Golf Club Deposit/Membership Query

Yellowstone123

Hi all, need some advice/am I in the wrong or right and what should I do. 

In January this year I decided to join a golf club close to me. They had a 15 for 12 months offer on starting January 2025 lasting until March 2026. 

I paid a £500 deposit in January and the remainder was due the end of this month. 

I joined with a friend who unfortunately in March his car basically packed it in and had to use the money he set aside for his membership to fix the car so he left the club. This left me with a decision to make as he would be the only person I play golf with, not that I don’t like playing golf with myself but the main reason to join a club is to obtain a handicap and work on getting that lower and you cannot score yourself.  

I am now also moving house which when I signed up for a membership wasn’t the case and as I would be paying around £80 for golf and now moving home and a mortgage payment rising around £200 a month, golf was no longer affordable for me. 

After playing 9 holes one evening I decided that I wasn’t going to continue at the club, around the end of March/start of April. 

I informed the club right away and cancelled any tee times I had booked for the future. I sent the email on a Friday evening and on Monday got notifications to say I had been removed from the clubs app, no email back from the club. 

In the email I had requested the £500 deposit back and had no response so I followed it up a week later. 

Yesterday I had an email from the club saying that the deposit was non refundable and it was to cover the club for people who and in my case play golf before the final invoice is due but then leave. 

My issue with this is I have not played £500 worth of golf and even if they charged me summer rates for the golf I did play it would probably be around half of what the deposit it, not to mention in winter conditions, off fairway mats and some temporary greens so no exactly summer golf. 

I have since emailed the club and asked could the deposit be returned pro rata so they take off any golf I have played and refund the difference. 

I had only play a handful of 9 holes with the maximum played was 13 holes one day so haven’t even completed a full round of golf.

Is this something I should just forget about and suck it up as it’s a deposit and that’s what they are there for or should I try and fight to get it returned? 

Undervalued

Yellowstone123 said:

Hi all, need some advice/am I in the wrong or right and what should I do. 

In January this year I decided to join a golf club close to me. They had a 15 for 12 months offer on starting January 2025 lasting until March 2026. 

I paid a £500 deposit in January and the remainder was due the end of this month. 

I joined with a friend who unfortunately in March his car basically packed it in and had to use the money he set aside for his membership to fix the car so he left the club. This left me with a decision to make as he would be the only person I play golf with, not that I don’t like playing golf with myself but the main reason to join a club is to obtain a handicap and work on getting that lower and you cannot score yourself.  

I am now also moving house which when I signed up for a membership wasn’t the case and as I would be paying around £80 for golf and now moving home and a mortgage payment rising around £200 a month, golf was no longer affordable for me. 

After playing 9 holes one evening I decided that I wasn’t going to continue at the club, around the end of March/start of April. 

I informed the club right away and cancelled any tee times I had booked for the future. I sent the email on a Friday evening and on Monday got notifications to say I had been removed from the clubs app, no email back from the club. 

In the email I had requested the £500 deposit back and had no response so I followed it up a week later. 

Yesterday I had an email from the club saying that the deposit was non refundable and it was to cover the club for people who and in my case play golf before the final invoice is due but then leave. 

My issue with this is I have not played £500 worth of golf and even if they charged me summer rates for the golf I did play it would probably be around half of what the deposit it, not to mention in winter conditions, off fairway mats and some temporary greens so no exactly summer golf. 

I have since emailed the club and asked could the deposit be returned pro rata so they take off any golf I have played and refund the difference. 

I had only play a handful of 9 holes with the maximum played was 13 holes one day so haven’t even completed a full round of golf.

Is this something I should just forget about and suck it up as it’s a deposit and that’s what they are there for or should I try and fight to get it returned? 

None of the four points I have highlighted are the club's fault. In fact all but the first point are entirely your choice. You chose to buy a year's subscription (plus an extra three months for "free"). You cannot expect to opt out at any point and get a pro rata refund. The majority of members will tend to play more in the better weather, that is the nature of the game.

Unless a detailed reading of the club's rules or any contract you signed gives you additional rights I don't think you have a leg to stand on.

born_again

What do their T/C say?

How much is due to be paid & are you sure the £500 was a deposit & not part payment for the year?

Yellowstone123

born_again said:

What do their T/C say?

How much is due to be paid & are you sure the £500 was a deposit & not part payment for the year?

The deposit was a part payment of the full years membership. I believe I had a further £750 to pay by end of April. 

No one said this deposit was non refundable as I have checked anything I received from the club. 

Yellowstone123

Undervalued said:

Yellowstone123 said:

Hi all, need some advice/am I in the wrong or right and what should I do. 

In January this year I decided to join a golf club close to me. They had a 15 for 12 months offer on starting January 2025 lasting until March 2026. 

I paid a £500 deposit in January and the remainder was due the end of this month. 

I joined with a friend who unfortunately in March his car basically packed it in and had to use the money he set aside for his membership to fix the car so he left the club. This left me with a decision to make as he would be the only person I play golf with, not that I don’t like playing golf with myself but the main reason to join a club is to obtain a handicap and work on getting that lower and you cannot score yourself.  

I am now also moving house which when I signed up for a membership wasn’t the case and as I would be paying around £80 for golf and now moving home and a mortgage payment rising around £200 a month, golf was no longer affordable for me. 

After playing 9 holes one evening I decided that I wasn’t going to continue at the club, around the end of March/start of April. 

