Joining clubs?

[weeksy]

None. Doesn't interest me in the slightest. But I rarely go out.

I frequently use 5 forums

I follow 7 people on Instagram, one being my boy, I don't follow my wife. 2 of them post about once a year

I can see the merit in it for some people, but it's not for me

[Count Steer]

Just The Garrick.

Not in any clubs any more. Joined the MX5 club (well, wife did), years ago. Went on a France trip with a dozen other MX5s and to their annual bash one year.

Was in the local 'country club' for a while as they have a swimming pool and gym.

(Wife is) in a horticultural society and a history society.

I guess I'm not very clubbable.

PS I want to join the local 'Men's Shed' but they're full and it's dead men's shoes.

PPS Used to be a member of a few places in London like the Royal Academy, South Bank etc...all with handy places to put your feet up away from the hurly burly/meet up.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

No, they tend to end being run by people who want to run a club rather than do the thing the club was formed for, and those people seem to like a lot of rules.

[Supermofo]

No, none at all. Last thing I did that was like a club was the Air Cadets but nothing since. I used to be on several forums but now I just use this. I do have a poke about on the GSXS forum for specific info but can't be arsed to join.

[G.P]

I think the modern version of the specific interest club would be an FB interest group. I'm in various Ducati groups on FB, air cooled 2 valve, 900ss etc. They are great for information / advise / mech upgrades etc. was in the Elgrand group, am in the Merc SLK group.
I was in the Honda Hornet "club" about 20 yrs ago but that suffered from exactly what @Le_Fromage_Grande pointed out.
Visordown / TRC / here is a kind of club, virtual pub though?

[Bustaspoke]

I think clubs are best avoided,they often seem to have a lot of politics & ego clashes going on amongst the various cliques.
I've only been a member of two MTB clubs,they served a purpose,weekends away,trips to Morzine etc I met some good friends there,but there were still 'politics' going on that I CBA with so I stopped being a member & when they weren't away on a club weekend I rode with the friends I met there.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Most of those kind of things have been superseded/supplanted/usurped by t'internet though. You don't need to join an actual club to be part of the enthusiast scene any more.

The last club I was in was the Tudor Sailing Club where I had my dinghy as a teenager. Kinda hard to have a slipway on the Internet right?

My parents are club people...I'm not.

[Yambo]

I'm President of the Turunç Bay Yacht Club.

I was promoted from Commodore on the death of the previous President, my neighbour and friend, a few years ago. He, another expat and I were the founder members of the Yacht Club. Back then we were just 3 guys who just happened to go for a beer on a Friday evening, they were getting away from their wives for a couple of hours and I was just getting out the house for a beer (the wife had died a couple of years before). We were often referred to as Freeman, Hardy and Willis.

When another expat decided he wanted a couple of hours away from his missus, we jokingly became the Yacht Club. I wanted to call us the Turunç Racing Dinghy Club but nobody else shared my sense of humour. Currently there are 5 members. There are no yachts although I have a dinghy (I only use it as a rowing boat) and a kayak based trimaran.

We meet up on a Friday night at a local bar - currently Frankie's where we watch a bit of footy, chat with the locals and put the world to rights. If one of us doesn't turn up we confirm they've been seen alive recently and discuss whether we should send them a strongly worded letter. We are definitely not a clique despite what some people may tell you.

A long time ago I was in the Herford Motor Sports Club where we did night navigation exercises. That was coincidentally, a Friday night thing too.

[MyLittleStudPony]

I like to pronounce it kluuuuuuuuurrrbbbb like Mr Fifty Cents does.

If you're into getting rubbed, come give me a hug in the kluuuuuuuuurrrbbbb.

As for memberships, I'm in three badminton clubs. I was in the 300ZX owners club years ago. They had an active forum, loads of specialist knowledge and good real life events too.

[Yambo]

Oh, I forgot, I'm also a member of Free Spirits an on-line indoor rowing club but as any rowing I do these days is pretty much just for cardio I'm not much of an asset.

[Taipan]

Years ago I was persuaded, against my better judgement, to join a working mans club. 'kin hell. I doubt the whole membership could have made up a full set of teeth! Honestly, it made Weatherspoons look exclusive! Probably the one and only time in my life I felt like a snob! I certainly learnt cheap drinking places are best avoided.Apart from that, no I don't join clubs.

[Buckaroo]

As mentioned before, I ran a racing club for many years and also belonged to a model aircraft club.

These days I belong to a cycling club and a guitar club.

Oh and this place

[Horse]

we jokingly became the Yacht Club. I wanted to call us the Turunç Racing Dinghy Club but nobody else shared my sense of humour.

Two friends, Bill and Terry, were setting up a bike training group.

One suggested 'Terrybill Training A wife stomped on that

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

No, they tend to end being run by people who want to run a club rather than do the thing the club was formed for, and those people seem to like a lot of rules.

