I just recently went to a club locally which was recommended as a nice uncompetetive club where I could go with my wife. I'm an improving beginner and my wife is a complete beginner. We have been going for a few weeks and seemed to get on with others well and everything seemed OK. This evening a committee member basically told us we were not good enough and should come back when we could play badminton properly. It was also mentioned that better players might strat to leave if we stayed - although all I saw was better players were having to work harder to cope with our mistakes and didn't seem to mind at all. This all took place half way through the club night and not at the end so we had to leave after having paid for the night. How are improving players meant to learn if people have this attitude. My wife will now probably never play again. I find this an appalling way to treat new people, especially since I already have played another club for a month and a half which has a lot of league and county players in it, who seem perfectly happy to have me there and offer me coaching an advice. I have improved an awful lot in the last few months through playing much better players. All we were told at the other club was to hire a coach or go on a course - unfortunately I don't know of either where we live.

Is this normal behaviour in badminton or have we just had a partiularly bad experience?

Apologies for ranting but I feel quite annoyed by this considering that a club of league players was quite willing to accept me without a problem and this was a non competetive club.

Did one person tell you this? Try to find other clubs to play. There are a couple of beginners at my club but I don't care since I was once a newbie and they had to co-op with me so yeh.

Don't let them get to you and isn't there like someone near your level in the club that you can play so it won't p.o other people? If not, search around for other clubs.

Funny enough, the other club I play at plays far more competetively and has much better players but they just make up for my weaknesses anyway. I have won a few games in mixed doubles at the club we joined and in fact scored a number of points in each of those games, so I can't be that bad.

Th lady in question said she had spoken to other committee members and they had agreed it. It seems funny because they are desperate for female players.

Hi there,

I am sorry to hear about your plight, it is rather disconcerting to be told in the middle of the game that you are not good enough. I would say these people are stereotypes and are inpatient fools.

Obviously they have no idea it takes a while for new players to get into the act. Did the club have any players that were on your level or a level above you? You need to play with players that are above your level in order to improve your game.

Coaching will be the next thing you should consider if you are thinking of returning to this club but I wouldn't if I were you. Try other clubs that are more accomodating.

Mike

Growing pain, it exists in every sport.

Although I discourage beginners play matches all the time. I think beginner should spend more time on the fundamentals.

Here is what you can do. Find some friends, including the better players who treat you fairly in the club, talk to them your situation and ask them to help your game. Be a part of the larger force. If you make friend with the advanced players and go with them to the club as a group, people see you and your wife as a part of the group, they won¡¯t say anything to you. You got back ups.

Don¡¯t feel bad, we all need helps as a beginner. Someday you may be the one who takes care of beginners.

Again, I think the best way to improve is to practice. It also makes it easier for the better player to help you in practice than in matches.

Good luck.

Actually we weren't playing matches just normal mix and match games with everyone getting a choice at some point during the night - we always got picked a number of times. Th idea of the club was for social and friendly play and that's what we were told when we joined.

Well those people are really too stuck up. I guess i'm not a beginner anymore, but I dont tell people they're not good enough. If after a couple games/weeks, they themselves feel they're not good enough (not the case with you) then its natural that they leave and find another club. Just stick at it i guess, maybe with another club if this person is really getting to you......heh....in the end, your playing becuase you like the sport, not the particular club. I guess you can show more enthusiasm ni learning from those better players, and asking them for advice....then they'll see you really want to improve, and your actively going about it. That should turn some heads. Sorry if I sound patronising.....i truely dont mean it....just not very good on message boards;)

good luck

Jon, You should just tell them to take a hike.

Well Jon, sorry to say this but this kind of thing is well reported in the UK.

Just about everyone that I know will have been through the same or have had a simmilar experience although I have never heard of people being asked to leave half way through the night.:mad:

The only thing to do is stick with the club that you will learn from and enjoy yourself, there is nothing I hate more as a coach than people being turned away from a sport that I try to promote at any given chance.

sometimes it is nothing more than the backroom politics that is still rife in the game, people need to remember that experienced people played with them when they were learning so they have to return the favour. It seems only fair does it not.

i think that it's unfortunate that you had to deal with such a situation in the first place... it really burns me when people that are supposedly "advanced" think they're too good to play with "newbs".... these advanced people forget that at some point in their life, they were also newbs..

