[Mark_Rowlinson]

I notice on the Perranporth Web Site that they have abolished (for the time being) the joining fee of £250 and are offering Country Membership (anyone living outside Cornwall) for £107.50 per year.  Get joining!  http://www.perranporthgolfclub.com/page6.html

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I notice also that West Cornwall is offering country memberships at £140 joining fee and £140 per annum membership.  There are a few nice pictures on their new web site: http://www.westcornwallgolfclub.co.uk/

[Brent Hutto]

Mark,

A lot of places in Cornwall have "porth" and/or "perr" in the name. Was a different language spoken there originally? I wonder what those syllables denoted, probably something like "hill" or "water" or "town" I guess.

This weekend we saw the movie "Tristan and Isolde" which was set mostly in Cornwall with the remainder across the water in Dunluce (assuming I followed the clumsy and not particularly clear exposition in the movie). It wasn't the greatest movie I've ever seen although there was some gorgeous photography of the Irish coast.

[David_Tepper]

Mark -

Those fees are quite a bargain. If you play 4-6 rounds in a year, you cover the cost of your country membership. It costs more to join either Brora or Golspie way up in the Highlands as a country member.

It is a little surprising to see those clubs so hungry for country members. I thought Cornwall had become discovered as a trendy getaway spot. I would have thought the golf clubs there would be turning away potential new members.

DT  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Brent, Perranporth is the place by the cove of St Piran's parish.  Porth is equivalent to cove or harbour = port.  Pen(n) is the Cornish for head - as in headland.  Cornish is still spoken by a few who have taken the trouble to learn it.  I'm not sure whether it is taught in schools, as Welsh is - indeed, in many Welsh schools now Welsh is the first language and you learn French, maths and English in Welsh.  

You might enjoy:

http://www.agantavas.org.uk/
http://www.cornish-language.org/english/aboutkowethas.asp

[Mark_Rowlinson]

David,  I'm not surprised that there are these bargains around.  It's much the same in quite a lot of England.  Although Cornwall is chic in a way, there is little indigenous prosperity.  Many farmers have taken their land out of agriculture and there are really quite a lot of golf courses for the modest population.  As a result, many occasional golfers are leaving the old-established clubs - why should they pay £750 a year to play perhaps half a dozen times when they can pay a £10 green fee at a local pay-and-play.  That is why so many golf clubs are abandoning their joining fees - they are having to simply to keep their membership up.

Out of curiosity I note that Reddish Vale has reintroduced a joining fee, but it is less than the annual subscription (at some places it used to be twice the annual sub), but, more pertinently, the Country Membership is £140 per year with NO joining fee.  It's a MacKenzie course within 20 minutes of Manchester Airport.  What are you all waiting for!

http://www.rvgc.co.uk/rvgc.htm

[Philip Gawith]

Mark - I like the bit on Reddish Vale website where the good doctor is quoted saying the ground is "agreeably undulating without being too hilly".

Have you ever walked up a steeper hill on a golf course than the 18th at RV?

[Tom Huckaby]

I have zero plans to get to Cornwall any time soon.  I just figured it would be worth it in terms of coolness to be able to tell the boys back here I am a member of PERRANPORTH, and use that as my home club for tournaments.  OK, I'm weird.

So I downloaded the form and well... it requires one be nominated and seconded by a current Perranporth member.

Well that does that!  Damn.

 

[Tom Huckaby]

Sean - the call from here to there will likely cost more than the tenner.

 

Hell, it's all just a lark anyway.  It just seemed odd to me that they seem to be trolling for overseas members and then put this as a very clear requirement on the form.

TH

[David_Tepper]

Sean -

I looks like the daily green fees at Perranporth are 35 pounds or so.

If one spent two or three weekends over the course of the year down that way (and played 6 or 8 rounds in the process), one would more than cover the cost of an annual membership.

That is one heck of a deal!

DT


 

[Brent Hutto]

Huck,

I suspect the recommendation requirement on the membership form perhaps falls into the category of "keeping up appearances". Just hope they don't browse through the archives of this discussion group too thoroughly before approving your membership.

[Tom Huckaby]

Brent - very good point.  But then again, I kind of with Groucho anyway in that I don't want to join any club that would have me.

Sean - gotcha - just having fun with this.  What the hell, I may send them a fax.  I swear it's worth the app. 100 pounds to be announced at my next tournament as "playing out of Perranorth GC, Cornwall, England."

Then again my Irish friends would bitchslap me.

