Organising a golf society day in the North West

Group size: 12 is the usual line

At most traditional parkland clubs, 12 players is where a "society" starts. Leyland, Pleasington and Warrington all set that figure on their own sites; below it, you're booking as ordinary visitors rather than as a society. Fairhaven, a links course, asks for a minimum of 16. Resorts run looser: Carden Park says its society packages "start from 8 guests and can cater to up to 80 people" across its two courses.

Deposits

Clubs that mention a deposit at all don't publish the amount online. Leyland's own visiting parties page confirms "a deposit is required, with start times confirmed on the receipt," without saying how much. Treat a deposit, and a deadline for confirming final numbers, as something you'll agree by phone or email rather than something you can look up in advance.

What a package actually includes

A typical society package bundles the round with food, sometimes a welcome coffee and bacon roll, and sometimes prizes for things like longest drive and nearest the pin. What's included, and what it costs, varies a lot by club:

Pleasington's and Leyland's own price tables are the most detailed of the clubs Golf Metric checked; both are 2026 season prices and will move on to new figures in future years, so treat them as a guide to the shape of pricing rather than a live quote.

Photo to followA group of golfers on the first tee at Pleasington Golf Club, a typical society day setting

Formats, explained

Stableford is the format most society days default to. It's an official form of play under Rule 21.1 of the Rules of Golf: instead of adding up strokes for the whole round, each hole earns points by comparing your score to a fixed target, usually par adjusted for your handicap. A blow-up hole costs you a small number of points rather than wrecking your card, which suits a field of mixed ability playing for a prize on the day.

Texas Scramble is a team format, not an official Rule of Golf: every player in a team tees off, the team picks the best shot, and everyone plays their next shot from that spot, repeating all the way to the hole. It keeps pace brisk and lets weaker players contribute without being punished for one bad shot, which is why societies often choose it, though not every club allows it. Leyland's own visiting parties page rules it out specifically.

Beyond those two, expect a club to also offer ordinary individual Stableford or strokeplay, or a better ball format (in a pair, the better of the two scores counts on each hole) if your group asks for it. Confirm the format with the club when you book, since not every course supports every option.

Booking it

Every club Golf Metric checked wants a phone call or an online enquiry form rather than a self-service booking: expect to give your preferred date, an alternative date, your group size, and how many holes you want (18, 27 or even 36 at some clubs). Several note that popular days, especially Thursdays and summer weekdays, book up a season ahead, so enquire early if you have a date in mind.

Weekday and weekend rules

A few clubs restrict society days to weekdays outright: Warrington's own page states "society bookings are not available on weekends." Others price weekdays differently from weekends without banning them, and Leyland charges less for a Monday or Tuesday round than for Wednesday to Friday. If a weekend date matters to your group, ask directly rather than assume it's on offer.