So I got my annual letter from the United States Golf Association in the mail the other day, begging me to renew my membership. Funny thing is, I’ve never had a USGA membership – in fact, I’m quite positive I’ve never paid them a dime. Nevertheless, I received the renewal letter, along with my complimentary 15-page (I counted them) notepad and my sweet USGA bumper sticker.
You know, I see those bumper stickers on many cars around town, but I wonder how many of those people have actually paid for a membership? I’m not innocent either – while I have a thing against putting bumper stickers on cars, I use the notepad every year. I’m not sure how they got my name, but it’s probably from a magazine subscription list (seeing as I subscribe to a few golf-related publications).
This year though, I’m actually thinking about forking over the $10 to become a member. So I decided to read the “annual member benefits” listed on my “renewal” form to see what my membership would include:
1) Advance priority to apply for U.S. Open 7-day ticket packages. Let’s see, I live in New England and the tournament is in California. That sounded like a good deal until I realized it would cost me well-over a grand to just get there and have a place to stay. Oh, and I don’t get a discount on tickets, I just get the chance to buy them before other people do.
2) 2010-2011 edition of The Rules of Golf. Not bad, except I already downloaded the app for $3.99 so I no longer had to carry the hardcopy around in my golf bag.
3) Official copy of the U.S. Open Program publication. This would be a nice keepsake…if I actually was going to be attending the U.S. Open (see #1 above).
4) Special USGA Member only discount on the 2010 TROON Golf Card. Not bad if you live in Arizona, California and Florida (the states with more than three Troon courses featured). The closest course for me would be Lake of Isles and even with the discount, I’d have to pay over $100 per round!
5) Special Member discounts on USGA catalog merchandise and USGA Photo Store. Which really amounts to U.S. Open and USGA gear. But I really can’t see myself forgoing a $9.99 Champion polo at Target for a $39.99 Cutter & Buck polo on there.
7) Personalized bag tag Just in case I forget which bag in the foursome is mine.
8) The USGA Insider monthly e-newsletter. Why don’t they just say “more inbox clutter” instead?
and finally…
9) 2010 U.S. Open Hat. See photo of 2009’s version. Enough said.
OK, so now that I came up will all these reasons not to spend $10 to become a USGA member, I’m going to reverse course on you. You see, I’m really missing the point in all this. The membership is not about the member benefits at all, it’s about the benefits to golf itself. If you notice, I skipped number 6. Number 6 was the opportunity to participate in USGA Member Education Series events.
This is what the USGA does best – beside managing the rules, maintaining the handicap system and funding research for environmentally-friendly turf – the USGA “assists organizations that introduce the game to people who would otherwise not have the opportunity to play.” Over the last 12 years, the USGA has dedicated more than $63 million to golf-related charities – mostly through its “For the Good of the Game” grants initiative. And getting more people to play golf will only help golf in the long run. So this year, rather than placing my “renewal” letter in the circular file, I think I’ll pay my $10 membership fee and start earning those 15-page notepads.
Very well written. You’ve inspired me to become a member as well.
True, the membership’s a bargain. I join in every odd year. They seem to solicit me though, with the same package, about four times a year. They must be running a deficit with me just in stickers and pads.
I hesitate to put the sticker on my truck. I don’t want to advertise the fact that there may be golf clubs in my vehicle.
When I first started reading your comments, my first thought was “This guy is missing the point of the USGA membership” but fortunately I kept on reading and saw where you were heading with this. Good article. Although I am a teaching professional I have been a member of the USGA for at least 20 years just because I want to support the work that they do. “Average Golfer” please join EVERY year!
There is no question the USGA membership is worth every cent. The good people of the USGA are no pharisees. They promote true, pure golf. My only wish is that we all revert to persimmons woods and irons (no hybrids) for professional play. The groove rules are not enough. Imagine pro baseball with the aluminum bat, and supersized outfields with five outfielders not a better game at all.
