big issue with clubs. You sell out your membership, have low attrition during good years...and 10-15 years later, you look around and everyone is MUCH older. The last cycle that had a major effect on clubs was the crash in the early 90's (Birth of Club Link). This is a down cycle and the BEST time to jump into a traditional club if you trust they'll be able to get through it.

clubs need initiation money and full membership to help fund course upgrades. Without the two everything falls apart. Club Link pulled so many potential members out of the traditional clubs these past 10 years that some clubs were starving for new money. Having close to a full membership for 10 years can mask future problems only for so long if there isn't new capital injections from initiations.