At the end of 2025 I faced a very difficult decision, should I renew my golf club membership or not? With an annual price hike adding to my already stretched budget, I knew that affording to belong to my beloved home club was a luxury and one that as a single parent on a relatively modest income, I had to seriously weigh up.
So I started to consider what golfing life would be like if I was a nomad who no longer belonged to a club, if I only paid and played when I could afford to. It was an extremely difficult decision to make after 30 plus years of club membership.
In the end, I decided to cut back on other luxuries to streamline my outgoings because for me, getting to play golf with my friends every week is the most important luxury in my life. Plus, with my 12-year-old son Hogan now also a member of the club, playing golf together means making memories.
Nevertheless a little part of me was fascinated to know what life as a golfing nomad would be like, because so many of us choose this route as opposed to paying expensive club membership subs.
For starters, does it actually save you money? A typical nomad probably plays golf once a week. Let’s say an average green fee is £50 a round (that’s taking the medium of cheaper pay and plays right up to peak high season summer rates well over £100) that’s 52 weeks times £50, you’d be paying £2,600 a year in green fees. That’s substantially more than most annual golf club membership subscriptions and that’s before the added cost of driving to different courses that aren’t right on your doorstep.
However, if you’re smart, being a golfing nomad could save you a considerable amount of money compared to a golf club membership. You can play courses offering deals, you can lean on friends to sign you in on guest rates. There is also the attraction of getting to play a variety of courses, not just one.
There are pros and cons to this, the obvious con being that you don’t learn the nuances of the course in detail that allow you to score better. There’s no doubt that after 30 years of club membership, having a local knowledge of the course saves me an awful lot of shots. I know every subtle break on every green. Although there’s a certain joy and excitement of playing a new course for the very first time. I sometimes shoot a surprisingly good score because I’m oblivious to the trouble, play freely and because it’s for fun.
As a test, the Golf Monthly team asked me to become a golfing nomad for a few weeks. As a pay and play golfer my first outing was with my good friend who is a member of Broadstone Golf Club. We organised a friendly fourball and as his guest it only cost me £40 to be signed in - a considerable saving on the full green fee rate.
I’m fortunate to have friends at most local clubs so I imagine that I’d easily get signed in 6-10 times a year employing this method. Of course, one of the perks of being a club member is that we get to play matches against other clubs and there are monthly reciprocal draws where you can play a nominated local club for free, which gives you the same ‘away’ round benefit.
The downside is that you have to work around someone else’s diary and games like these don’t get organised without some considerable effort. You could also join a golf society to have more fun, sociable games and enter club Opens, which often include a meal and are exceptional value for money.
For my second nomadic game I chose to pay and play one of the two fantastic local municipal courses on my doorstep in Dorset - Queens Park and Meyrick Park Golf Course. My round was on the latter, a fabulous council-run facility in Bournemouth. In fact, it’s arguably one of the best municipal layouts in the country.
Yes, you have dog walkers that don’t understand golf to contend with and un-raked bunkers, more pitch marks on greens, divots left upturned by players that simply don’t know and understand the etiquette of the course, but on the whole this was an ok experience. All for the bargain price of £33. In fact, if I had played in a fourball, it would have only cost £25 per player and even in peak slots as little as £40 each.
For my final nomadic golf round I headed a little further afield to Brighton. It was a two-hour drive from home for me, which is probably right on the threshold of the time limit that most golfers would be prepared to drive for a day out playing golf.
I booked a tee time at The Dyke Golf Club, a James Braid-designed layout that enjoys an elevated position over Brighton & Hove with sweeping coastal views of the English Channel. As it was my first visit to the area I found it incredibly fun both to play the course and visit the seaside town.
This is definitely one of the perks of games played out of your local area. Considering the club’s proximity to the town I thought the green fee was excellent value and the condition of the course really good. The fairways were firm and fast and the true quick greens really caught me out. Due to its lofty rural location the wind plays a big factor in the club selection here with shot direction decisions adding to the fun.
I spoke to several members who were friendly, welcoming and intrigued to know my thoughts on the course, which I felt as its strength, would suit all standards of players due to the generous width of the fairways allowing you to find wayward shots.
Overall, my time as a nomadic golfer was great fun and I can see why golfers choose this lifestyle. It’s affordable, convenient and allows you to play a wide variety of courses. But would I give up my golf club membership to go down this route? Absolutely 100% not.
I love belonging to a club and competing in club competitions every week. Plus there’s no substitute for the joy of playing a golf course right on your doorstep and being able to play as much or as little as you choose, even if it’s just five holes after work on a summer’s evening. As a pay and player, you always want to play a full 18 to get your money’s worth.
It’s not the pomp and ceremony or prestige of golf club membership that I enjoy, it’s the friendships I’ve formed by being part of the club community. My golf club is like my second home. It’s a special place and I would never want to lose that.
