Golf Club Membership by Mike Probert (sponsored by Costa Blanca Green Fee Services).Like many other people you have made the decision to relocate to the Costa Blanca.
So you enter upon the merry go round that is house sale, house purchase, furniture transport and hours spent obtaining padrons, NIEs and Residencia certificates.
However you are a little different because you are one of the many golfers who have a dream of playing golf 2 or 3 times per week on sub kissed ands lush fairways with a happy band of fellow golfers.
Having assumed that cheap and affordable golf club membership would be readily available due to the number of golf courses in the area your dreams will have been shattered by the reality of the situation here in Spain.
Many ex-pat golfing Brits will have played their golf back in the UK where they had a full unlimited membership for approx 800 per annum including golf, competitions, handicapping and social functions.
The reality here on the Costa Blanca is that golf club membership provides you with only discounted golf for advance payment but without these other elements of membership that you took for granted.
At this point I will however mention the golf course at La Serena who have introduced things like affordable English breakfasts, unlimited golf, handicapping, regular competitions and social functions, while eliminating the daily administration fee so hated by resident golfers in an endeavour to meet the expectations of the local ex-pat golfing community.
Now there is no doubt that the economic crisis has had a dramatic impact of both tourist and resident golfers playing here and finally this is being reflected in a reduction in the prices of green fees and an increase in the number of golf packages and deals being made available to the public.
In general however golf club membership fees are still far too high in relation to expectations of the resident golfing public.
The result of this is that many resident golfers dramatically reduce the amount of golf that they play and can afford or join a local society in an attempt to find some cheap golf.
One of the other problems faced by resident golfers is that finding information on the costs of golf club membership can be difficult with no central point of reference.
With a new year closing upon us quickly many of you will be considering their golfing options for 2010 and to help you with this process Costa Blanca Green Fee Services have conducted a review of golf club memberships available locally and this is summarised as follows:
Course Year Day Comments
Alenda 1675 5 200 discount for cash
Alicante 1645 7
Altorreal 1767 5
Bonalba 1452 7
El Plantio 2800 Nil No limitation
Hac. Del Alamo 2750 Nil Limited to 100 rounds
La Finca 2200 5
La Marquesa 1989 Nil
La Serena 1000 5
La Tercia 300 15 9 Hole Course
Las Ramblas 1800 5
Lo Romero 1440 5 Booking only 24 hours in advance
Vistabella 1300 6 11 Hole Course
Hopefully having this information readily available will allow you to arrive at a decision in respect of where and how you play your golf this year in relation to your own personal financial circumstances.
This article was written by Michael Probert who is the published author of a NEW book called a Golfing Guide to Murcia and published by Lean Marketing and more information on this book can be obtained by calling 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 or visit the web-site at
www.costa-blanca-greenfees.com.