I informed the club right away and cancelled any tee times I had booked for the future. I sent the email on a Friday evening and on Monday got notifications to say I had been removed from the clubs app, no email back from the club. 

In the email I had requested the £500 deposit back and had no response so I followed it up a week later. 

Yesterday I had an email from the club saying that the deposit was non refundable and it was to cover the club for people who and in my case play golf before the final invoice is due but then leave. 

My issue with this is I have not played £500 worth of golf and even if they charged me summer rates for the golf I did play it would probably be around half of what the deposit it, not to mention in winter conditions, off fairway mats and some temporary greens so no exactly summer golf. 

I have since emailed the club and asked could the deposit be returned pro rata so they take off any golf I have played and refund the difference. 

I had only play a handful of 9 holes with the maximum played was 13 holes one day so haven’t even completed a full round of golf.

Is this something I should just forget about and suck it up as it’s a deposit and that’s what they are there for or should I try and fight to get it returned? 

None of the four points I have highlighted are the club's fault. In fact all but the first point are entirely your choice. You chose to buy a year's subscription (plus an extra three months for "free"). You cannot expect to opt out at any point and get a pro rata refund. The majority of members will tend to play more in the better weather, that is the nature of the game.

Unless a detailed reading of the club's rules or any contract you signed gives you additional rights I don't think you have a leg to stand on.

Fully understand the points made and I have also made the club aware in my communication that I understand the clubs side of things. 

Just an unfortunate situation and I think personally, a pro rate refund would be fair given I haven’t played £500 worth of golf. Actually if I had known this wasn’t to be refunded I’d have been better playing until the invoice was due and then left. 

visidigi

By your logic you should pay pro rata after you had played £1250 worth of golf. Which of course you would not do...so you can't have it both ways.

£500 and no need to pay the £750 is a good outcome, there's nothing you've said so far that qualifies for anything less. Arguably, depending on the terms, you could have to stump up the £750 if you start giving the club hassle.

eskbanker

Yellowstone123 said:

born_again said:

What do their T/C say?

How much is due to be paid & are you sure the £500 was a deposit & not part payment for the year?

The deposit was a part payment of the full years membership. I believe I had a further £750 to pay by end of April. 

No one said this deposit was non refundable as I have checked anything I received from the club. 

Surely it's not really a non-refundable 'deposit' as such if it's simply a stage payment for a service that started immediately, i.e. effectively a first instalment?

Yellowstone123 said:
I think personally, a pro rate refund would be fair given I haven’t played £500 worth of golf.

Although it was highlighted earlier that the typical playing pattern would be lower in winter months (i.e. usage wouldn't be expected to be linear), how much you've used the membership isn't actually relevant to your rights here - do the Ts & Cs include any sort of cancellation policy, specifying whether any pro rata refunds would be offered if cancelling prior to the end of the term?

Yellowstone123

visidigi said:

By your logic you should pay pro rata after you had played £1250 worth of golf. Which of course you would not do...so you can't have it both ways.

£500 and no need to pay the £750 is a good outcome, there's nothing you've said so far that qualifies for anything less. Arguably, depending on the terms, you could have to stump up the £750 if you start giving the club hassle.

Not really my logic. If I joined the same club and they didn’t have that membership offer then I would pay pro rata until April this year until the new years membership comes out then pay a full years membership fee. 

I don’t plan to give the club hassle at all and I asked the question. Nothing wrong with that and clearly stated in my first post here should I sick it up which I am willing to do. 

visidigi

Yellowstone123 said:

visidigi said:

By your logic you should pay pro rata after you had played £1250 worth of golf. Which of course you would not do...so you can't have it both ways.

£500 and no need to pay the £750 is a good outcome, there's nothing you've said so far that qualifies for anything less. Arguably, depending on the terms, you could have to stump up the £750 if you start giving the club hassle.

Not really my logic. If I joined the same club and they didn’t have that membership offer then I would pay pro rata until April this year until the new years membership comes out then pay a full years membership fee. 

I don’t plan to give the club hassle at all and I asked the question. Nothing wrong with that and clearly stated in my first post here should I sick it up which I am willing to do. 

Ah but you took the 15 for 12 month deal so the pro rate till April doesnt apply.

The shorted version (the rest isn't relevant) of your question is:

Took out a 15 month for 12 deal at local golf club - total contract amount £1250.
£500 first payment made, remaining £750 due 4 months later for the remaining 11 months.
Moving House, no longer local to course - want out of contract.
Golf course cancels membership as per request
Tells you £500 non refundable.
No T&C's shared here.

I suspect you were a bit hasty to cancel given you lost access and like you say, you would have been able to play till April.

So the big question is - what are the terms and conditions you agreed to when you signed up?

mr_stripey

I'm surprised you're not on the hook for the full amount - even if you cancel. The fact you haven't used the course as much is irrelevant. You were a member and could have done so, if you wanted.

born_again

Yellowstone123 said:

born_again said:

What do their T/C say?

How much is due to be paid & are you sure the £500 was a deposit & not part payment for the year?

The deposit was a part payment of the full years membership. I believe I had a further £750 to pay by end of April. 

No one said this deposit was non refundable as I have checked anything I received from the club. 

So £1250  year 
£104.16 a month.
Jan to May 5 Months. So works out about what you have already paid. Taking they tag the 3 months on the end.