The BBC Radio Two disc jockey has appealed on Twitter for 20 low handicap golfers to join him at the Golf Live exhibition at London Golf Club, with players playing the 10th, 17th and 18th holes on the Jack Nicklaus-designed Heritage Course six times each. This would be the equivalent of playing a 6,252-yard par-66 course.

They would have to beat the existing record of just seven minutes and 56 seconds to enter the Guinness World Records.

The attempt will be tried on both the Saturday and the Sunday, with Colin Montgomerie, Gary Player, Melissa Reid, Oli Fisher, Thomas Levet and Pablo Larrazabal joining the golfers Evans has recruited via the micro-blogging website.

“The 25-strong team will be positioned strategically around the three holes with the nearest players striking the ball as soon as it comes to rest and each hole teeing off as soon as a putt is sunk on the previous green,” explained a spokesman.

The existing record was set in 2008 under similar conditions, but with 40 golfers, on the Monument Course at Boyne Mountain, Michigan, USA.

Montgomerie said: “I’ve done a lot of things in golf but this would be a new one on me. Setting a world record would be a fantastic achievement and I think we can definitely shave at least a few seconds off the current time.”

The question was asked after four of the company’s venues were contacted and three stated to the female caller that if she joined that club she could then pay a fee of £10 and submit three scorecards if she wanted to receive an official handicap. The fourth venue stated that the fee would be £15. Other golf club managers have made calls to the operator’s venues in the past few weeks and have been given similar responses.

Every golf club affiliated to England Golf typically pays more than £15 to the authority, which runs amateur golf in the country, for each member that has a handicap. The current fee for male members is £6.25 plus a county levy, which varies, but is often between £6 and £9. Female members pay £8.90 to England Golf, plus the county fee, plus a levy to the Ladies’ Golf Union of £2.50.

The difference therefore could be more than £5 per male member and £10 per female member per year, with the average English golf club having 514 members.

When this information came to light, Vivien Saunders, chair of the Association of Golf Course Owners, wrote to John Petrie, chief executive of England Golf, stating: “May I urge you as a matter of urgency to deal with affiliation fees.

“If you have struck a deal with the large players, that is great news. But can we all get the same treatment?”

However, England Golf has denied that any arrangement has taken place.

“The annual national affiliation fees of £6.25 and £8.90 are the same for every England Golf affiliated club,” said a spokeswoman.

“England Golf have not come to any separate arrangement for national affiliation fees.

“There is no price difference, all England Golf clubs pay the same national affiliation fee for each of their members.”

A spokesman for the multi-venue operator added: “The affiliation fees that our members pay are the same that everyone else pays. It seems that some of the people that answer our club’s phones have been unaware, or misinformed, about affiliation fees, and we will address this. However, I can assure you that no deal has been struck.”

A little over a year ago I decided the time was right for me to apply to join a local golf club – the first time I had ever done so in my adult life. I have been a member of Falkirk Golf Club in central Scotland for nearly 40 years, and of course have also been afforded golf at the clubs at which I have been secretary, but suddenly realised that the process as endured by the golfer was something of a mystery to me. My experiences follow, with names omitted to protect the guilty, rude and incompetent.

I enquired by email to eight different clubs at random via the map on the excellent EGU Golf Central tool, stating that I was looking for a club to join, had no local knowledge and as such would like to have a tour of their club including a round of golf in the company of a prominent member or office bearer. I limited my background details to the facts that I am a past captain of the Falkirk Golf Club and that I have been a ‘Category 1’ golfer for many years.

Maidenhead Golf Club responded first, and it was clear that it had a friendly and capable assistant secretary who attached all the relevant information I was likely to want, and suggested some dates for me to play a courtesy round in the company of the membership chairman. Within an hour this had been arranged for the following week and I was struck by the ease with which this had been done and also the willingness to make it happen.

