Relationships Matter…
An explanation of OGC's relationship with The OGC Collection and our members.
As the new membership year approaches fast, we thought it might be quite timely to explain how our healthy relationships with the clubs and courses in the OGC Collection is paramount to providing our members with a great selection and variety of courses throughout the UK.
We have had a remarkable membership renewal rate this year, despite the post-covid return to work and hard times looming. Of course we have lost a few valuable members, all will be missed and will be welcomed back with open arms should they decide to return.
Unfortunately we have also had a few members that weren’t invited to rejoin, for a number of reasons.
We sincerely believe that the 25/26 golfing year will be even more exciting than the last and with new courses, developments and the smoother processes outlined below. With the support and commitment of you our members, we have no doubt that we will all continue to enjoy better all-round relationships and golfing. So…
The booking process & restrictions
We are working hard to streamline our booking process, making it as easy as possible, whilst providing options that we will utilise going forward; a payment process for example. (But more of that later). We have introduced new icons that should provide information in an easy to read format. These icons also illustrate any restrictions that might be applicable on each course.
Hovering over an icon should bring ups a tooltip showing the exact description of the information, or restriction. We have restrictions on certain courses for good reason.
In a nutshell, the standard restrictions are as follows;
- Guests allowed, or no guests
- Minimum Handicap (you are allocated a handicap when you join OGC and these can be changed with an assessment)
- Minimum time between bookings (can vary between 7 days and 4 weeks. We have added an additional day to prevent repeated bookings of a course on the same Saturday each week, for example)
- Advanced bookings (normally between one and two weeks, up to 3 months for resort venues such as the Marriott courses)
- Restrictions on time of day (such as after 12pm on weekends)
These restrictions have been negotiated with each of the courses and are paramount to our continued good relations with them. When these restrictions are broken our relationship suffers and we risk losing the goodwill and continued enjoyment of that particular OGC Collection course.
We have always relied on the good faith of our members to follow our guidelines and rules. Unfortunately, there have been instances this year where some members have let themselves and OGC down. Where we have seen repeated instances where our restrictions haven’t been adhered to we have had to let these members go.
Some examples of situations where we have found members breaching our rules are;
- Booking a tee and inviting non-OGC members to play without declaring guests on the OGC booking page, or with the golf club.
- Booking a tee on a limited plays per period course for one person and playing with OGC members, who in turn book the next week, and so on.
- Poor behaviour on course and in the clubhouse area.
- Not adhering to the dress code of clubs. (As petty as this might seem to some, golf clubs have rules they expect their own members to adhere to, so should ours.)
- Booking tees and failing to cancel them with the golf club. Not only does this block the tee for OGC members, it also stops the club itself from monetising that unused tee.
- Poor use of buggies and trollies. Both should be kept away from tee areas, greens and fringes. Signage should be followed in all instances.
- Inviting a particular guest more than 5 times in a membership year.
- Inviting more than 6 guests in total over the course of a membership year.
Following the rules...
We want our members to enjoy their golf without the constant interference of OGC staff and officers. It’s in our interest and the interest of OGC members.
However, we can’t allow a situation that might threaten our relationship with the OGC Collection of courses.
To that end we would like to remind all members of the following;
- Please check and adhere to all restrictions on the courses you are playing.
- Please check the club rules of the course you are playing. Some of them may have some quirks…
- If you are intending to bring a guest, or guests, please book them at the same time you make the booking, if possible. There is a dropdown at the top of the main booking area.
- Remember, guests must be registered 5 days in advance where possible using the form on this page.
Ensuring our continued good relationships...
We have asked certain clubs in the OGC Collection to ensure that all playing OGC members show their cards and provide their OGC number. OGC members should be showing their cards on arrival at the course they are playing, for each OGC member.
OGC guests should be paying the guests rates of the club to the Pro-Shop on arrival, unless we inform you otherwise once you have submitted your guest registration. Pro Shops will expect to receive payment for guests where OGC membership cards haven’t been shown.
Courses may check that the number of players on the tee matches the number of players booked on our booking page.
Spot checks at courses will be made to ensure that the booking rules have been adhered to.
Website booking system
As promised, we would like to give you a quick summary of where we are with the new website and booking system.
Most members have found the new booking system easy to use and much faster than the old one. We understand a few have had issues and we are working hard to resolve those problems.
We have identified the most common glitches;
- Bookings that are cancelled are not removed from the system completely. This stops the member from booking the same course within a time limited restriction. Or another course on the same day.
- Every so often the join button isn’t working as it should.
- Guests can’t be added after a member makes a booking, they have to be done at the same time.
We have all of the above in hand and are hoping to fix the issues very soon. In the meantime please remember you can use the support form or contact [email protected] if you are having a known issue, or need to report a new one.
Some members have mentioned the checkout section within the booking process. Please, don’t panic..!! We have no intention of introducing charging for bookings on our standard OGC Collection. However (teaser alert) there are some exciting new high-end courses that are being introduced to the OGC-Plus Collection where a small subsidised green fee will be payable. The payment system is also being considered for guest fees in the future, as well as event fees and potential product sales.
Still reading...?
A few final points.
This is the last week to get your membership renewals paid up, if you haven’t done so already. If you have any questions please get in touch at [email protected].
Keep your eyes out for our new standard golf courses, the new OGC+ Collection that includes a great selection of courses worldwide, literally.
We are also introducing a coaching section in conjunction with one of the leading professionals in the South of England. Details will follow very shortly.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to One Golf Club and to the One Golf Club Collection. Happy Golfing!
OGC Team
