Affiliation fee debate
Read here articles about affiliation fees, equitablility, how to grow golf and really helping rural golf clubs.
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You can register your club to support the Rural Golf Network and help increase the support given to rural golf clubs in Australia.
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How to really help rural golf clubs
James Sutherland, CEO of Golf Australia states (Inside Golf, May 2023) that “there are more than 1600 clubs and facilities across Australia. More than half of these are volunteer run – with no paid administration or PGA professional. We have an important role to support them and their role in the local community”.
Let’s hope that this is more than lip-service and the support that has been sadly lacking actually materialises beyond the common perception of “a handicap and insurance”.
Here's some ways to really help rural golf clubs.
What’s the best pathway to develop golf?
Local or national? Obviously the answer is both. However, every year all rural clubs pay a significant sum (around $24,000 in the case of a club with 350 members) for affiliation. Total affiliation fees from rural and regional golf clubs (“affiliated clubs”) will rise to more than $8 million in 2023. This is a very large transfer of money from local community facilities and needs to Golf Australia salaries, events, elite programs and marketing.
Are Golf Australia affiliation fees equitable?
The Golf Australia affiliation fees for clubs in 2023 are $84.90 per member for metropolitan clubs and $67.65 for clubs outside the metropolitan area. This is a flat rate regardless of location, club size, ability to pay or local socio-economic factors.
Read more about fees ... Are Golf Australia affiliation fees equitable?
What is the Rural Golf Network?
The Rural Golf Network has been started by a group of concerned Australian golfers and clubs who believe that not enough support is available to smaller rural golf clubs to operate, grow and prosper. We are a totally independent group, without any links to any organisation, company or golfing body.
The aim for rural golf clubs is two-fold:
- To obtain a better deal from Golf Australia for the high level of affiliation fees they pay.
- To provide an independent network to share ideas, raise issues and generally connect with each other. By doing so, to raise the profile of rural clubs, improve their management capability and increase the amount of support available.