The rest of the clubs responded over the next two days, with Henley Golf Club being particularly impressive in the way it handled my enquiry. A game was swiftly arranged for a few days hence, and the coffee and banter in the clubhouse that morning was very enjoyable before heading up the first fairway with the membership chairman for a very cordial and relaxed round of golf. This was a club of which I would have been very comfortable becoming a member, especially so after the secretary joined us for a glass of beer at lunchtime, presented me with a centenary history of the club and assured me of his best attention should I wish to proceed with an application for membership. Simple efficiency, a great experience and the perfect response from a club clearly at ease with itself!

It is worth mentioning the experience I had at both of the ‘group’ clubs I visited – both readily invited me for a game and dealt with my enquiry in an efficient and enthusiastic manner. At the end of the day, one of the courses just wasn’t what I was looking for in terms of quality and challenge while the other had an inflexible and expensive debenture scheme (including country club) which elevated itself out of the question for what was an unremarkable golf course, so both were discounted.  Not for me but I could see the attraction of this type of golf membership.

At another club, the secretary invited me to have a ‘look around’, handed me some photocopied paperwork and spent a cursory 15 minutes with me before excusing himself. Any application from me would need to be put on display in the clubhouse in case any member objected, and a game of golf was out of the question without payment of a green fee. When I emailed him to advise that I would not be applying I received no reply. I got over that and moved on.

Another secretary also invited me for a ‘look around’ but then was late in arriving for our meeting, and seemed preoccupied throughout and generally indifferent as to whether I joined the club or not. A courtesy game was offered but it would be impossible to arrange a partner for this. Perhaps I wanted to tee off by myself before 7.30 one weekday morning? No thanks! There was a very nice dining room and a good car park though.

The director of golf of another club invited me along and suggested that I have my clubs in the car when I visited in case I fancied playing a few holes, a full round or hitting a few balls on the range. He would make me a member for the day and I could hang around as long as I wanted, which was a concept I quite liked. The annual subs and any joining fee payable were kept a secret until after the tour and I discovered that for no apparent reason the subs, including VAT, were around 50 per cent higher than average for the area. The final nail in the coffin was the need for him to tell me that the ‘star’ of a mildly amusing 1980s TV drama series was a member, which had me instinctively looking at my watch. I never found out whether the golf course was worthy of the inflated fee but I strongly suspect it was not.

The real comedy value came from one run-of-the-mill club and made me feel so sorry for the endlessly pleasant and helpful administrator who tried in vain to arrange a game of golf for me with the appropriate people. There was clearly no system in place and despite her best efforts we called time on the idea of me visiting the club a full two weeks after my enquiry. When I informed her that I had found a club to join, the general manager sent me a note to say how sorry he was that I hadn’t been able to see the course, but perhaps I would like to visit with a friend and redeem the 2-for-1 voucher which he was attaching. He didn’t actually attach the voucher but the idea was there and at least he was making an effort. By pure coincidence I later discovered that this club had some administrative issues and soon after that I saw the ‘general manager’ post advertised.

So – eight clubs had been quickly reduced to two and I was due to visit Maidenhead for a game. I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that the captain and secretary were making up what turned out to be a very convivial fourball on a golf course which is perfectly capable of selling itself and certainly did so on that glorious spring afternoon.

During the round I knew that it was Henley or Maidenhead for me – both clubs had been the model of efficiency and courtesy and I had a difficult choice to make. That choice would ultimately come down to the journey from home to Henley Golf Club taking me through a notorious bottleneck and although the club is marginally closer to home than Maidenhead Golf Club, I decided that the journey would frustrate me as the season went on and my mind was made up.

Back at Maidenhead … and as we enjoyed a cold beer on the terrace the secretary assured me that nothing would be a problem and that if I wanted to join, the club would be delighted to have me. He could do the needful there and then if I liked. Within a few minutes I had paid my bar levy and was officially a member. A few minutes later we had been joined by another two members whose welcome to the club was unmistakeably genuine. I had joined a golf club for the first time in my adult life and felt really good about it! Crucially I think they had enjoyed themselves too.

On reflection I was glad that all the clubs were not as good at it as Henley and Maidenhead as the choice would surely have been really difficult. I wasn’t looking for free golf, far from it, and it was only the mix of incompetence, indifference and unsuitability I was met with which ultimately helped to make the process easier for me.

