Why Join An Online Golf Club?

One of the best things about an online golf club is that it lets you talk golf whenever you wish, wherever you are, and at all those times when you can’t get out on a course and play as often as they would like.

There are so many advantages to an online golf club, not the least of which is a golf courses guide which many of them produce, and golf course reviews by other members. Golf course guides and reviews are exactly what you need if you want to play some different courses when you are going on holiday. Not only can you find reviews of courses by other members, but you can add your own reviews also in many of the online clubs.

Another advantage is that you can take part in the forums that they have. While some of them are merely social chit-chat, you will also be able to pick up tips and tricks, often from pros who are members also. 

Golf is a game that on the ‘face of it’ appears to be very straightforward: you hit a ball with a stick in order to get it into a small hole. However, as we all know, there is a myriad of things to overcome and it will take you some time and a lot of practice to master the game.

If you are a new player you will have all sorts of questions, such as how to go about getting a handicap.

Getting a golf handicap requires you to play 54 holes – ideally 3 rounds of 18 holes, but it can be a mix - and you need to be a member of a golf club affiliated to one of the eight unions which are part of the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU). You then submit three or more cards signed by a “responsible” club member and the club will then allocate a handicap based on the best card.

However, if you are just looking to play ‘social golf’ you can use the handicap trackers provide by one of the many online golf clubs in the UK, often for free or as part of your annual membership fee.

Checking Out Golf Course Reviews For Your Holiday

If you are going away on holiday and want to play golf (what’s a holiday for, if it’s not to play golf?) you will want to check out the golf course reviews for the course or club to which you are going. If you are not already a member of an online golf club, now would be a good time to join one as you will usually find that they have a golf courses guide and lots of reviews from other members.

However, there are plenty of sources online which have extensive golf course directories covering the whole of the UK, and some 40,000 courses worldwide, along with many independent reviews. So, for instance, if you are going to Norfolk in the UK, you can simply click on that county in the listings in an online golf club and up comes a list of every course together with a price guide and possibly a star rating.

In many cases you can then just click on the name of a club that interests you and up will come its’ details including address and phone number along with the price of a round midweek and weekends, its’ website address, and a link to book tee times. You may also find an in-depth review of many courses by one of the members of an online golf club.

However, becoming a member of an online golf club gives you another advantage because you can talk directly to other members in the forums. It’s all well and good having the views of someone who has played a course, but you may want to ask questions about the facilities, the pro shop, or any one of another dozen things.

You can also arrange games and matches with other members. Online golf clubs give you a place where you can do this and everything else except, actually play golf, but they point you in the right directions with that as well since that’s why we are all here – to play!

The Benefits of An Online Golf Club

To some people the idea of an online golf club may seem somewhat strange because you can’t play golf online. Well, even that is not strictly true because you can play simulated golf online, and some websites let you play on actual named courses. However, sitting at your laptop all day doesn’t have quite the same appeal as getting out on the course with a set of clubs and doing it for real.

As such, the last few years has seen a growth in online golf clubs. These can provide you with all sorts of entertainment, tips, forums, golf societies, and above all may give you links to people wishing to play in your area or clubs in your locality that you may want to try.

You may find that some online golf clubs have a golf courses guide to clubs in your area, and reviews by other members. It is one thing visiting the website of a club where it will tell you how wonderful their course is, how superb the food in their restaurant is, and more. Of course it will. But reviews from people who have been to a course, played it, and can tell you an awful lot more than club website and are of course completely independent.

Furthermore, you may also get tips from fellow members on how to play a certain hole, or possibly how not to, especially if they have managed to get into trouble on it.

Another possibility with an online golf club is discounts from partner clubs on their green fees.

We all like a discount, and some online clubs have arrangements for discounts for their members at affiliated traditional clubs with which they have teamed up.

From the golf club’s point of view, they will get extra income, and from the online club member’s side you get to play a round for less. Everybody wins.

What makes for a good charity golf day?

1. First things first is to decide on a location.

Coupled with the plethora of online golf tee times platform that have driven down the price of some tee times green fees, now is the time to look at joining an Online Golf Club. There are number of platforms and apps available to join – just search ‘Golf Groups’ in Google and you will see many options but what is the criteria for judging which Online Golf Society to join?

Here’s ten top tips for choosing which golf website platform or app is right for you…

1. Is the site being used and are there any active forums?
2. Is the site easy to navigate and use?
3. Does the Online Golf Society have a list of upcoming events?
4. Is there a messaging system within the App?
5. Can you build a Golfers Profile and grow your numbers of golf contacts?
6. Is there a ‘Society’ options in which you can promote your events?
7. Can you track your golf handicap and get a handicap certificate?
8. Do they offer discounted Green Fees to members?
9. Can you add photos, society results and your society handicaps?
10. Does it allow you to meet with other golfers in your area?