So never mind.  

[David_Tepper]

Tom H. -

My guess is that the Perranporth application form has no slot for someone from the US joining simply because the people at Perranporth could never in their wildest dreams imagine anyone from the US wanting to become a country member.

Send them a fax or an e-mail. My guess is they will be DELIGHTED to take your money.

DT

[Tom Huckaby]

David - in all seriousness, that's what I figured.

I'm sure they would be shocked to see the form returned from San Jose, CA.  But still, the web site does seem to solicit memberships from "outside the county" and while I'd be as outside as you can get, I just still find it odd they want two sponsors.  I guess they're contemplating people only a few miles away, eh?

Oh well, as I say, it was just a curiousity.  What I really need is a fine Irish club for this purpose.  I know such do exist...

TH

[Tom Huckaby]

Sean:

I am well aware of what that 107.50 gets me.

I just realized that if I affiilate myself with an English club - even a fine neat little one like this - I alienate my Irish friends and in one fell swoop ruin years of fine anti-English fellowship.

No amount of coolness on the tee is worth that.  

So I shall search for an Irish club.  Scottish would be next best bet.

And of course when I find one, I shall tell them who I am.

 

[Jack_Marr]

Mark,

A lot of places in Cornwall have "porth" and/or "perr" in the name. Was a different language spoken there originally? I wonder what those syllables denoted, probably something like "hill" or "water" or "town" I guess.

This weekend we saw the movie "Tristan and Isolde" which was set mostly in Cornwall with the remainder across the water in Dunluce (assuming I followed the clumsy and not particularly clear exposition in the movie). It wasn't the greatest movie I've ever seen although there was some gorgeous photography of the Irish coast.

Welsh is completely different to Irish or Scot's gaelic, as is Cornish, I believe. The Gaelic spoken on Islay (where they make great whisky) is very similar to Irish.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Let's not bother with the language differences at this point.  Each has its own identity, and rightly so.  Each has its own provenance, and rightly so.  However, the point of this post is to demonstrate the fantastic bargains that are available to all golfers, not only GCA fanatics, if they are prepared to trawl the net.  

[Tony_Muldoon]

The biggest bargain I know of is Royal Portrush.  I have family connections there and I seriously considered joining even if I've never played it and I only get over about once every 3 years.

To check it out I spoke to the secretary about 18 months ago who turned out to be a lovely lady. My surprise. I can't be sure of the term of membership she called it but living in London I could join as (let's call it) an overseas member. These figures were correct in autumn 2004.

For the first year I would have to join as a five day member and this would cost me less than £600.  After that I could transfer to the overseas member rate of £180 per annum, with certain restrictions on the number of games to be played in a year.  I said it sounded great value for money and she agreed saying it was only £50 more than a single weekend game in high season.  However unless there was a rush she didn't anticipate any changes to this.

Now Tom Huckaby how cool would that membership be?  I have someone who can propose us, could your cousin find a seconder?

[Tom Huckaby]

The biggest bargain I know of is Royal Portrush.  I have family connections there and I seriously considered joining even if I've never played it and I only get over about once every 3 years.

To check it out I spoke to the secretary about 18 months ago who turned out to be a lovely lady. My surprise. I can't be sure of the term of membership she called it but living in London I could join as (let's call it) an overseas member. These figures were correct in autumn 2004.

For the first year I would have to join as a five day member and this would cost me less than £600.  After that I could transfer to the overseas member rate of £180 per annum, with certain restrictions on the number of games to be played in a year.  I said it sounded great value for money and she agreed saying it was only £50 more than a single weekend game in high season.  However unless there was a rush she didn't anticipate any changes to this.

Now Tom Huckaby how cool would that membership be?  I have someone who can propose us, could your cousin find a seconder?

Tony - you are speaking my language.  Of course my cousin is a member at Castlerock though - if I joined Portrush and not that, he'd disown me.  I'll find out if Castlerock has overseas membership.  It is high time I did something like this.

In any case to answer your question, hell yes my cousin knows plenty of Portrush members.  

[Jack_Marr]

Let's not bother with the language differences at this point.  Each has its own identity, and rightly so.  Each has its own provenance, and rightly so.  However, the point of this post is to demonstrate the fantastic bargains that are available to all golfers, not only GCA fanatics, if they are prepared to trawl the net.  

I just thought it was an interesting point (as they are all celts) in response to what was mentioned before. Sure it's only a small post and easy to ignore.

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