I reckoned that I would receive the odd email from the clubs I had rejected, but to this day only one of them has ever been back in touch for any reason. On the basis that I instigated the process by emailing all the clubs in the beginning, I would have thought a ‘warm’ prospect like me would have been put on mailing lists for marketing / promotion purposes, and at the very least I may have received a courtesy email over the winter to ask if I had been satisfied with my choice of club. Wrong again, and my interest in all these clubs was allowed to disappear without a fight, which is probably the most disappointing and depressing thing of all.

Brian Inglis is a former golf club secretary and the head consultant of South Lodge Golf

Membership subscriptions are the lifeblood for most golf clubs, but the number of members at an average golf club has been dropping for several years.

The survey for The Golf Club Secretary has found that 46 per cent of British clubs expect to see another drop this year. The majority of these believe it will be a small reduction, but more than 10 per cent of all British clubs think they will lose about 10 per cent of their members, while nearly three per cent of all golf clubs are braced for a potentially catastrophic membership reduction of 15 per cent or more.

Just 15 per cent of clubs expect to see growth in membership levels this year, with the vast majority anticipating modest rises. Thirty nine per cent of clubs do not expect to see any change.

Despite the threat to golf clubs, less than 20 per cent of them either have introduced, or are considering introducing, a flexible membership scheme in which, for example, golfers pay a reduced annual subscription and pay reduced green fees each time they want to play a round. Instead, the vast majority of clubs have kept their traditional membership scheme, with many abolishing joining fees in order to recruit new members.

Several clubs reported concern that existing members would convert to their flexible schemes if they were introduced, thereby potentially reducing revenue, as a reason to shy away from them.

The research also found that the majority of golf clubs (58 per cent) request their subscriptions between October and March, with the vast majority of those in January, despite the course often being in its worst condition of the year at that time.  However, just 11 per cent of clubs accepted that January was the optimum renewal month and many have already changed, with 22 per cent of clubs now adopting April as their renewal month. Several of those that had changed reported that this move had directly resulted in fewer members leaving.

Finally, the survey asked if clubs monitor the members’ and visitors’ rounds at their club, which is often cited as invaluable research prior to a marketing campaign aimed at converting visitors into members.

However, two-thirds of clubs do not record when their members play the course, which can have an impact of retention levels, and nearly 20 per cent of all British golf clubs do not monitor which visitors play the course, or how often.

The news comes as surveys in Europe and the USA have shown that golf participation is increasing there, but, unlike the UAE, is still below pre-recession levels.

In the UAE, home to some of the fastest growing golf resorts in the world, including Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, The Montgomerie Dubai, Arabian Ranches, the Els Club Dubai, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Al Hamra Golf Club, Saadiyat, Yas Links and Jumeirah Golf Estates, the region collectively hosted over 50,000 rounds in a single month for the first time.

The UAE only opened its first grass golf course in 1988. The rapid growth has been attributed to a boom in tourism in the region, the country hosting big golf tournaments and the provision of nighttime golf at some resorts.

General Manager of Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Ken Kosak, said: “In 2011 we introduced floodlights to the championship course and this has meant that local golfers who were previously restricted as to when they could play golf due to work commitments can now play at times convenient to them. Night golf has proven to be particularly popular in the summer months when the weather is hotter and the evenings can be the best time to play nine or 18 holes.”

“The Race to Dubai has contributed very positively to raising the profile of golf in the region. Despite opening just over three years ago we have been able to welcome some of the game’s great players to Jumeirah Golf Estates, allowing us to showcase the Earth course to golf enthusiasts from all over the world,” added Geoff Hunter, general manager, Jumeirah Golf Estates.

In total 54,365 rounds were played in the United Arab Emirates during March with over 44 per cent of these being member rounds, 42 per cent local rounds and 14 per cent of rounds coming from overseas visitors.

The Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club had the most number of member rounds (over 3,300) and Abu Dhabi Golf Club welcomed the highest number of local players to the course (over 3,400). Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah had the highest number of overseas visitors and welcomed over 1,200 tourists to the course.

