JOHN PARKINSON has retired after 10 years as north west regional secretary of the Golf Clubs Managers Association with a disturbing view of the golf club scene as the credit crunch hits membership and finances. Every major recession has some impact on the leisure industries and that includes golf. But Parkinson, who has been in golf club administration for more than 30 years, says: “This is the most serious situation I have known, most definitely. “People just do not have the money to pay the golf club subscriptions or at least to justify them.” The problem is not just that many golfers have not renewed their annual subscriptions but that most golf clubs do not have membership applications. “Back in the 1980s clubs had waiting lists,” says Parkinson. “But those days are long gone.” Clubs are, not surprisingly, reluctant to talk of members resigning and their cash losses. But where club managers gather there is sometimes talk of these tough times. Parkinson says that there is the belief that some clubs have 30-40 vacancies, “causing no end of problems.” But then there is talk too of others losing 80 and one club has seen the departure of 100 members. Parkinson refers to it as being in “deep trouble.” He has heard of another club that has decided it can no longer afford its professional, Even more worryingly, one Merseyside club has apparently made its secretary redundant and, like another, where the secretary vacancy remains unfilled, the daily administrative tasks are being carried out by club members. But one club manager in the Golfnorthwest region reports an unexpected financial benefit from the long list of resignations. “We have found that our green fees have gone up considerably more than we anticipated. We are actually up about 25%. “But I think the majority of that is due to the numbers of club members who have not renewed their membership. “Instead of paying say £700 or whatever on subscriptions they are taking advantage of special offers at clubs such as two playing for the price of one.“ | 
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