Temporary membership scheme

This page describes the history to date of the temporary membership scheme introduced in 2004. It also includes a case study of a couple who have become members via the temporary membership scheme and sets out the way in which the scheme works.

Click here for case study

Click here for 'how it works'

Coaching session for temporary members	Fiona and Ian McMIllan

Four years ago virtually every golf club in the country had witnessed a decline in the number of people applying for membership and very few had full rosters; in 2004, Liphook’s waiting list too was dropping and there was a shortage particularly of younger lady members. The Club’s revenues were threatened.

The Membership sub-committee of the day took a hard look at the obstacles which stood in the way of joining the Club. Only golfers with an established handicap qualified for membership and they had to pay an entrance fee. Joining Liphook was a challenge, particularly for women new to golf for whom this is a tough course.

The then Secretary, Barry Morgan, suggested that the Club introduce a scheme for allowing beginners to join on a temporary basis on condition that they undertook to take lessons from the Professional (pictured above right) and secure a handicap in a year or so from joining. John Hutchinson was chair of Membership and admits to having been sceptical at first, fearing that the course was too difficult for beginners and particularly novice ladies.

Notwithstanding, the then Captain, Mike Friend, encouraged the Secretary and Membership Committee to develop the scheme.Barry suggested a cap of 20 temporary members and they were given 18 months to achieve a handicap. The times at which they could play were also limited. Special subs were set, the same for women as for men, and no entry fee would be charged until they became full members.

By 2005 the number had crept to 11 men and 11 women and today there are 18 men and 11 women. Over half the temporaries have become full members, with many still ‘in the system’. Most of these would have been unable otherwise to join Liphook.

The Ladies section in particular has made its temporary members feel very welcome; it provides each of them with two mentors and arranges special events both in the clubhouse and on the course. In the case study, below, Ian and Fiona McMillan describe their experience as temporary members who have graduated to full membership.

Although Ian’s sponsor, Dil Lloyd, has done a great deal to introduce Ian to the course and to other members, his example is probably unusual among male sponsors whereas the welcome and encouragement afforded to Fiona has been part of the regular Ladies’ programme. Today’s Membership Committee, chaired by Ian Hewitt, has taken stock of the scheme and has introduced new guidelines which are set out below.

Case study

Fiona and Ian McMillan (pictured, above right) are the type of member the Club needed to attract but were unlikely to apply under the old rules. They have lived in the Berg Estate, close to the course, since 1993 and are typical of working members whom Liphook needs but who would have found it difficult to join when candidates needed a club handicap.

Ian is a long-haul pilot with BA and although he hadn’t played golf regularly he had been able to play on courses all around the world on his rest days from flying. – BA keeps clubs for its crews in overseas countries. Fiona owns the Far Horizons shop in Petersfield; with three children to bring up she had no time to play.

Among their neighbours were Gail and Dilwyn Lloyd. The McMillans submitted their application forms in June 2006. Their 10-year-old son Harris had already joined the Juniors. Fiona and Ian were made very welcome. Fiona in particular speaks of the red carpet laid out by the Ladies section. “There were coffee mornings and a special competition arranged for temporary members. I had two mentors – Gail Lloyd and Sue Maplesden, who supported me throughout – they made me do the full 18 holes sooner than I would otherwise have done! My thanks to both of them.”

Although Dil was an assiduous sponsor, “he played a round with me every month,” Ian admits there was no similar programme support for men in the temporary scheme. Nonetheless, he was able to achieve a 23 handicap in February 2007 and was accepted for membership in March 2007. Fiona was slower off the mark, finding it more difficult to get time off from her shop. She praises the coaching by Ian Mowbray, an intrinsic part of the temporary scheme. A final push in early 2008 produced the cards necessary to achieve a 34 handicap and she was accepted for membership in March.

How it works

The Temporary Membership scheme is an important conduit for bringing new members into the Club. Much depends on the encouragement of current members.

Temporary members are proposed and seconded for Membership in the same way as any other prospective member. In the case of ladies, either Proposer or Seconder, is ideally a full lady member.

Temporary members are allowed 18 months to achieve a handicap of 28 for men and 36 for women. It is assumed temporary members will do everything in their power to attain that level, practising regularly and taking lessons with the Professional Staff.

Proposers and Seconders should be active in encouraging the temporary members whom they have sponsored in their efforts to gain full membership.

The Proposer and Seconder should periodically advise Simon Sheppard, the Temporary Members Coordinator, of the progress their nominee is making.

The Professional routinely assesses all temporary members and reports on their progress to the Managing Secretary; when the time comes, an acceptable handicap will be allocated. When a handicap has been awarded, temporary members follow the normal procedure of applying for full membership.

Temporary members can use the clubhouse like any other member; indeed, they are encouraged to do so and to get to know other members. They may play alone or with another temporary member after noon in winter and after 2.00pm in summer; alternatively, in the summer they can play with a full member after noon.

Regrettably, temporary members who don’t succeed in getting an acceptable handicap within the time scale will be advised by letter that their membership is at an end. The proposer and seconder will get a copy of this letter and the candidate will not be able to re-apply for a further twelve months.