Christopher May, general manager of Dubai Golf, which runs Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, said: “Despite being relatively new as a golfing destination in worldwide golfing terms, the United Arab Emirates really has established itself very quickly as a top-class golfing destination. This record of over 50,000 rounds in a month is due to the commitment and contribution that has been made by every course in the region to providing premium facilities and delivering consistently exceptional levels of service to all golfers that choose to play on our courses. I am confident that we will build even further upon our recent successes and that the region will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Mustafa Al Hashimi, club manager at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, commented: “It is a fantastic achievement for the golf courses in the United Arab Emirates to have hosted over 50,000 rounds for the first time. The profile of the region as a true golfing destination is growing every year due to the premium opportunities for golfers that exist, together with the excellent climate for golf especially in the winter months.”

Simon Mees, general manager of Al Hamra Golf Club, added: “The club has benefitted from the increasing number of tourists to the region, many of whom also come and play our courses.”

The Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA), which has 60 members that collectively produce 70 per cent of cultivated turf in the UK, has found that its members in affected areas have reported drops in sales of between 25 and 40 per cent compared to this time last year.

Some companies believe the temporary use bans could detrimentally affect their sales by up to 60 per cent.

Despite the fact that the ban has been in place for just a month, the sharp decrease in sales has led to job losses, with at least four redundancies confirmed and another ten jobs under threat if the situation continues.

TGA chief executive, Tim Mudge, said: “It is a grave concern to us that the impact upon peoples’ livelihoods has been so dramatic so quickly after the hosepipe bans were imposed.

“We will be supplying the information we’ve gathered to the water companies so that they can understand the full impact the hosepipe bans are having on those whose businesses rely on the continued laying of turf. We call upon them to revisit their decision not to grant an exemption for newly laid turf.”

Horton Golf Club in West Sussex does not employ staff such as greenkeepers because its 80 members, which built the club, maintain every aspect of it.

Thieves entered the club grounds at the end of April and stole a tractor. A few nights later they came back via a different entrance and stole two sit-on mowers, two other mowers, two irrigation pumps, an air compressor, a spreader, two strimmers, a leaf blower, a scarfier and a tool chest.

“We’re probably the only golf club in the country that has been completely built by its members and is wholly maintained by them,” said Martin Tooth, club chairman.

“Because the members undertake all course maintenance and improvements themselves, and maintain the second-hand equipment which the club depends on, there is a wonderful community spirit.

“These devastating thefts have left the 80 members distraught.

“With very limited funds, the loss of so much equipment – and the real possibility that Horsham District Council may charge us rates this year – we face the fact that the club could be forced to close.

“Even with four people, the theft must have taken a good amount of time and someone may have seen a vehicle parked on Oreham Common or a group of men acting suspiciously.”

Mr Tooth added that if anyone saw anything, or if any club, greenkeeper or contractor has equipment that they no longer need and would accept a “modest sum” for, they should contact him on 01273 493993.

Andrew Hall, who bought Sand Martins Golf Club seven years ago, will be in action at Northants County Golf Club from May 16 to 18 where Scotland¹s Peter Smith will be defending his title.

A top 20 finish will see Hall qualify for the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship at De Vere Slaley Hall next month.

Hall hopes to make the cut but said, regardless, he is living the dream at his golf club.

“I bought this course in 2005 after first coming here in 1994,” he explained.

“I was head professional and the guy who designed and built it was good enough to sell it to me for £3.2 million.

“It’s like having a very big mortgage on a very big house but it’s also a dream come true for me to get this opportunity.

“We have 750 members and that figure holds pretty steady each year. Of course with the economic situation the way it is, I do have a few worries every May when the renewals are due in but most years it seems to work out.

“People are very supportive of what I’m doing but the reason why I don’t play a lot is because it takes all my time running the club.”

Some of the club members have literally bought into the idea of Hall owning the club, stumping up their own money to support the venture.

“The banks have been very helpful but I also raised £500,000 by offering members a small share in the course, so around 12 per cent of it belongs to them,” he added.

