The Diminishing Club Initiation Fee, Ireland Edition

Thanks to Peter Finch for Tweeting Brian Keogh's in-depth look at the ever-diminishing initiation fee for golf clubs in Ireland, along with a list of current entrance fees.

The demise of the golf membership entrance fee in this country is now a reality as we head into 2013, yet there is still a hardcore of well-established clubs that continue to resist being drawn into what Castle Golf Club’s John McCormack describes as "the race to the bottom".

"The race to the bottom is a spiral downwards that’s scary," says McCormack, who manages a hugely popular Dublin club that still charges an entrance fee to new members. "In that kind of race it’s the people with the deepest pockets who are the ones that will survive."

Far from elitism, Castle’s philosophy is based on sound business sense. Entrance fees are used to maintain the club to a high standard so that members do not slip away quietly when tough economic times come along and harsh choices are made at home.