OT - Artisans how much of a role in maintenance today?

[Jeff Schley]

Our UK brethren has a history of Artisans at a club volunteering their time to do some basic maintenance on the course in exchange for a reduced membership. This practice perhaps is a throwback, but I know some clubs still have Artisan sections. This concept doesn't exist in the US (at least that I'm aware of), and wanted to know how prevalent are Artisan sections today? What are they doing now compared to past practice? Still filling divots, hand raking, etc? Has modern maintenance equipment rendered their utility less and less?
Any culture sensitivities with equality at the forefront more than ever in society? I couldn't afford much golf growing up if my dad didn't work part time at a local muni for free golf. Maybe I equate it to guys working for minimum wage as a starter  in the US just to get free golf, but in this case they have their own club and providing maintenance assistance.

[Ian Galbraith]

The Artisan Clubs I know locally do not contribute to course maintenance any more.  They are for the most part 2nd clubs for players who also have a membership of the main club playing the course. They can still be very active and are usually full of keen competitive golfers. Definitely a good element of the local golfing landscape (NB - as a member of the Bass Rock GC at the West Links, I am of course biased)

[Sean_A]

Our UK brethren has a history of Artisans at a club volunteering their time to do some basic maintenance on the course in exchange for a reduced membership. This practice perhaps is a throwback, but I know some clubs still have Artisan sections. This concept doesn't exist in the US (at least that I'm aware of), and wanted to know how prevalent are Artisan sections today? What are they doing now compared to past practice? Still filling divots, hand raking, etc? Has modern maintenance equipment rendered their utility less and less?
Any culture sensitivities with equality at the forefront more than ever in society? I couldn't afford much golf growing up if my dad didn't work part time at a local muni for free golf. Maybe I equate it to guys working for minimum wage as a starter  in the US just to get free golf, but in this case they have their own club and providing maintenance assistance.

The Artisan clubs I know still do minor maintenance as part of their membership obligations.

The Artisan club at my club was amalgamated into the main club in the 70s. It was thought a bit classist and the main club needed more members anyway.

https://royalashdown.wordpress.com/tag/artisan-golfers-association/

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/artisans-for-golf-s-sake-1.191220

Ciao

[Ken Moum]

It's hardly the same, but where I play in AZ a group of guys work on clearing brush and weeds one morning a week in the winter.


I would do it for nothing because it makes me happy,  but two mornings gets me on guest pass..

[Tommy Williamsen]

When I played at the Berkshire a few years ago, I met [size=78%]some artisans. They shared with me some of the chores they did, from maintenance to electrical and plumbing. [/size]