A privilege through memberships

A privilege through memberships

JAKARTA (JP): In the United States there are several private
golf clubs that only allow up to 200 members and whose membership
and annual fee run into the millions of dollars and hundreds of
thousands of dollars, respectively.

The clubs are indeed very exclusive as they do not allow
nonmembers to use their course.

In Indonesia, the story is slightly different.

There is, for example, an old Japanese man who spends three to
four months in a year playing golf in Jakarta.

"Takenika, probably has realized that the air fare to Jakarta
plus accommodation during his stay here is still cheaper than
playing one or two rounds of golf in his own country," said golf
observer Avie K. Utomo.

"No wonder many Japanese think Indonesia and the other
Southeast Asian countries are like heaven when it comes to
playing golf," he added.

Takenika is a member of the Jakarta Golf Club in Rawamangun,
East Jakarta. It is probably the oldest golf club in town, going
back to the Dutch era.

To become a member here is not easy, although its membership
fee of Rp 33 million (US$2,870) and monthly fee of Rp 110,000 is
cheap compared to other clubs.

You are put on a waiting list before being interviewed by the
club committee members. Once you pass the interview, you can
enjoy the luxury of holding its membership for the rest of your
life. Yes, it is a lifelong membership here.

Such process of selecting only the best golfers makes this a
quasiprivate club.

"I don't think there is a real private golf club here (in
Indonesia) as the membership fee will be very high. At best, the
clubs are semi-private," said Avie.

"The clubs also allow nonmembers to use the course, especially
during weekdays. Members, however, are given priority."

Clubs use different approaches in selecting members.

Some clubs allow members to transfer their membership after a
certain period of time, but a transfer fee is imposed.

Some clubs only offer an annual membership, thus requiring
members to renew their membership every year. This type of
membership is ideal for those who are on the move or expatriates
with short-term contracts of employment here.

The Imperial Klub Golf in Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang, is an
example of a club with this type of membership. Imperial's sales
secretary Sylvia D. Christina said their annual membership fee
was Rp 10,294,500.

"Actually it's not a membership. We call it an annual playing
rights which is much cheaper, especially for golf maniacs who
play every single day," she said.

"Of course, it is not transferable as the playing rights have
to be renewed every year. With this type of membership, members
don't have to pay green fees. Instead they will receive vouchers
and discounts for certain items in our pro-shop."

"Currently, we have some 170 members comprising both locals
and expatriates. Most of the expats are Koreans and Taiwanese."

Long-term membership

Not satisfied with a single-year membership? Why not go for
the transferable, long-term membership. This system is suitable
for those who intend to play golf regularly and for the long
term.

There are two types of such membership -- individual and
corporate. In corporate membership, a company usually appoints a
nominee to use the membership on behalf of the company. The
nominee can be a high-ranking employee or a relation.

The membership coordinator of Klub Golf Cengkareng, Soewarna
Dhini Ariestyani, said her club offered both kinds of membership,
which, however, are only valid until 2018 when state-owned
airport operator PT Angkasa Pura could reclaim its right over the
land.

"Our individual membership cost Rp 73 million and corporate
membership, Rp 75 million. Our monthly fee is
Rp 350,000," she said.

"After two years, members can transfer their membership,
however, a fee is imposed. For individual members the transfer
fee is Rp 15 million and for corporate members the fee is Rp 10
million, as long as the new nominee is from the same company."

The club currently has nearly 900 members and is planning to
increase it to 1,100 or 1,200.
"I can't give you the exact number because it is increasing every
weekend as we are still accepting new members. Most of them are
individual members, although we also have corporate members,"
said Dhini.

"Most of our members are locals, but we also have expatriate
members, especially those who are working for multinational
companies here."

The advantage of being a golf club member includes full access
to all the club's facilities and free green fee. The facilities
include the use of the locker rooms, swimming pool, clubhouse,
driving range and sometimes even tennis courts and sauna.

Members are given priority during weekends.

Soewarna's sales and marketing manager Ayu Syahputri said the
club was not only designed to cater for golfers, but also for
other functions.

"Our motto is "Creating a new tradition", so we try to give
our members and guests more than just a golf atmosphere. We have
a bar which remains open until 9 p.m.," she said.

"We also cater for functions such as birthday or wedding
parties. This year we will be holding a wedding reception here
every month." (nvn/yan)