Fit for a change

Can your new year's resolutions to improve your work-life balance and get the perfect beach bod withstand the cost of fitness and leisure services, or could 'green' and free be the way to go? Caroline Maddenreports

Despite the fact that new year's resolutions tend to have a shelf life of about six weeks, even the most jaded and cynical among us can't resist setting optimistic goals for the year ahead when January rolls around. This is the year, we resolve, that we will finally achieve that elusive healthy work-life balance, become more active and get a beach bod by summer.

However, anyone who has done a little research into putting their resolutions into action will have discovered that creating a "new you" doesn't come cheap. The unfortunate reality is that many leisure activities in this State are now exorbitantly expensive.

Take golf for example. Although regarded by some as a good walk spoiled, golf is hugely popular in Ireland, offering an absorbing, competitive and sociable way of blowing off steam. Furthermore, a good grasp of the game is de rigeur in corporate circles.

But although Ireland considers itself a Mecca for golfing aficionados, many golfers - particularly younger players - find it prohibitively expensive to join a club.

At the top end of the spectrum are courses like the K Club and Druids Glen. Although the K Club, which hosted the Ryder Cup last year, was not forthcoming with details of membership costs when contacted by The Irish Times, it is understood that the entrance fee to this exclusive club stands at around €100,000.

And since Doonbeg Golf Club's Greg Norman-designed course opened in 2002, some 553 well-heeled golfers have joined the Co Clare club, which has an entrance fee of $70,000 (€47,600), and an annual subscription of $3,600 (€2,446) for Irish residents. Roughly half its members are non-Irish.

While only a handful of clubs command such stratospheric fees, the financial outlay required to join clubs in densely populated areas such as Dublin, Galway and Limerick is not to be sniffed at either, often reaching five-figure levels. And even those who have the requisite house deposit-sized lump sum to spare may struggle to get into their local club, as many private clubs in Dublin are closed to new members.

So what are the alternatives? Cash-strapped golfers can avail of public courses, but true enthusiasts turn their noses up at such a suggestion. The quality of the courses tends to be inferior to those of private clubs, as are the facilities, and the lack of social scene and regular competitions also detract from this option.

Another alternative is to pay green fees to play a private golf course as a non-member. This isn't ideal either as, according to irishgolf.com, green fees have roughly trebled in the last decade. But the crux of the matter is that unless you're a member of a golf club you can't get a Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) handicap, which is a measure of your playing ability and a requirement for entering club competitions.

Many urban dwellers unwilling to remortgage their home just to finance their penchant for golf take out "country membership" in a club outside their area. This is a cheap method of getting an official GUI handicap, allowing them to play in open competitions in clubs in their own locale and also enabling them to take part in work outings.

For example, Co Cavan Golf Club offers distance membership for approximately €400, doesn't charge an entrance fee and currently has vacancies.

According to Séamus Smith, GUI general secretary, there are plenty of opportunities for people who want to play golf in densely populated areas such as Dublin without making a huge financial outlay. For example, some clubs now operate a "pay as you play" fee structure, he says, citing Hollystown Golf Club (near Dublin airport), which offers three different membership categories, as an example.

Donabate Golf Club is also worth considering, as it currently has a special offer whereby new members can spread the entrance fee of €9,800 over 10 years.

However, the best advice is to start young. Most clubs waive or offer considerably lower entrance fees to long-standing junior and juvenile members.

Private tennis clubs often hold a similar social cachet to golf clubs, and their restrictive entrance policies and membership fees reflect this. It is difficult to get a precise handle on costs, as the most exclusive private clubs such as the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Ranelagh are reticent about providing membership details.

However, according to its website, the family membership entrance fee for Leopardstown Tennis Club was €400 in 2007, plus an annual subscription of a further €400. The annual cost of family membership in Castleknock Tennis Club has increased this year to €675, and this is on top of a once-off entrance fee of €820 and an "indoor levy" of €400.

You could of course buy a cheap racket and head to a public tennis court, but as with golf, you would miss out on the benefits of club membership, such as the social aspect, competitions, well-maintained facilities, coaching opportunities and so on.

Gym membership fees are another area of the leisure industry that have reached previously undreamt of levels, but it seems that people are willing to pay for luxury when it comes to toning up.

A number of residents in the Bray/Enniskerry area have already parted with the €5,000 annual subscription to join the exclusive Cedar Club at the new Ritz-Carlton hotel in Powerscourt, which entitles them to use the fitness centre, swimming pool and steam bath area and avail of certain spa treatments.

Typically, gym membership costs between €600 and €800 a year, and many fitness centres are now advertising enticing special offers. But before you fall for their promises of transforming your body shape, consider the alternatives. Firstly, check if your old college or university offers a discounted graduate/alumni membership rate. For example, Trinity graduates can join the college's new sports centre, which has a swimming pool, climbing wall and state-of- the-art fitness theatre, for a joining fee of just €70 and an annual subscription of €270.

Residents in the Dublin area should also give consideration to the National Aquatic Centre, which offers Olympic-sized pools, water slides, wave pools, lazy rivers and a full fitness centre and spa. Individual membership of both the gym and pool facilities costs a surprisingly reasonable €395 a year.

A common trap that people fall into in January is overestimating the usage they will get from gym membership. According to Gar Holohan, chairman of Aura Leisure Centres, a person would have to use their gym three times a week to get value from their membership. Aura Leisure Centres, which has in eight gyms around the State, is relatively unusual in that it offers a "pay and play" fee structure, which means that you don't have to commit to long-term membership. A swimming session costs just €5, use of the gym is €7, while classes cost €7.50.

Of course, proponents of the "biophilia theory" would advise eschewing treadmills, exercise bikes and power-plate machines altogether, and taking up "green exercise", which simply means getting active in the great outdoors.

Whether it's hiking on the Wicklow Way or simply jogging in your local park, the theory goes that direct exposure to nature is a powerful stress reliever and is of huge benefit to a person's mental health. And as an added incentive, green exercise is one of the last remaining leisure activities in Ireland that is completely free.