likely those better players who appeared to not mind your level are the ones who voice the complaint and the lady was the chosen one to tell you. this is a hard one to say. in doubles where there is one weaker player, and the other three are stronger and even, from the other players standpoint, it is not fun at all. they may tolerate a game or two, but some weaker players take this as an invitation to stay in the group... of course there are some stronger players who will take a beginner or weaker player under their wing, but not too often. in other words, you need to find a club that is more patient and accepts wider range of players.

btw: we had a similar thing happen to us years ago, when my wife and I were just getting back to playing after taking many years off to raise our kids. We joined a local 'feather' club known for having high level of play, competitive and all that. our skill level was comparable to the players there, but we never wound up fitting in. a few of the other players would play us occasionally, but the core group never did. we were relegated to playing the older folks, and the young kids. we even had some times where we saw players remove our name from a square and rewrite their group in place. we did not stay the remainder of the season, instead we went playing at different places.

A few years later we returned a few times to the club when we are asked by friends. everyone wants to play with us, it seems that we have sort of become the standard gauge for the players there. but we have long memories as well, so we only play with those who were friendly to us in the beginning.

the punchline to this story is that this 'feather' club is just about defunct. all the members are down to roughly less than a dozen, costs for the gym is skyrocketed, and literally nights have less than a couple courts players if they are lucky...

So JON - stick with it.... what goes around - comes around. you will get your day.

Originally posted by Dill

Just about everyone that I know will have been through the same or have had a simmilar experience although I have never heard of people being asked to leave half way through the night.:mad:


:mad:
Poor show by THAT club. Hypocrites


Hmm, it happened to me once when I was starting out. (but not the leaving halfway).

4 months later, I went back and they asked me to join (very satisfying feeling).

Jon, if you and your wife still have the enthusiasm to play(!), I suggest asking around for somebody who can help you with the rudimentaries of the game. I don't think it needs to be a qualified coach if your aim is just for social games and friendly play.

I just ask both of you not to feel to discouraged. One tip not to overstay one's welcome in a club is sometimes tactfully not to try to always play with the stronger members of the club. More challenging games occur when all the players are matched to a similar standard. I'd love to go and knock around with some players in my area (because they are really good) but I know I can't reach their standard so don;t want to create a bad impression.

BUT I wouldn't go back to the club who gave that bad welcome - unless your wife improves so much and then you both go back...just to make a statement;)

hehehe, a few guys on this forum have done exactly the same thing.

Originally posted by Nanashi
i think that it's unfortunate that you had to deal with such a situation in the first place... it really burns me when people that are supposedly "advanced" think they're too good to play with "newbs".... these advanced people forget that at some point in their life, they were also newbs..
Agree! everyone was once a beginner, no matter how long ago it was!

Sorry to hear that Jon, no one deserves that. Like someone else said, try to find another club to play at, or as an alternative, goto adult drop-ins at a rec center. Dont giv up on the game, and with that in mind, there's always room for improvement (hey! whatever cant kill you can only make u stronger rite!?), maybe in a few months u n ur wife can go bak to that club and kick some of their sorry lil @$$es ;)

Jon,

I can understand ur feeling. It really hurts, especially u already showed ur effort to improve, and love the nature of the game.

Sad but true, this kinda of problem happens everywhere, not only in badminton, but also in many so call "major sports", such as soccer, basketball, tennis, etc. Good players normally refuse to play with beginners, since they think it's more like a wasting of time.

As a short and fat guy myself, I've experienced a lot similar stuff like ur case. To be even worse, a lot of so-call coaches never even let me swing a racket on "their" courts during practice/try outs. They simply think I fit more in a boxing or wrestling team much more than badminton. The truth was, I was actually much better than a lot of their core members. It made me very sad and frustrated when they just kicked me out in front of everyone, without even letting me step on court.

However, the bright side is, there are still a lot of nice ppl around, who does not mind to play with less skill (of course, try not to bother the top pros all the time) ppl, and even willing to show us 1 thing or 2.

I think everything is just hard to start with, once u start to perform more on a consistent base, ur "popularity" will be like boosted up like a rocket.

hey jon,

I had the same experience like you and your wife when I first started playing badminton. This world is evil. If you're rich, more people will welcome you. If you're poor, people will walk away from you. Same with badminton. In a club, if you're really good, many people want to play with you. If you're not, you're not welcome. But thats ok, because we can always improve! When I first started playing 7 years ago, I feel that people are unwilling to play games with me, if I walk into the court, they'll be so unhappy... I figure the best way is to play some people that are slighty better than you, play them and ask them for tips... you will find yourself climbing up pretty quickly. Then you can try to challenge those chickens who won't play with you and your wife.

