Membership at Local Course....

[DannyN]

Since getting back into trying to play more golf I have been looking around at courses near me for consideration of becoming a member.  

The course I was considering takes me seven minutes from backing out of my driveway to being in the clubhouse parking lot.  It is a nice course, seems to be in good condition and has a nice range for practice.  Back in the fall when I began playing/practicing more often I inquired about a membership.  The cost was very reasonable for a Monday-Friday membership at $175/month including a cart but range balls were not included.  I thought it was kind of odd but the cost for a "range membership" was only $350/year.  For as many balls as I beat on the range it would certainly be a worthy investment.  I was advised the "range membership" runs from January to December and was given the option of paying $350 for October, November and December or just waiting until January.  I don't beat that many balls at the range to justify paying ~$120/month for a "range membership" so I have just continued paying for range balls "per bucket" deciding to hold off to January 1.  

Today I go into the clubhouse, get my bucket of balls and ask the manager about joining as a member.  He advises memberships have changed for 2021, M-F memberships are now $99/month but no longer includes a cart and they do not begin until March.  I then tell him "okay, no problem let me go ahead and get the range membership now".  He responds that they are no longer offering "range memberships"...  So, I then ask if range balls are included in the new course memberships.  He advised they are not but states I can buy cards for 10 buckets of balls for $65.  I really don't have a problem with the "no cart" included as I prefer to walk anyway but this course is not "walker friendly" as there are several holes that probably have a 1/4 mile or so between so tees and greens.

Is this how memberships are going now a days?  range being a separate fee?

 

[dennyjones]

There are several public courses near me that have done that for many years.   They have varied memberships and in some cases the range is extra.   There are also others where the range is inclusive.  

[mcanadiens]

27 minutes ago, DannyN said:

Is this how memberships are going now a days?  range being a separate fee?

At least the two courses I've belonged to have done it separately.

Some people are range rats and really value having a range membership, but there are other guys who hop out of the car, strap the bag to the cart and head for the first tee. The later may not appreciate paying extra for the range.

 

 

 

[The Flush]

I paid $500  for the year on a Black Friday deal for my son and I at our local course, although I think they under charged me by either $25 or $50..  It is for green fees only and it is not a walker friendly course. 

[NM Golf]

A lot of times it has to do with how the range is set up. Some courses sell buckets in the pro shop, some have machines with tokens, and some just have balls out in little pyramids, etc. Often places that have the balls out will sell yearly range memberships while courses that sell individual buckets often go with range cards. The course where I work we have a separate membership for greens fees and range. There is no cart membership offered. 

[The Flush]

It looks like I can get a range membership for $250. I am not sure if it is worth it since I have a nice net set up in the yard and the course is not in between work and home.

[jsgolfer]

48 minutes ago, DannyN said:

Is this how memberships are going now a days?  range being a separate fee?

Not at Private Country Clubs, but I think most of the public courses around here, they do separate them.

[ChetlovesMer]

1 hour ago, DannyN said:

Is this how memberships are going now a days?  range being a separate fee?

It's been more than 10 years since I've joined a course (my goodness time does fly). The last place I joined was a public course that did have a separate range membership. At that place they had tokens for a range machine. How it worked was they'd give me 10 tokens at the clubhouse and I'd just use them at my leisure. When I ran out or was close to running out I could pop into the club house and they'd give me 10 more. I've heard that now-a-days they've switched to a range card, as the ball machine reads cards now. 

In my opinion the separate range membership is a great idea. If you just want to pay to practice you can. Or if you are one of those guys/gals that only plays and never uses the range you don't have to pay more for a portion of your membership that you'll never use.