Member vs. Pay as you Play

[vangator]

I have paid as I play for the last 40 years.  In the Tampa area, there are bunches of courses we can play for $25 and under during the off season.  Plus I pay $15 for the after work league from April till October.  During the peak season (winter), I like to walk the local muni at twilight for $20.  I haven't found a membership that is worth it here.

[newtogolf]

I prefer membership, but cost is not one of the factors since the cost of membership would far exceed the cost to pay and play.  I enjoy being part of a club for the friendships, club functions, tournaments, dining and of course golf.

[dennyjones]

I pay as I play because I play at several different courses.   Using Golf Now and Group Golfer, I usually pay $20 or less.   I'm still working 40 hours and playing in a league near work but live about 50 miles away.  This year with the league at work and my other rounds, I played about 50 rounds and the membership to the private courses are around $2900 so each round would cost about $58.   The non-private memberships run less but still not $20/round.  

Maybe when I retire.

[Big_in_Belgium]

My first year I started as a member of an online club so I could play all the courses near me. It worked fine but we had to pay full price everywhere.

Starting from 2016 however I will be a member at a private club 3 miles from my home. A bit more money up front but I can play whenever I want come January.
 

[Pendragon]

I'm a member at a semi-private course that's in a 55-and-over gated community. Since I live in the community, it's pretty much a no-brainer, although the annual dues aren't that great a bargain. But the next closest course is at least 20 miles away, so this is really the only way to go. Also, now that I'm retired, I play 5 or 6 days a week.  

[vangator]

There's a course maybe 20 minutes away where the retires from my company seem to congregate.  Don't care for the course though.

If I were to snowbird, I'd get a membership at the North Hills in Corry Pa.

[billchao]

I pay as I play. I think I'd rather be a member somewhere as I'll play more golf, but I can't afford anything around here. there are many instances where I have a free hour or so and wish I could just get out and play 6 holes or something, but no way I'm paying full price to do that.

[davechen]

I pay as I play.  I wouldn't mind being a member of a club, but all the ones around here have six figure initiation fees.

[graham57]

I pay when I play. I use to be a member at a couple of private places, but gave it up. I just found that private courses had a few too many "elitest snobs" in there memberships. I am going to join a men's club where I golf now for tournament reasons. 

This was exactly our fear when we considered joining the nearest club to our home! However, we reckoned that - anywhere you have a large group of human beings - at least some of them are going to be good, normal people with decent attitudes. And it has nothing to do with money: the wife of one of the wealthiest guys in our club is a primary school teacher, and they are oneof the kindest, most unpretentious couples you could ever wish to meet. It took us a couple of years to find them, but we now have a group of friends we really enjoy being with. The snobbish rest: be civil to them, but otherwise ignore them.

[rkim291968]

I prefer membership, but cost is not one of the factors since the cost of membership would far exceed the cost to pay and play.

Not really.   In fact, I have membership so that I can play more cost effective way.   My wife and I play 120 rounds per year, give or take 20 rounds.  Having an affordable all you can play membership is far cheaper than playing 120 round pay as you play. 

[mcanadiens]

What I have isn't really a "membership". I hold a "privilege rate" card for City of Dayton golf courses. The card (which is my Xmas/birthday gift from the family) costs $425 and then you pay $5 per round for green fees for the entire year. Budget-wise, I wouldn't be able to play anywhere near as much without it.

[djfajt71]

I voted for "Pay as I Play" but am a member of a virtual club called Paradise Golf.  They charge fees for season and off-season and you get discounts at a number of Tampa area courses, as well as access to some of the popular courses in Orlando.  Some of the discounts are minimal, but some are substantial.  The discount to TPC Tampa is almost 50%, which pays for the virtual membership after just a few rounds.  The group, that runs the club, are members of some of the private/resort courses and are able to purchase a number of rounds that are resold to the virtual club, such as some of the Innisbrook courses and Black Diamond.  I also play in a weekly league at an Executive course near my house and go there when I'm short on time.

[RussUK]

I pay and play. I'd like to join a club but at the moment with a 2 year old son, another child on the way and having just moved into my new house with the money factor steps in as well as the time factor. I maybe able to play once or twice a month until the new baby arrives so until then pay and play makes sense.

[NJpatbee]

Membership in a club can have its advantages, especially if you can play 3-4 times a week or more.  However, I pay as I play, mostly at the same semi-private course, since my wife has no interest in golf or being part of a club.  Financially, the pay as you play has worked out much better for me since as a senior (62+) I can play M-F for $39 including cart, weekends after 2PM $39, and I try to play twice a week.  My retired sister and her husband however both play golf, sometimes 10 rounds/week, and enjoy the social aspect the club offers.  In addition to the $50,000 bond the cost for a season is about $12,000 including the dining quota, but they get their money's worth and enjoy it.  As for myself, I play about 30 rounds at my usual club for $1170, spend about $800 for another 10 rounds at a few different courses, and spend close to $400 at driving ranges and practice facilities.    I play some great golf for about $2500/season.

Perhaps when I retire in a couple of years and hopefully live just outside the pricey NY Metro area, I may choose a private club. 

[Natural Patrick]

I have a membership at 3 different public courses. Leaning on going back to the private club.

[tdiii]

Used to pay as I played, but, having very little time, becoming a member of a private club was really the only way to go. This way, on long summer evenings, my wife and I will sometimes tee up close to 9 p.m. and play maybe 5 or 6 holes (the course is only 15 minutes from our house). You would never do that if you were having to pay a green fee.

Also. we had no golfing friends before joining, so being members helped us to find a group of like-minded people with whom we now love to spend time. We woudl never have met them if we hadn't joined.

Basically, ditto.  Getting my wife into the game playing public tracks would be a real challenge.  Our club has a great fitness facility and pool, so we can rationalize some of the expense by the savings in my wife joining another gym (I work out in my garage).  And, if, as a result of my affiliation with the club, I meet or get introduced to one new client a year, it pays for itself. 

Edited October 27, 2015 by tdiii

[Psyber]

Seems to be a member of just about anywhere around here you need to live in the community the course is built on. Not really any private courses that aren't part of housing developments. The ones that are will cost a fortune to join. 

[Brakkus]

Pay as I play. Haven't got the time to join a club. I always liked the idea of different courses. The beauty of looking at a course and it's environment is fresh every time I go somewhere different. 

One regret is I really at the beginning should have stuck with the same course for a while. Learning to hit the ball is one thing but also learning course strategy is another. Gaining confidence early on would've been a smarter decision