Some interesting points I want to share, at my old club, there are 4 courts, the 2 at the side, because its next to the wall, its considered to be not as good, one of them even have a basketball net above half of the courts. Beginners will play on the crap court with basketball net. I'm like in the middle at that time, I'll play on the court next to the wall with no basketball net. And all the advance players will play in the middle 2 courts which are the best. We (middle class players) tries to go to the middle court sometimes... but we will feel unwelcomed cuz you can see it from the advance players' face....

Anyways, I hope you will never stop play badminton because it is one of the most amazing sport on earth! Search from some tips for improvement on this website.

Jon, sorry to hear you have been mistreated that way. It is unfortunate that perhaps for practical reasons you and your wife find that club a more convenient place to go.

Sometimes the inter-personal level supersedes the skill level. As someone has suggested, getting to know others in the club/group better is a good starting point, especially when you are new to the place and your skill level is still at a learning stage, particularly your wife's. If you can overcome the social discrimination, others seemingly of higher skills will try their best to accommodate you. But here again, as another poster has pointed out, you should not stretch your luck too far by choosing to play with such "better" players most of the time. It is preferable that you play with someone around your standard, and as your game improves, you will more readily be accepted into other groups.

You see, the truth remains that the better players also want to have a good sweat and a good game and they can probably derive this from playing against players of their standard or slightly higher. As you have experienced, it came as a rude shock to you to have been told to stop playing because "someone" probably has made a complaint behind your back, and this came about when you thought you have been well adjusted to club environment, including the players.

Badminton is a rather enjoyable social game and can be rather competitive as well. I'm sure you hear of betting among the competing players/teams, maybe just for drinks or a good supper. It is therefore an activity in which both you and your wife can enjoy the year round as it is played indoors. As many have pointed out, it is preferable that beginners improve their skills by engaging a coach and going through a proper course. If this is not available, then one needs to practise the strokes (training) after getting proper 'tips' from fellow players of some standing. This applies especially to your wife since she needs more help to raise her level to yours. It would be good if you can join another club and start afresh with a different approach as suggested. Thereafter, you need not look back to the club that gave you the 'snub'.

Loh pointed out something very true here.

Different people have different purpose for playing badminton. For me I would always want to play. 7 times a week isn't too much for me, I always want to challenge better players and improve my games. Very serious about the games.

On the other hand, some people want to make some friends at a badminton club, get some sweat, and enjoy the game socially! Thats perfectly fine too!

Jon,

I'm very sorry that happened. I've played for a lot of years at many different places, but I've never seen anything like that. Maybe things are different in the UK. If they take your money, you should get to play. Seems to me that there are things you could do about it if you felt it was worth the trouble.

:mad:

...bring a ringer back with you and beat the crap out of those players :D :D :D Hey Matt, wanna help out a fellow Brit???

God, these are the people who give badminton a bad name and the sad thing is that it is quite common all over. I remembered playing in Toronto two summers ago at George Brown and there were a bunch of players who feel that they are the better players and refuses to play with any one else other than their elite group of 6 or 7 players and they ended up hogging the one of 4 courts between the 6 of them.

you better not be talking about me again...:D :eek: :D ..jk...hahha..i dun like those ppl either.... i wouldn't go as far as telling them that they r not good enuff to play....

Jon hi,
Which arrogant club was it? I used to play several clubs around the area over ten years ago. At that time the club at Stanway and I think Monkwick used to have such rules.

Best Regrds

Robbie

Jon, I play for two good standard league clubs in Essex, there are better, there are many worse. Most league clubs expect new players to have either some experience of league play or basic knowledge of the game / shot selection / fitness etc through playing socially on a regular basis before the committee will allow them to join - this I believe, is entirely fair so as to maintain the standard of the club as most players will be in a league team at various levels and will want competitive club nights playing against "equals" to maintain match sharpness throughout the season.
I appreciate your point and you and your wife have been treated poorly however, I think you will find this applies to most League clubs. My advice to you is to continue playing socially with your wife and enrol on a beginners course somewhere. If you cannot find one, I know qualified coaches who are not expensive who will be willing to help out. Also, look around the Adult Education Colleges in your area for Council run courses, this is how MY wife started. Alternatively, join a purely SOCIAL Club for a couple of years, there are good clubs in Essex with standards of people that could definately improve your game.....I know this from experience. I started playing Badminton socially aged 26 for the first time - with the same group of friends (including my wife) - I have always been fit having played a good standard of soccer for many years - I then joined a SOCIAL CLUB only and played regularly for many years and improved no end - I then had regular coaching in both mixed and mens doubles and was ready to join a league club - I joined two in two areas, Southend and District and Basildon and Thurrock - club nights were much tougher and with the continued coaching, I am now considered a strong / advanced player being a regular first choice for both clubs in mens & mixed doubles - I am now 37 and have won many trophies for winning League Titles as well as Tournaments I enter.
Stick with it - you can do it - I walked into an established league club where the people all knew each other and had no new members for ages - I had a couple of weeks on trial and was invited to join - the rest is history.....
and please encourage your wife to follow suit - there is a lack of good ladies in most clubs - if she learns the game, she will be in great demand.....
Best of luck....

