Belonging to a local club, is it that important?

[ay33660]

Sure thing. You can't go wrong with any of the 3 Long Beach Muni's - Skylinks, El Dorado or Rec Park. They are all fun to play and even weekend rates with a cart won't set you back more than $60-72 bucks. I'd probably suggest Skylinks because in my experience, it's easiest to get a good tee time there and the course conditions are usually very good. Los Verdes in Palos Verdes is a great option (affordable, coastal views on many holes), but if you can't get a 9am or earlier tee time, I wouldn't bother because they are notorious for 5-6 hour rounds later in the day.

Venturing a bit further north into Orange County, Mile Square has two very good tracks and is about 15-20 minutes from Long Beach. When will you be in town? I'd offer to play a round with you, but it sounds like you will be visiting in January and unfortunately my weekends in Jan are completely slammed right now....

Thank you very much for the suggestions. If you ever venture up to Vancouver I would be pleased to host you at my club The Vancouver Golf Club.

[BuckeyeNut]

I want to ask a serious question here.  I am hoping for an honest answer and I hope to get many on this topic. I have been playing for over 22 years now. No, I am not a single digit handicapper although I would like to be.  But I am curious, do any of you belong to a local golf club or even a national one? If you don't belong to one, curious why you haven't.  If you do belong to one, how has your experience been with your organization and how important is to you?

Now I ask this because, I am the sort that loves being a part of something.  As a former military man and a current member of a career fire department in South Florida, I enjoy the camaraderie, I enjoy the challenge of being able to challenge each other.

Love to hear from you all.

A golf membership is an absolute must for any dedicated golfer.  There are a multitude of membership options both public and private, and deciding whether or not one is attractive boils down to simple math.    Whether a golfer buys a membership is more about how often they intend to play.............the camaraderie and other benefits are icing on the cake.

Golfers that play a lot have unrestricted access....... it's the only way to go.

[Yukari]

You don't have to join a country club.

I joined men's club at two of the local courses here.  It cost about $150 per year and you get to participate in their tournaments and you get GHIN number for your official handicap.  There are about 12-15 tournaments per year per course.  I tend to play about 10-12 tournaments a year (5 to 6 tournaments on each of the two courses I am a member of).

It's a great atmosphere and the tournaments are well organized.

Personally, I don't like the idea of joining a country club as you typically have monthly minimum requirement on food and pro-shop patronage.

I like belonging to men's club, though, as I get to meet a lot of people some of whom I end up playing regular (i.e., non-tournament) rounds together.

[RH31]

I'm currently a member of a private club. I've also been a member at public courses that allow preferred tee times to members.

It's been a  much better expirience for me to be a member and to play in the member gaggle/sweeps than to always have to get tee times. I play  a lot more golf and enjoy it waaaayyyy more.

[inthehole]

Quote:

A golf membership is an absolute must for any dedicated golfer.  There are a multitude of membership options both public and private, and deciding whether or not one is attractive boils down to simple math.    Whether a golfer buys a membership is more about how often they intend to play.............the camaraderie and other benefits are icing on the cake.

Golfers that play a lot have unrestricted access....... it's the only way to go.

Not sure about that.     I played 102 times this year - vast majority were for dirt cheap on golfnow.com.    I'm pretty dedicated ...

PS - I've looked into joining local clubs and EVERY single one of them have a cart fee - that would rub me wrong bigtime - if I join a club, I want the cart thrown in.   Even if I pony up & joined one, I'd still have to probably pay more for the cart fee than I typically pay for online tee times that include the cart.

PSS - there are about 2 dozen courses I play within an hours drive - I like the variety & think it would get very boring playing the same course all the time ...

[drifterdon]

PS - I've looked into joining local clubs and EVERY single one of them have a cart fee - that would rub me wrong bigtime - if I join a club, I want the cart thrown in.   Even if I pony up & joined one, I'd still have to probably pay more for the cart fee than I typically pay for online tee times that include the cart.

The courses around me all have memberships but none of them offer free golf. They do offer lowered fees but for most of them Golf Now is about the same rate. They all charge for carts too.

[mcat12]

Theres a really nice County Club about 5 min from my house that is having a super good deal for new members. Brookside Country Club...but the monthly dues are like $600/month which is ridiculous to me. Id love to have a home base but i cant shell out that cash monthly.

[BuckeyeNut]

Not sure about that.     I played 102 times this year - vast majority were for dirt cheap on golfnow.com.    I'm pretty dedicated ...

PS - I've looked into joining local clubs and EVERY single one of them have a cart fee - that would rub me wrong bigtime - if I join a club, I want the cart thrown in.   Even if I pony up & joined one, I'd still have to probably pay more for the cart fee than I typically pay for online tee times that include the cart.

PSS - there are about 2 dozen courses I play within an hours drive - I like the variety & think it would get very boring playing the same course all the time ...

inthehole.............you might want to explore public course membership options.    I've had both public and private memberships over the years, but opted for buying annual memberships at nearby upscale public courses for the past decade and a half.   I can't speak for PA, but most public courses I have researched offer unlimited play memberships including cart.  I recommend contacting the nice courses near your home that are close enough to play as an everyday course and see what they offer for memberships.

[Titleist Staff]

I'm considering joining a club, but I like to play other courses and feel I might get bored playing the same course all the time.

I think I kinda like the freedom of not having to pay a membership fee, and can go play where I want.

[No Mulligans]

Torrey pines has a club, Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Club.  They have weekly Thursday tournaments and monthly Sunday tournaments.  The benefits, 1) being a member of a club, 2) Tee times for the tournaments (which is no small thing as it is very hard to get good tee times at Torrey).  It's $100 to join and $65 for annual renewals.

I'm considering joining but not until next year.  The North course is going to be shut down for renovation for a big chunk of this year.

[Tat14]

All good stuff for you here in this thread. Being a retired military guy myself, I will echo the recommendation of joining a local base course men's club. That gives you local access to GHIN which allows you to post scores from almost anywhere in the country nowadays; i.e. I play in the Northern Nevada GA, but recently posted scores from courses in southern California.

Being active in a club allows you to explore your game. I enjoy the different formats, match play, etc. Adding some context to the game helps me improve, focus, and enjoy it more.

I currently play in my local course men's club. They also offer a club membership for a few hundred per season that gives you unlimited golf and reduced prices on gear. Carts are still five bucks if you want one. My point is that a club does not have to break the bank. If it's relatively too much money, it might not be fun there in the first place.

There's something to be said for having a home course. IMO, there is nothing at all boring about a familiar track with familiar faces at a familiar bar after the round. And, you can take your club pals to a rival club and have it out on the course. We play other clubs and courses quite regularly.

[BuckeyeNut]

I'm considering joining a club, but I like to play other courses and feel I might get bored playing the same course all the time.

I think I kinda like the freedom of not having to pay a membership fee, and can go play where I want.

If it's a good course, I doubt you will get bored.   In my experience, a course will grow on you and the opposite effect happens.       IMO.....part of the equation is how many rounds to you think you can play in a year?  When confronted with unlimited playing privies, most golfers will play a hell of a lot more than they ever thought possible.  The end result is aside from a lower HC, is a more enjoyable golf season.

IE..........

It may be 6-7pm on a summer weekday evening and nothing is going on.....I had no plans to play.  I can't count how many times I've gone to the course to "Play a few holes".....I may skip holes to avoid traffic and fly around the course playing 18 holes or close to it before dark when it's completely unplanned.

There have been weekend days when I play early and I'm home by 10am.     I do the normal family things during the day when sometimes a LULL hits late afternoon.   I notice my wife and daughter have ditched to go shopping.....my son is off at his friends house.......BAM...I'm gone.....I am at the course for an second 18.   There are so many opportunities to play that "Pay to Play" golfers don't even realize until unlimited golf is realized.   That's how people in the Midwest can easily play 100-150 rounds in a year in spite of winters.

I play enough that a membership is an absolute necessity because I know how nice it is to be able to play whenever I can without dipping into the wallet.  Pay to Play seems stone age to me...LOL

My normal 'in season' routine is to play 18 four times a week.  (18 holes twice a week M-F before dark............plus Sat-Sun Early morning)

Unplanned rounds add a lot to the total if your home course is close..............

[JonMA1]

If it's a good course, I doubt you will get bored.   In my experience, a course will grow on you and the opposite effect happens.       IMO.....part of the equation is how many rounds to you think you can play in a year?  When confronted with unlimited playing privies, most golfers will play a hell of a lot more than they ever thought possible.  The end result is aside from a lower HC, is a more enjoyable golf season.

IE..........

It may be 6-7pm on a summer weekday evening and nothing is going on.....I had no plans to play.  I can't count how many times I've gone to the course to "Play a few holes".....I may skip holes to avoid traffic and fly around the course playing 18 holes or close to it before dark when it's completely unplanned.

There have been weekend days when I play early and I'm home by 10am.     I do the normal family things during the day when sometimes a LULL hits late afternoon.   I notice my wife and daughter have ditched to go shopping.....my son is off at his friends house.......BAM...I'm gone.....I am at the course for an second 18.   There are so many opportunities to play that "Pay to Play" golfers don't even realize until unlimited golf is realized.   That's how people in the Midwest can easily play 100-150 rounds in a year in spite of winters.

I play enough that a membership is an absolute necessity because I know how nice it is to be able to play whenever I can without dipping into the wallet.  Pay to Play seems stone age to me...LOL

My normal 'in season' routine is to play 18 four times a week.  (18 holes twice a week M-F before dark............plus Sat-Sun Early morning)

Unplanned rounds add a lot to the total if your home course is close..............

I agree 100%. It's a nice feeling to know you can play whenever you have an opportunity without the guilt of spending the extra money. I consider the course I play to be "my home course". I became friends with the staff,  the groundskeepers, some of the other golfers. I also ended up wanting to take care of the course a bit more, fixing other people's divots and pitch marks.

As far as getting bored with one course, I will mix up which tee's I play even during the same round (as long as HC isn't an issue). I read that suggestion here at TST and it really does change the course. I also played with an old set of irons a couple of times - something I probably wouldn't have done if I was paying for every round.

My membership also includes reciprocal rounds at other courses. I only took advantage of that a couple of times last year but it was a nice change.

[RFKFREAK]

I'm not going to lie, the recent posts in this thread are making me rethink my position on it. I know there have been a few times when I've left work after 5 and because I know I'm not going to at least get 9 in, I won't go to the course to play but having unlimited golf would certainly entice me to go hit some balls on the course. I don't think it's in the cards this year because my budget at most will only allow me to upgrade my equipment but the idea of playing 100 times a season does seem pretty awesome.

[ay33660]

I have been a member at a private club for at least 13 years.

For those that have not joined a club the number one reason for not wanting to join (other than monetary reasons) is that they will get bored playing the same course.

It is important that you chose the right course. If you like to play lots of terrain then don't chose a flat course. If you like a forested course then don't chose a links style course. etc etc.

It is very important to chose a course that you like to play.

Also just because you belong to a club it doesn't mean you cannot play at another course.

Most private clubs have reciprocal rights to other clubs in different cities or even within the same city.

Even if a club is not listed as a reciprocal one, I have found that you can usually get on as a guest at another private club. Let the club pro make the bookings.

I played about 110 rounds last year and of that at least 30 were away from my home course.

[Fourputt]

I want to ask a serious question here.  I am hoping for an honest answer and I hope to get many on this topic. I have been playing for over 22 years now. No, I am not a single digit handicapper although I would like to be.  But I am curious, do any of you belong to a local golf club or even a national one? If you don't belong to one, curious why you haven't.  If you do belong to one, how has your experience been with your organization and how important is to you?

Now I ask this because, I am the sort that loves being a part of something.  As a former military man and a current member of a career fire department in South Florida, I enjoy the camaraderie, I enjoy the challenge of being able to challenge each other.

Love to hear from you all.

I was in a 250 member Men's club at Foothills (public) Golf Course for tournament play for 22 years.  I loved the competition and the fun playing in those tournaments.  I played a lot of casual rounds with the same guys, and we always had a good time.  It was a well run club, with handicap oversight to prevent any overt sandbagging (most of the guys wound't consider such a thing, but there always seem to be one or two jerks who try to spoil it).  We played by the rules at all times (and the club took care of maintaining the course marking, not only for our competitions but for all competitions held on the course over the entire season), established our own pace of play policy which was more stringent than the course policy, and the board of directors essentially ran the club like a business, in partnership with the course management (I was on the board for 4 years, and assisted with rules and tournaments for most of my time in the club).  We played some 15 tournaments each year (from 18 holes to 54 holes) in various stroke play formats, and 4 bracketed match play tournaments that ran from mid April to mid October.

This is the only type of club I'd ever be a part of.  I have no interest in joining any sort of a private club.  I have a membership in the local course here in my new town, but it's not private.  Membership is essentially an annual pass, but the price was unbeatable - $337 for my wife and myself, including cart use.  We only have to pay a $2 trail fee per 18 holes when we ride.

[tball]

I do have a great membership and wouldn't want it any other way.  Very fortunate the gentleman who owns our club, also owns 4 other clubs in the Hilton Head/Bluffton area.  We can use all 5 courses for our membership.  My daughter plays high school and HH jr golf.  The practice facilities alone are worth my dues.  We have unlimited golf, unlimited range balls, and 3 of the courses has really good restaurants. All 5 have bars.  If we would play just 3 rounds a month anywhere else, it would be a more than our monthly dues.  Don't do a lot of other things in the membership, just play golf.  I guess I am not the social butterfly ?  The retired guys live at the clubhouse.  Always a card game, and always somebody to play a few holes with.  There's clubs here from 4K a year to 100K a year.  If you look around and spend a few minutes with the club pro, you will find the right membership for you.  Depends all in what you want.  In the long, for myself, a membership is a lot less expensive than paying for my daughter and I to play.  We play, or at least one of us, almost everyday.

[sjduffers]

Another possibility I haven't see mentioned is to become a member of an Associate Club, i.e. just like a Men's Club, but without a given course to call home.  They organize tournaments at various venues in the area over the season. An Associate Club has all the attributes of a Men's Club, except that you play at all kind of courses, instead of mostly just one.

There are even state-wide events organized for Associate Clubs (at least there are in Northern CA, by the NCGA): the Associate Clubs qualify people during their regular events. For example, the 2 top net stroke people of the qualifying tournament are sent to play a 2 person best-ball competition organized by the state golf association. Several of state competition later, you could end up playing a top course in your state (e.g. Spyglass Hills and Poppy Hills in Northern CA), for the state title...

Good luck!