COSBY GOLF CLUB invites applications for the position of SECRETARY/MANAGER

Cosby Golf Club, established in 1895, situated in the heart of the Midlands, is one of the foremost clubs in the area, and offers a wide range of first class facilities, including an 18 hole golf course and driving range.

The current Secretary/Manager will retire in June 2012 and this provides an exciting career opportunity for an experienced Secretary/Manager.

The candidates will be able to demonstrate the following:

• An appreciation for golf and the traditions within an established private members’ club

• Business and financial acumen, able to set and manage budgets, prepare and understand financial reports

• Excellent communication skills

• The ability to lead, motivate and develop a team

• Proven knowledge of computer systems

• Knowledge of employment and health & safety legislation

• Marketing strengths to generate revenue via golf and non-golf events

• A willingness to work flexible hours

Salary is negotiable and will reflect in the ability of the successful applicant. No accommodation available.

Applications will be treated in the strictest confidence and should be sent in writing with a full cv to: The Chairman, Cosby Golf Club, Chapel Lane, Cosby, Leicester. LE9 1RG

On May 28, Chipping Sodbury Golf Club will argue against Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at a tax tribunal first tier that club membership is made up of a ‘package of services’, of which somewhere between 30 and 52 per cent is the provision of a facility for the ‘playing of sport’ and therefore exempt from VAT. The remainder includes other benefits of golf club membership, including discounts in the bar and pro shop, which would remain VAT-rated.

If the club wins then private members’ clubs could recover some of the VAT paid on membership subscriptions between 1973 and 1990, believed to be, on average, more than £100,000 each. Proprietary clubs could also recover some of the VAT paid on all their membership subscriptions since 1990 – potentially an even bigger windfall.

It would also mean that if, for example, the tribunal ruled that 40 per cent of golf club membership involved playing sport and was therefore zero-rated, then a club member’s annual subscription of £1,000 – of which currently £200 is VAT – would be reduced by £80.

The United Kingdom Golf Course Owners’ Association (UKGCOA) and the Association of Golf Club Owners (AGCO) have been separately raising funds – which needs to be more than £70,000 – from their members to pay for Michael Sherry, who is an eminent tax barrister. It is believed they have raised more than £55,000 between them.

According to Jerry Kilby, executive director of UKGCOA, Fred Cowgill, a VAT consultant who has been working with Chipping Sodbury, has instructed Michael Sherry to represent Mr Cowgill’s clients on the case, on issues of apportionment of subscriptions and distortion of competition, at the hearing. It is not clear how Mr Sherry will be paid the outstanding shortfall – although it is possible that he has agreed to have payment of a percentage of his fees deferred.

“We now believe we have the best chance of success,” said Mr Kilby. “We are grateful to those members who have made pledges towards these costs. To date, we have received pledges of £16,650, and if anyone who has not contributed so far wishes to do so, please send an email to jerry.kilby@ukgcoa.com. Mr Cowgill will then send an invoice to you.”

However, he also added that, despite the common goal of UKGCOA and AGCO, which now appears to have been achieved, attempts for them to work together have failed.

“We have been trying very hard to find a way to work in close cooperation with AGCO,” he said. “Regrettably, our efforts to date have not been successful and we are keen to avoid any perception that UKGCOA is trying to take any credit for the good work that they have done in fighting tax inequality to date.

“We would like to wish the AGCO every success in the future.”

Vivien Saunders, chair of AGCO, added that it has been her organisation, and not UKGCOA, that has led the way on this battle.

“We have managed to raise or get pledges of something in the region of £40,000,” she said. “The simple fact is AGCO, which is a lobbying group, has far more support over this issue than UKGCOA. We reach lots more clubs and people.

“We have support from counties and clubs and have had contributions from all over the United Kingdom. We do not charge any membership fee, do not pay anyone a salary or expenses and are all doing this as volunteers.

“Any donations we receive go directly to Michael Sherry and certainly not to a third party.

“However, I strongly object to the suggestion that AGCO and the UKGCOA are unable to work together on this. It is utter nonsense. I hope they will stand with AGCO and not against us.”

Any club interested in donating to AGCO should email viv@viv.co.uk.