Hi Pete

I appreciate all that you have said and if it had been a league club then I would have understood. But the fact is this was a social club and not a league club. I chose it precisely because it was a purely social club and checked this out before we went.

Jonathon

Jon,

Was it ever mentioned before this incident that there were minimum standards of skill in order to play there? Is this "official" policy? Why did they wait a few weeks before telling you to leave? Is there any way to appeal this to higher management? Are there possibly other factors involved (like some kind of discrimination apart from skill)?

From what you say, this thing stinks. If you wouldn't mind posting the name of the club and names of managers or directors and their email addresses if you know them, we could send them messages of protest.

If it is a privately-funded club, they are within their rights to exclude who they choose with no legal recourse by anyone, but that doesn't mean nothing can be done to put pressure on them to change that policy.

Originally posted by Californian
If you wouldn't mind posting the name of the club and names of managers or directors and their email addresses if you know them, we could send them messages of protest
YAH!!! FLOOD THEM WITH E-MAILS OF COMPLAINTS!! we got enuff ppl here to do that ;)

Originally posted by JChen99
YAH!!! FLOOD THEM WITH E-MAILS OF COMPLAINTS!! we got enuff ppl here to do that ;)

Perhaps a well written petition would be more in order. Not to mention a lot classier. :)

Phil

Hey Jon,

sorry to hear about what has happened to you. there are just ppl like that anywhere in the world. in most clubs that I went to visit, before even having the chance to play, I am usually branded as the "overactive kid that probably can't play" and it's kind of annoying. don't let them bother you that much and just go out and find another club in the area. I'm sure there are plenty of ppl on this site that can help you out. good luck with that and best wishes are yours and your wife's badminton experience.

Phil

Agree that a well-written petition is more organized and seems to be the preferred route under "normal" circumstances. However, it needs the signature of supporters and this is only valid if you are members of the Club. Most club constitutions have a clause setting out the 'requirements, rules and conditions' of a petition, which normally requires a minimum number of petitioners. It seems to me that in Jonathan's case, the club in question opens its premises to the public. But I agree that pressure can perhaps be applied to force the management to reconsider its policy if a petition can be presented with many signatures of the players who frequent that club.

Talking about petitions or flooding with emails is a bit OTT.

First I must agree that Jon and his wife were treated badly and that they probably had a lucky escape from this so called social club that obviously weren't very social.

The main fault as I see it is that the club didn't mention that there was a certain standard required until after a few weeks,which is a bit late in the day. Plus to be told halfway into the evening then having to leave was very rude and insulting.

But as has been mentioned by other posters to some degree, clubs have the right to maintain the standards that they presently have.
I have played and managed many clubs here in the UK and the general rule has always been that visitors can attend for 3 weeks, which is always made very clear beforehand, during this time the visitor can see if he fits in with the standard and feels comfortable with the club, this goes for the club too. Usually if the gulf is too great the visitor will realise that himself and decide to find another club nearer to his standard of play but sometimes they don't, this is when the club has to make a decision and if they feel that the visitor's standard is so much below the standard that they are trying to maintain then I feel that they have every right to refuse to accept them.
It happens to everyone at some time during their badminton career including myself when I was younger and yes I've had to refuse many players into clubs too. It's not about snobbery or anything like that, it's simply about keeping the standard of the club to the level that it's reached.

Very recently at one of my clubs we had a lady visitor that said that she used to play at county level, on the night she could hardly hit the shuttle, she didn't know where to position herself at any time, the other 3 of us on court at the time were playing soft shots to make it easier for her, at the end of the evening she agreed that she was way out of her depth and we politely directed her to another club where she would fit in better. So should we have accepted her.....I think not.