Each Social Network for Golfers offers its own unique way or presenting its layout and functions but as with all these things, simplicity is key. Try to find a website or platform that is quick and efficient and of course one that does not sell your data or bombard you with email promotions.

There is no doubt they in the future this is the way that many golfers with connect with other golfers and with the technology constantly evolving, there is no reason why anyone, rich or poor should ever play golf alone again!

Bored of playing the same golf course? Why not try a Social Network for Golfers

Many golfers no longer see the value in playing the same course over and over and with the increase in the numbers of golf clubs opening their doors to more visitors, there has never been a better time for the golfer to increase their portfolio of clubs they play.

Coupled with the plethora of online golf tee times platform that have driven down the price of some tee times green fees, now is the time to look at joining an Online Golf Club. There are number of platforms and apps available to join – just search ‘Golf Groups’ in Google and you will see many options but what is the criteria for judging which Online Golf Society to join?

Here’s ten top tips for choosing which golf website platform or app is right for you…

1. Is the site being used and are there any active forums?
2. Is the site easy to navigate and use?
3. Does the Online Golf Society have a list of upcoming events?
4. Is there a messaging system within the App?
5. Can you build a Golfers Profile and grow your numbers of golf contacts?
6. Is there a ‘Society’ options in which you can promote your events?
7. Can you track your golf handicap and get a handicap certificate?
8. Do they offer discounted Green Fees to members?
9. Can you add photos, society results and your society handicaps?
10. Does it allow you to meet with other golfers in your area?

Each Social Network for Golfers offers its own unique way or presenting its layout and functions but as with all these things, simplicity is key. Try to find a website or platform that is quick and efficient and of course one that does not sell your data or bombard you with email promotions.

There is no doubt they in the future this is the way that many golfers with connect with other golfers and with the technology constantly evolving, there is no reason why anyone, rich or poor should ever play golf alone again!

How to find Golf Groups Online in your area

Whether you are looking for new golfing friends, a local golf group or society of golfers to play with regularly, there are now many options to find Golf Group online with a plethora of websites, apps and social media platform on which to try….

When looking for a good golf group online, there are many options:

• Join an online golf club (e.g. the Social Golfer)
• Join a Facebook Group
• Join A Meet Up Group
• Join a WhatsApp Group
• Join a Twitter Group
• Join a Traditional golf club

Which is best for you?

Much of this will depend on whether you want to play with the same group of golfers, in the same areas or whether you wish to keep meeting new golfers and like to play different courses?

As such, if it’s the first option, then we recommended that you local a club near you, book an appointment with the Director of Golf or The PGA golf Pro and discuss the membership options on offer but if you like playing new courses and meeting new people, the latter will probably appeal to you most.

This is where a good online golf club comes into its own. Joining this type of new golf club (appealing to the nomadic golfer) will mean you will have plenty golfers available to play and keep your interest over time.

In addition, while the Facebook, WhatsApp and Meet Up groups can help you find golfers, they will not offer you a handicapping certificate service or allow you to run and grow your own golf society efficiently.

Furthermore, it may be the online golf community you decide to join will also have deals and green fees offer with traditional clubs, so check what the website platform offers, outside of email, forums, handicap tracking, as you can probably receive discounts and offers too.

Using an Online Golf Course Guide

Many online golf club websites provide a good source of information but often these are not kept up to date and one could argue that the information shown is not (in most cases) is at worst bias and at best objective.

In addition, with so much information now available via your laptop or phone, it is often difficult to separate the good from the bad quickly and efficiently.

As such, using an independent online golf course guide can be very helpful but how do you decide which is the best one for you?

There are many useful club pages on independent golf sites but ideally you will want to use a website or app. that not only gives you Club location and Green fee prices but detailed feedback from other golfers that have recently played at the club.

The most useful of these online course guides available also have forums pages on which you can leave additional information and discuss the pros and con’s of the golfing world.
Look for a golf platform that has an active forum and one that provides independent golf course reviews and one that is kept up to date.

Some of the best golf course guides also included detailed information membership fees, Club Pro’s, website contact details and some also have golf tee time booking engines, meaning you can source, plan and book all your golf from one website.

At the moment there too many golf course guide platform available to list here but we have no doubt that as the service providers consolidate over the next few years there will be two or three clear winners in this category… and as with most things the best of the best will rise to the top!