I think most of the times we've met F2F was when you were on a club stand somewhere.

I find some of them helpful, for example my Rudge wouldn't be on the road if it wasn't for help from a couple of members (in their 70's and 80's) who know how these things work. I'm very grateful for their help.

I've been known to turn up to the odd club event for various enthusiast stuff, but I stay away from most of it, the Ferrari club seems to be furniture warehouse owners who meet in car parks to discuss parts numbers (I think it was Clarkson who first made that reference, although he said carpet warehouse owners). I went to look at a 348 that was owned by a bloke that had a furniture warehouse

That's not an actual club, it's a Facebook group of people with FZ750s, no one cares, we just rock up and talk bollocks, Graham who runs it doesn't even have an FZ now

[Yorick]

Years ago I was persuaded, against my better judgement, to join a working mans club. 'kin hell. I doubt the whole membership could have made up a full set of teeth! Honestly, it made Weatherspoons look exclusive! Probably the one and only time in my life I felt like a snob! I certainly learnt cheap drinking places are best avoided.Apart from that, no I don't join clubs.

I was in a working club in Bradford. But was mainly based around snooker.
Usually held the Bradford finals there.

A couple of us joined the committee as we suspected a few things.
Within 2 months we found out loads of fiddles among the other committee members.
So we called an extraordinary general meeting one Sunday and all the committee members were bound to attend.

We handed out leaflets detailing all the stuff we'd found.
8 of the 10 walked out and were never seen again. Including secretary and president.

Suddenly the club had no valid leaders.
So they quickly asked me to become the club secretary as I was only person they fully trusted. And the made my fellow whistle blower club president.
He's still president today.

We were both about 30. But we were held in high esteem by other club members as we saved the club from imminent closure.

[mangocrazy]

I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.

[Skub]

Historically,clubs don't seem to be for me. I have been in a few over the years,but I'm not really a joiner.

Back in the day when I was into photography,I joined the local camera club. Some of it was good,I enjoyed the competitions and there were a few good members. There were also folk who loved the sound of their own voices and wanted to be the boss of everything. When the balance tipped toward the gobshites I made a quiet exit stage left.

I'm a bit of a social oddball,I get along well with most people,but in crowded,noisy situations,I find myself zoning out and longing for it all to be over. I can relate better to one or two folk at a time,or being content in my own company.

I'm a member of the Kawasaki Triples Club,which is packed with great people who have an impressive knowledge of the old bikes. Their website is a huge resource of everything you'll ever need,or be likely to encounter.Good club discounts too,which is useful They have a very active social scene on the mainland,but nothing really in N.Ireland,so if I wanted to be part of that,I'd need to travel and I'm less likely these days.

I wouldn't call it a club as such,but I'm on a local faceplant classic group which I'm enjoying. They do runs out and support charity events,etc. Having been a lone wolf as a rider for many years,I surprised myself by going along to a few last year and enjoying the craic.

Maybe I'm a nearly club member,if I have things the way I want.

[mangocrazy]

Back in the day when I was into photography,I joined the local camera club. Some of it was good,I enjoyed the competitions and there were a few good members. There were also folk who loved the sound of their own voices and wanted to be the boss of everything. When the balance tipped toward the gobshites I made a quiet exit stage left.

I had a similar experience. The one I joined was at least a Photographic Club; i.e. it was primarily about photography, not who had the fanciest and most expensive cameras. But there was always a controlling group, and it was always more about who had control rather than about photography per se. I lasted a couple of years then just never went back after it all got too depressing.

[Noggin]

I grew up around a sailing club (ok, it was called a yacht Club, but, wasn't as posh as that!! And we were there cos my BDad was a founding member! LOL )

Since then. Not really. I joined a Blackbird forum because I didn't know anyone that had one. And from there I joined VD. But, as with this place I saw them as a sort of online pub!!

I am regularly asked to join clubs/groups for women - Womens ski group, Ladies Trackday group and stuff like that. The only time I succumbed, I joined a ladies Endurance race team. Great cos I got to have a go at racing but shit because it was a group of women waving a big flag saying "women can ride bikes too" - anyone I ever rode bikes with knew that (or even if they just looked at my tyres!!). Couldn't deal with that sort of thing - the militant side of it all sucked the pleasure out. And guys who do TDs or race are way more supportive to people not in a team than the women were to people actually IN their team!!


I think I'm mostly anti social. I don't have great social skills and so find it hard to make friends IRL. Most 'club' type things here for bikes are too regulated for me. And there's not a lot else I'm likely to get involved in

But - I don't think I miss it. I end up meeting like minded people without being in a club (eventually!)

[mangocrazy]

I think for a lot of folk clubs are a way of making you feel that you 'belong', as much as being a shared interest group. Some folk need that, others don't. There is also the possibility that you'll make new friends, although in my experience that hasn't really happened.