What’s inevitable initially of a New 12 months? That’s proper, old school lookahead. In an episode of The NCG Golf Podcast, co-hosts Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll channelled their interior Mystic Meg to foretell what would possibly occur in your golf golf equipment over the subsequent 12 months.
Are we on the verge of a membership disaster? Will 2026 spell the top of money funds? What lies forward for the golf skilled? Let’s see what they thought…
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May these 5 issues occur at your golf membership in 2026?
Are we heading for a membership disaster?
This would be the yr cost-of-living actually hits golf. Funds are nonetheless being squeezed and everybody feels they’re footing a listing of ever-increasing payments.
Golf is an costly passion and asking folks to fork out a giant lump of money, usually in a single go, is certainly a take a look at of somebody’s money circulation. Will or not it’s simpler this yr to say, ‘I don’t assume so?’
Membership subscriptions are getting costlier because it prices extra to run golf golf equipment and it’s additionally changing into simpler to attach with the sport in additional transient methods – corresponding to via iGolf or simulators.
We’ve loved a interval of large progress since Covid however membership is now below strain. We may even see it scale back in 2026.
Golf golf equipment will use extra dynamic pricing for tee occasions
We’re used to flat day charges and a twilight low cost as guests – even on the largest of golf golf equipment. However there are indicators that’s beginning to change – with premium tee occasions alongside peak costs and golfers being requested to pay totally different costs relying on what hour of the day they tee off.
We predict extra golf golf equipment will get onto this bandwagon in 2026 – significantly at programs the place there may be a number of demand. Would you pay extra to play at 9am, or try to play fastest-finger first for a less expensive charge in mid-afternoon?
Will golf golf equipment take extra management of their tee sheets – wresting them away from reserving corporations – and value in keeping with the demand they’re seeing on the bottom?
We’re not simply speaking about resident charges and cheaper night inexperienced charges, we’re speaking about costs that transfer in keeping with demand and nearly on a tee-time by tee-time foundation.
Will extra golf professionals provide month-to-month subscriptions for classes?
Who hasn’t bought a Netflix or Sky subscription? Who pays a month-to-month price to a health club? Your golf membership membership would possibly even be structured on paying 12 months a yr.
We predict extra golf professionals will look to maneuver from lesson-by-lesson and block commitments to long-term, fee plans with their college students. It brings extra calendar and earnings certainty.
A professional’s worst nightmare is the late cancellation or the golfer that simply forgets and doesn’t flip up. What do they do? Cost them and threat a battle?
However in case you’ve bought a direct debit with a participant and a structured plan, they’re much less careworn about discovering the money – because it at all times appears simpler when it simply comes out of your account – and so they’re extra inclined to show up and extra inclined to enhance. It’s a virtuous circle.
It might sound odd proper now, however a lot of our lives exterior golf are ruled by subscriptions. We predict classes will go the identical approach.
Sustainability goes to be a a lot larger problem at golf golf equipment
Golf authorities have tried shock and awe – highlighting the water dangers for these golf equipment that use faucet water throughout droughts and educating on irrigation when the course is drenched with rain.
They’ve had restricted success in our view, however it’s both one or the opposite now: parched or pouring – and we’re going to wish to take care of what that does to our golf programs.
We’ll see extra water discount insurance policies, much less intensive work on some areas – significantly deep tough – and extra widespread use of robotic mowers to free greenkeepers as much as work on different components of the golf course.
Will extra golf golf equipment transfer in the direction of being cashless?
Did you discover the £100 restrict on contactless is being eliminated early in 2026? Society is shortly transferring away from money and golf golf equipment are going to comply with swimsuit.
At one of many golf equipment we pay at, you possibly can solely pay for competitions by way of card – it goes right into a separate committee account. At one other there isn’t any want for card or money in any respect. All member transactions will be charged on account with the invoice coming a number of weeks later.
In some methods, golf golf equipment have gotten one of many final bastions of utilizing cash and notes. A roll-up should still pay out in kilos and pence and also you would possibly nonetheless stick a few quid within the machine for a fast espresso.
However within the wider world, tapping a card or a cellphone is sort of ubiquitous and it’s possible that pattern received’t escape the sanctity of our clubhouses. It could already be firmly established at yours…
Have your say
What do you assume? Do you agree with our 2026 predictions or are all of them pie-in-the-sky? What have we missed? Tell us within the feedback or get in contact on X.
