Trying to find a new club to join

It’s funny how different people have different priorities. My wife and I, for instance.

We recently moved house – so recently, in fact, that we’ve made a makeshift dining table and chairs out of full cardboard boxes – and, now that all our furniture and belongings are in, we’re discussing what to do next.

Mrs McEwan has plenty of big ideas, such as getting an actual dining table and chairs. Me? I’m not going to lie, I’m already thinking about which golf club I should join.

We live in the Greater Glasgow area, so there’s plenty of choice. The key, though, is deciding which club is right for me.

There are certain things I’m looking for, certain things I’m definitely not and, having done a bit of research online, I’ve already started comparing all the clubs in the area with one another.

My list of wants and needs reads like some corny small ad in the ‘Lonely Hearts’ section of a newspaper.

“Recently re-located golfer seeks new club for fun times and harmless excitement. It must…

• Be within 15mins drive of my front door;

• Not come with a joining fee;

• Offer different membership categories and the option to pay by monthly direct debit;

• Have a quality, 18-hole course with good drainage (it is Glasgow after all);

• Friendly members and a relaxed atmosphere;

• A decent clubhouse and catering would be a bonus but not essential;

• Decent practice facilities are desirable. That means putting green, practice bunker and somewhere to hit full shots;

• The option to visit on an ‘Open Day’ would be advantageous.

Stuffy, backward-thinking, extortionate facilities need not apply.”

See what I mean? There’s a lot to consider if I’m going to find a club that I’m going to join, even more so considering that I’m looking for somewhere I’m going to stay for a good few years. Club-hopping isn’t my thing.

With any luck, I’ll find somewhere that suits by the end of March or start of April, just in time for the season starting.

Whether we have a dining table and chairs by then remains to be seen.

Are you on the look-out for a new club?

If so, check out the 2014 Golf Club Membership Drive in issue 128 of bunkered, on-sale now from all good newsagents.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor