Looking into a Golf Membership - Have Some Questions

[digger21]

I just moved a little bit more south of my ex home in Parker, co and literally live right in between two great MEMBERSHIP courses. The Pinery (Mcgetrick teaches there) and Pradera. Both courses always rated high in TOP COURSE rankings and I cant play either of them. Gotta cross my fingers on that lotto

[Crate]

I checked out 3 more Clubs:

60k membership fee, 5k a year

17k membership fee. 3500 a year

1300 a year for a family membership. 0 a month. I'm checking this one out.

[Rusty2228]

So my friend just sent me a link about joining a country club around here. And at first I thought it would be a great thing to do because of the special where they waived the initiation fee. However, I started crunching numbers and found out that realistically I could play the best and most expensive courses here once a week and the better than average courses twice a week for cheaper than what this membership costs. (Even as a restricted member this was true.)

My questions to people who are members at clubs how often do you feel you have to get out to justify your membership? Are there hidden benefits to being a member that would make me want to pay more for less? (besides tee times, locker room, etc..)

This club isn't one of the 'prestigious' clubs either so it's not like you are gaining status or social standing. Why would this club make their rates so? I mean on a good week I could probably get 54 holes in, but realistically it would be closer to 36 (not to mention the weekends where we have stuff going on, weather, etc and couldn't get out). So it is logical to me that I should play at more courses for less than one course for more. Am I wrong?

[MPS67]

My parents became members at a modest golf club a few years back. They keep telling me that it was one of the best choices they've made.

Here's what they get out of it.

1. Unlimited Golf. They figured that they'd have to play 50 rounds each to break even. My Dad plays almost everyday (150 rounds) while my mom plays twice a week (60 rounds.) So I guess they've gotten their $ worth.

2. Their club is a great place to socialize and make friends.

3. Their club puts together many fun tournaments.

4. Their club is a place where they can take and entertain guests and business clients.

5. Their club is aligned with dozens of others GCs in the area. They can play those for free as well.

[$2 Nassau]

I'm kind of in the same boat, living in CT, many things are overpriced. Club memberships are one of them.

The abundance of good public courses around here makes for competitive daily greens fees however.
With a baby daughter at home my golf time is limited. It just doesn't make sense for me to spend the money right now...maybe down the road.

[Phil]

I just went with a monday thru friday membership and that was significantly cheaper. Then on the weekends if I want to golf I can hit up a different course instead of playing the same holes all the time.

[hurley9192]

I did it because they had a great Jr program and there are a ton of families in their 30's that we socialize with. Also, the convenience factor is huge...try and get a tee time on Saturday at your public course vs. just showing up and getting out any time you want. Also, Sunday afternoon was winding down, so I went and grabbed a quick nine. Can't do that too well if you don't have a membership.

The other things are prestige of club and social/business networking, which is huge at our club. Best value for the club in the Metroplex.

You have to play about 1/week to make it count though if you look at it from that perspective. Plus, we have free range balls, lockers and club storage is nominal and the food is very reasonably priced.

[Jeepthrills]

This is one of the big questions in golf. I was facing the same thing a couple years ago. At the time there was a club here looking for members 35 and under. They were lowering their rates and cutting the initiation by 75%. I did the same thing and crunched the numbers. I would have had to play at least 3 times a week to justify the monthly cost. That alone is not a big deal, except when you factor in that I would still want to play in my Wednesday night friends and family league and that none of my regular Sunday group are members there either. They would not want to pay the guest fee to play every Sunday so I could play free and I could not afford to pick up the tab.

My work schedule would have made the extra rounds very tough as well. The final kicker was the fact that during the 3-4 months of winter weather I would still be paying the same ammount to not play. As much as I would have loved to do it, it did not make sense.

[TourSpoon]

From a financial standpoint it doesn't make sense to me to join a club where I live. I would never get my money out of it and I wouldn't have the variety. Now if money wasn't a factor I would join and enjoy the benes of membership. For me it comes down to $.

[Jaybone]

I was wondering the same thing about a local club in my area. Starting this season it was under new ownership. Membership rates went up to $1500 per season,they also raised greens fees and limited non members to 2 or 3 play times per season. Now in this area that is alot scatch. I know the new owner wanted to turn it into his private boys club,but I wonder how much sense that made. Almost every weekday I drive by and the parking lot is almost empty. I don't know what it does on weekends,but it used to be alot busier. At $1500 per season,alot of guys I know who used to play there would/could only get out about 10 times a season. Its far from worth it.