It does make you wonder how much of the $10 you send in actually gets used towards the programs though — the hat alone would be $3-$4 to get done up I’d imagine.
As a Canadian golfer, I don’t have the opportunity to support the USGA, but I suppose I need to look into the RCGA and what I can do to support them.
I just signed up and then came upon your article..I have wasted $10 on many things and figured this was just another one of those things.. I now feel better about myself for contributing to the greater good…Plus I want the awesome sticker to put on my car.
Thanks for the justification!!
Hey Anonymous, you should check out my follow-up post (http://golfurl.net/iz5b) – I think you’ll be disappointed about the bumper stickers! Anyway, glad you joined!
It was a huge loss when the USGA shuttered “Golf Journal” magazine, both for the magazine itself and that it lent subscription-heft to the USGA membership’s perceived value. I’m a member…and I like the annual hat…but unfortunately our local course where I play doesn’t participate in the USGA GHIN-handicap system.
After reading your 10 reasons not to pay $10 for a USGA membership, I was ready to comment on the skepticism of it all.
If you play golf more than once per month, a USGA membership is very inexpensive and it will give you a chance to connect more deeply with the game that you enjoy. Isn’t that what life is all about? Isn’t it about making deeper connections with the people and the activities that you love the most? For the price of two lattes, you can initiate a deeper connection with golf and possibly tap into a more profound love for the game too.
Nice post.
Greg
I wholeheartedly agree, support golf! Except it’s $50 to renew not $10. Tonight I tried several times to renew my husband’s membership. After entering his membership number, and resetting his password I was only allowed three choices to renew: $50 and $100 levels. It is not $10. How did I find this website? I started searching the Internet “Why is it so expensive to renew USGA membership?”
$10 is for basic membership. Higher priced memberships are available but not a good value for most people. Make sure you are on usga.org and if needed contact them or just start a new membership at the basic $10 level.
I have been a member since 1997. This year I have received 4 different letters wanting $50.00 for a renewal. I have several buddies that are getting them for $15.00. They have showed me their letters so I know it is for real. This is poor business on your part to charge a person who has sponsored you for 19 years more. Gentlemen as far as I am
concerned you can forget me supporting you if this is you practice. Thank you
I just received my “renew today” membership letter and had that “is this indication of alzhemers onset” jump into my mind because I have never paid $100 or $50 for my membership which were the only options listed. All along I thought that the USGA was a standard of integrity and proper conduct and was happy to be a part (albiet very small) of the organization, but no longer!
We just witnessed first hand what they do…nothing but ruin the U.S. Open with pathetic course design to destroying the last half of the fourth round by leaving the players hanging about DJ’s penalty until after the round. These buffoons will never get another dime from me. They are an embarrassment to golf. Membership cancelled…
I’m so glad that you cancelled your membership. That means that I probably won’t see you wasting time on a golf course again. My advice…take two weeks off and then give up the game altogether. I’ve been a member since 2000 and have been active with the game since my father passed it on to me back in 1972. The USGA is and always has been for the good of the game. Some people will never understand that.
I just got my renewal package today. Why is it for year ending in 2017,It should be ending in 2018 as I already renewed for 2017?
The hat is for 2017 but the membership should be for 2018.
I too am a USGA member joined thru my club I joined, and it’s true that some of the benefits are rarely taken, but the main reason I continue as a member is for maintaining my handicap index.
The great leveler in golf for the average golfer is the handicap index. I’m a twenty-something handicap index and have beat twelve handicappers in tournament and match play. The index is based on the slope rating of the course being played and it’s a differential system based on zeroing the lowest handicap and basing the stroke count from there. So say I’m playing a golfer with an adjusted handicap of 14 and mine ends up being 24 he has to give a stroke a hole for the top 10 hardest holes. Here’s the magic of the handicap system if I shoot my handicap I win.
I just received an email from USGA informing me that my subscription was renewed and that my thank you gifts were on the way. I went to the web site to check my profile and sure enough, automatic renewal was listed as “no”. Now how can that be?