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)