If anyone thinks that was bad what about this, this may ruffle a few feathers, I started a club a few years ago that was for men only, women weren't allowed and visitors were by invitation only, we were a strong mens doubles group of 12 players and wanted to play one evening of mens doubles only, we practiced hard and won most of the leagues that we played in. We all played in other clubs and none of the women there had a problem with the fact that we had a club of our own for men only.
Since then I've seen the odd club that are for women only, as they want to practice to play ladies doubles in leagues,why shouldnt they. They play in other clubs for mxd doubles. I don't see a problem with that......do you ?

Name Names. nuf said.

I think i'll have to agree with gerry. If people wants to set up a club with a certain standard level of play, they should be allowed to do that. Some people don't like playing with others of a lower skill level, and they shouldn't have to. From what Jon said however, the organizers lacked common decency and respect.

Originally posted by hypnoweb
Name Names. nuf said.

hypnoweb, don't quite get what you're trying to say ???

I'm saying he should tell us the woman's name and which club it is. Power to the People.

Originally posted by hypnoweb
I'm saying he should tell us the woman's name and which club it is. Power to the People.

And how would that help anyone ???

Originally posted by bigredlemon
Some people don't like playing with others of a lower skill level,

BRL...thanks for the agreement but regarding the above line for others, I don't have a problem playing with players of a lower skill level, if I visit a club where the players haven't been playing for very long, I'll join in and enjoy it whatever level that may be, but I also enjoy playing at clubs where a certain level is maintained.

My previous posting was about when the gulf is so wide that no-one is going to enjoy the game, it's like you and I playing against JR and partner, yes as a one-off it would be great for us but what would they get out of it.....probably boredom on their part and embarrassment on ours as we picked up the shuttle from the floor after each service.

Everyone wants to play with players close to their own standard, whatever that may be, some a bit better than you and some maybe a bit below, I wouldn't want to play in a game where I'm such a weak link that the the other 3 players have to resort to sports hall "ping pong " badminton to keep me involved, it's not doing them any good nor me.

I've worked with over 1000 players, I've coached some beginners classes and then established them in small clubs and gone along and played with them, so please no-one accuse me of not being willing to play with anyone but as I said there are nights when I want to work harder for my points. Which as the years pass....winning points is getting more difficult.....so I still enjoy that challenge.

I don't think I can disagree with Gerry. But I only hope that clubs should make their "rules" or position known to the visitor before he takes to the court.

I certainly wouldn't like to be treated that shabbily as Jon and his wife have experienced. As I have emphasized, it is more of an inter-personal relationship issue or the lack of it that can cause a great deal of misunderstanding and embarrassment to all concerned.

To balance it out, maybe there needs to be clubs for beginners. No good players allowed!

"I'm sorry sir, but you play too well. Our other members may become intimidated and discouraged and leave the club."

Originally posted by Californian
To balance it out, maybe there needs to be clubs for beginners. No good players allowed!

"I'm sorry sir, but you play too well. Our other members may become intimidated and discouraged and leave the club."
HAHAHAHA!!! :D
Good one Claifornian!

I think Californian has made his point. There should not be "discriminations" of any sort if the club is open to the members of the public and therefore derives its income from them. Here I assume that you just have to pay a daily entrance fee to gain entry to the club just to play badminton and there are no written restrictions. Not unless it is a 'closed' private club with specific objectives and restrictions.

I don't really know how the clubs operate in the UK. But over in Singapore, when we talk about clubs, they usually refer to the private ones, normally with more than one sports facility, where one has to pay a one-time joining fee and also monthly subscriptions for maintenance of the premises and facilities.. This entitles you to use most of the facilities of the club, although you have to pay for the use of some of them like billiards or bowling. In the case of my club, I can rent the badminton court and play with my friends, therefore no "outsiders" are involved unless they request to join you and you accept. However, on "club evenings" which are free in that you do not have to pay for the courts, except for children, all adult members are welcome to socialize and play. You can see a variety of standards and although there is no rule to prevent anyone from joining others to play, often members will seek out who they want to play with. Some rules are in place to ensure orderly conduct.

Public courts (not clubs) are also available for booking and it is entirely up to the "customer" to play with his chosen party. Others who have made court bookings are expected to form and play with their own groups. So there are no
disputes or complaints as were present in Jon's case.