[Rusty2228]

I was wondering the same thing about a local club in my area. Starting this season it was under new ownership. Membership rates went up to $1500 per season,they also raised greens fees and limited non members to 2 or 3 play times per season. Now in this area that is alot scatch. I know the new owner wanted to turn it into his private boys club,but I wonder how much sense that made. Almost every weekday I drive by and the parking lot is almost empty. I don't know what it does on weekends,but it used to be alot busier. At $1500 per season,alot of guys I know who used to play there would/could only get out about 10 times a season. Its far from worth it.

I am originally from Upstate as well, and I know one person with a country club membership, and he has that because he gets it through work.

It seems to me that the fringe clubs would make it so that would be slightly less expensive than paying the fee for the course normally. i.e. that if you can get realistically get 50 rounds at $100 the membership should be around $4500. They would attract more business and they would get guaranteed money up front. Plus they would make money if there was a harsh weather season(the flip side would be if the weather was perfect, but it would be worth it because money in hand is worth more than money down the line). It seems weird to me that clubs that aren't prestigous would intentionally cater to a smaller audience. But the good side of it for me is that I shared my number crunching with my wife and will now have an easier time justifying playing the nicer courses and buying new equipment vs. getting a club membership!

[snoodlelvr]

I'm envious of this thread... being in NYC, I can't even afford the membership to my local driving range .

http://chelseapiers.com/gcMember.htm

[klittle]

5. Their club is aligned with dozens of others GCs in the area. They can play those for free as well.

This may be what convinces me to join my local semi-private. It's affiliated with seven or eight other clubs within an hour drive. They are offering the same type of deal, with a waived initiation fee, but I know I won't be able to get my money's worth until spring.

[Jaybone]

I'm envious of this thread... being in NYC, I can't even afford the membership to my local driving range

That sucks, you have to have a membership to a driving range?

I am lucky I guess. My employer buys a coporate membership for all of us small timers. So haven't payed (greens fees) to play at my home course in 18 years.

[alf174]

A couple of the private courses near me have been reducing their initiation fees and waiving the first 1/2 year monthly dues. I tried to justify it but it just didn't add up. I like to visit different courses and the club membership doesn't fit.

[Ben]

Any of you looking to join a club, try finding one owned by ClubCorp/KSL. I work for one of the 100+ clubs of theirs. At our club you can buy a social membership ($100 donation) and like $30/month in dues. It limits you to only one round per month on our course, BUT, you can bump up your membership and get what is called Signature Gold Unlimited. Which is about $35/month. That gets you in to every other course ClubCorp owns for just a cart fee (in most cases). Some of the big name courses include, Pinehurst Village, Firestone, La Costa, Coto de Caza, Bears Best, just to name a few.

http://clubcorp.com/

http://www.clubcorp.com/signaturegold/

[bcp]

My opinion is that you will never justify a club cost on a per round basis; however, the other benefits are what makes it work. Some of the intangible benefits include: preferred tee times, pace of play (private clubs typically do not have problems with slow play), lockers, handicap service, club storage, member accounts, unlimited free range balls, practice facilities, member tournaments, pro shop discounts, ease of getting matches with other members.

I know all this varies from club to club and the amount you invest up front. I was a member of a semi-private club for many years and recently joined a private club. Although it is quite a bit more expensive, I am enjoying the additional amenities. I realize that you do indeed get what you pay for. My decision to go to a higher end country club was based in part on the needs of my family (dining, swimming, social, etc.) but my biggest joy so far has been the fact that I have not had a round that lasted greater than 4 hours since I joined 3 months ago.

[Jeepthrills]

My opinion is that you will never justify a club cost on a per round basis; however, the other benefits are what makes it work. Some of the intangible benefits include: preferred tee times, pace of play (private clubs typically do not have problems with slow play), lockers, handicap service, club storage, member accounts, unlimited free range balls, practice facilities, member tournaments, pro shop discounts, ease of getting matches with other members.

There is no question that the benefits you listed are what makes the private club option so appealing. The biggest key is having the time to actually play. My job does not permit the early afternoon round. If my schedule were more flexible and I could get in the extra rounds, I would absolutely look at joining a club for all the reasons listed above.