Maybe the difference lies in the technicality of "booking" a court, for once you paid for it, you can use it anyway you want provided you adhere to the terms and
conditions of the rental. It may be different in the case of the UK or in Jon's case in particular. Perhaps someone can enlighten.

firstly, Jon, sorry to hear what happened to you, and hope you have success finding another club to play in. life is too busy to be mad about these people.

Loh,

i believe the "club" that many of us see are in between what you have describe.

the "clubs" that i have been to are usually organized by a handful of people, they will rent a gym with many courts for a few hours everyweek, members of the club will pay a fixed fee and play in the club. usually there are more people than court space and members need to wait for their turns to play. in such an environment, there is the option (and very often so) to play with many other members of the club.

this is perhaps where the contention comes in, if the club consists of largely varying skill levels, inevitably sometimes a highly skilled player may be playing with a beginner.

in the reservation based system, in which individual courts are for rent, you normally only get to play with the handful group of friends.


having read all the comments so far, i think i agree that a club has the option to restrict membership. each club formed should have their fundamental goals, be it to be all encompassing, or just for the elite. unfortunately, it is a fact in life that not all organization can accomodate everybody. however, that goal of the club should and must be well communicated to their potential members. with that understanding in mind, and a civilized way to handle the case in which a member does not fit the requirement, the embarrasing situation that Jon experienced should not have happened.

'Clubs' in Britain usually hire courts belonging to another organisation e.g. school, local distric authority. They may hire a few courts on a regular time each week. They set up a name, have a committee meeting, delagate roles like sceretary, finance, match secretary to individuals within the committee. They have AGM's etc.

Since everybody gets together under a common interest and probably did not know each other socially beforehand, misunderstandings and personality clashes can occur.

'Private clubs' like the S'porean model are much rarer.

Hi Kwun and Cheung

Thanks for your input.

Cheung's description is familiar as we do have such "clubs" here, which mainly take the name of "(So and so) ...Badminton Party". They are reqistered clubs with an official constitution and are supported by members who pay a fixed monthly fee. Such registered parties do not normally have their own badminton courts and have to hire these usually on a fixed period basis, such as monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annually from the schools or other public institutions like the SBA and the community centres. As Cheung has elaborated, they have a committee to run the show and they participate in friendlies with other "clubs' or compete at national levels like the Singapore Open or the Wong Peng Soon Challenge Trophy team events.

Kwun, do the clubs as described in your post conform to the above?

In the case of my club, in order to enter our team for competiton, mainly friendly matches with other private clubs which have badminton teams, like the Chinese Swimming Club or the Singapore Swimming Club and the registered badminton parties or unofficial teams of companies and other organizations, we have our Club Team selected from members who can play the game up to a reasonable standard.

I think your "reservation based system" is like our normal court booking system and here we seldom encounter problems as the group members should know one another quite well.

Originally posted by kwun
firstly,

having read all the comments so far, i think i agree that a club has the option to restrict membership. each club formed should have their fundamental goals, be it to be all encompassing, or just for the elite. unfortunately, it is a fact in life that not all organization can accomodate everybody. however, that goal of the club should and must be well communicated to their potential members. with that understanding in mind, and a civilized way to handle the case in which a member does not fit the requirement, the embarrasing situation that Jon experienced should not have happened.

I think Kwun's posting explains it well.




'Clubs' in Britain usually hire courts belonging to another organisation e.g. school, local distric authority. They may hire a few courts on a regular time each week. They set up a name, have a committee meeting, delagate roles like sceretary, finance, match secretary to individuals within the committee. They have AGM's etc.

Very true Cheung but includes specialist badminton halls too, from memory I think you played in one.

Since everybody gets together under a common interest and probably did not know each other socially beforehand, misunderstandings and personality clashes can occur.

Most clubs have been established over many years, new clubs usually start from a few friends getting together and forming an official club or a club may split into 2 usually after personality clashes.



But I only hope that clubs should make their "rules" or position known to the visitor before he takes to the court.

Yes Loh, the aforementioned is an absolute necessity. To be fair, most clubs that advertise for players on boards etc, usually mention the standard required, be it social, club or league standard.

Gerry,

Very true Cheung but includes specialist badminton halls too, from memory I think you played in one.

You have a good memory. I'm not even sure I have mentioned where I played before in UK:)
That's why I wrote "..usually hire courts...."

But I only hope that clubs should make their "rules" or position known to the visitor before he takes to the court.

Poor Jon. He ended going to a hypocrite of a club.