Joining a Private Club in 2010?

Yes. Definitely more money than I should be paying given that I am broke and in college, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

I would seriously consider distance as a large factor. A 45 to 60 minute drive prevents you from stopping by to chip/putt or play a few holes. One of the great things about membership is having this ability. Moreover, although the club allows for shorter rounds, you are adding 1 1/2 to 2 hours on to your round in travel.

I am considering it. Unfortunately, I don't have one of those jobs that allows me to play about 3 or 4 times a week. I'm restricted to weekend play.

I live in Nashville and generally the private clubs fall into 1 of 2 categories: very large initiation fee and dues of approx $600 per month; or small initiation and much lower dues but not anywhere near as nice (virtually glorified munis). Neither of these options is appealing to me.

We recently had a new club open that is pretty much in the middle of this price range so I've been considering joining it. The two reasons I haven't are: 1. It's 30 minutes minimum from my house and 2. The $300-$350 monthly dues in perpetuity. I guess I'm just tight, but I can't get past the idea of writing a check for about $350 a month for the foreseeable future if I never even show up. I suppose I'm going to keep playing the public tracks.

Sounds like the travel issue is a big problem, I have played at a private course for years and most of the people on it are locals to that community. For the amount of $$ you are paying, you need to be sure you can really use it a lot.

Aside from your situation, I can't begin to explain how much being a member at a private club has changed my game. The players are serious about the game and a good private club manages pace of play very strictly to ensure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy themselves. If I played as many rounds as I did last year at a variety of semi-private/public courses it would have cost me more than my private membership.

[quote name='nagoh' post='2126401' date='Dec 15 2009, 10:27 AM']I would seriously consider distance as a large factor. A 45 to 60 minute drive prevents you from stopping by to chip/putt or play a few holes. One of the great things about membership is having this ability. Moreover, although the club allows for shorter rounds, you are adding 1 1/2 to 2 hours on to your round in travel.[/quote]

You have a good point. I neglected to fully explain my situation. My golf buddy lives about 45 minutes away. Typically, we have alternated between good, but not great, public courses near each other (there is nothing in between us worth a d'mn). Both of us are used to driving a bit to play. Indeed, when I lived in NYC, it was at least an hour to get to a decent course I could afford.

The club is about 45 minutes from both of us (think triangle).

Peace.

[quote name='johnnylongball' post='2126563' date='Dec 15 2009, 12:00 PM']We recently had a new club open that is pretty much in the middle of this price range so I've been considering joining it.[/quote]

Out of curiosity, what is the new club?

not only did i join one golf course this year, but i bought a membership into a second club as well.

the first one is 2 minutes away, a challenging 7250 yard, 74.1/142 championship course hosting a nationwide tour event early next year. i was offered a highly discounted price, and pay <1000/year full-time golf.

the later is in florida, a few hours away but right next to my parents beach house, and were offering a roll-back program to celebrate the recession/their 50th anniversary. initiation fee reduced to the 1959 rate of 250, and very minimal dues/food and bev fees. the course is renovating next year, and has reciprocity with nearly every private club from amelia island to st. augustine. i may only break even on the membership, but ill get to play a few dozen really really sweet courses next year for basically nothing.

my feeling is, im going to play golf no matter what. sure im not wealthy, but golf is a priority, and deals are to be had right now. if they are cost effective, enhance my overall happiness, and i have the money, why not?

I agree that distance is an issue with becoming a member at a private club. If you are paying the dues and initiation fee for a social membership with limited golf access you will want to take advantage of other amenities your club provides. Does your club have a gym, pool you could use to eliminate other expenses that you might currently be paying? Does your wife/girlfriend play tennis? Will you be attending social events at the club? How is the food at the club?

You really want to find a club that you can take full advantage of. Most of the members at the club I work at are there all the time. They really enjoy the whole club experience, not just the once a week drive for an hour to play a round on a private course.

I'm not joining one, although I have been extremely tempted due to the deals offered lately..

I just live in the middle of a major city. Golf is all around me, but it's all extremely private, and if I had the disposable income to join, money alone wouldn't be enough.


However, like you.. The places I DO play, are farther away. I travel 30-40 miles to most of the places I play at regularly. I play only on the weekends, and I put in roughly 4-5 rounds a month in, and little to no range time in.

Most of the clubs are offering deals that would equate to almost NO extra money spent, or less than $50 more, if I joined and continued to play as I do now. Only I can play whenever, and use the practice facilities freely. It's around $2400 a year, they waive the $1700 initiation, and remove any food/bev min.

I still haven't joined because I don't feel that with work and having to travel, I'll be able to use it.

The other thing is.. you can't see into the future. Alot of people hate the idea of paying for something you might not use, and can't back out of. It's like buying a plane ticket each month, and hoping your free that day to use it, or lose it.

I could play year 'round, but if I missed one weekend, I'm already at a loss for one round that I paid for, and didn't use had I not gotten the membership.

I want to be able to get off work, or leave early one day and sneak out and play 5 holes, chip a bucket at the range and go home to my family.. Or go out early on a Saturday, play 18.. eat in the restaurant, have a few drinks at the bar.. Go putt and hang out, and then go back out and do 18 again and spend a day.. Then have a short drive home, or ride the cart back through the holes to the house...

If I sell my condo in town, I'll be joining a club.. I have 8 courses near my work within 15 minutes of each other. Too bad I live 45 minutes away from them.

I am very tempted to join not a private club but one of these "seasonal executive groups" where it allows you to play a certain number of courses, unlimited for the season. they have been lowering prices and its getting more and more tempting..

the private clubs here in boca, are mostly raising prices, such as the boca raton resort and hotel.. i had a talk with a rep there and happen to mention the economy, and hes he laughed, and said our members dont really care about that, we arnt changing prices or making deals.. which is kinda funny since we are so close to the madoff target area (palm beach)

oh well maby in 2011.. who knows.

Wow. I heard all the courses in Florida had been hit hard by the recession.

BTW - There is a special place in Hell waiting for Madoff. His clubs in Florida and Long Island were prime recruiting places for his victims. As a member he managed to recruit victims including all his friends, his family and numerous charities.

[quote name='werthan' post='2132888' date='Dec 18 2009, 08:01 PM'][quote name='johnnylongball' post='2126563' date='Dec 15 2009, 12:00 PM']We recently had a new club open that is pretty much in the middle of this price range so I've been considering joining it.[/quote]

Out of curiosity, what is the new club?
[/quote]

Westhaven GC. It's in the Franklin area and I live in Midtown.

Clubs in Florida aren't hurting as much as public courses. Normally in season public courses down here raise their resident rates from $30-50 to $70-100, this year I've found several courses that did not increase resident rates for season.

Our club hasn't made any "deals" during the economic downturn, we have just stopped increasing our rates, fees, dues.

We will be joining another private country club in 2010 or 2011. Depends on when we buy another home and move. My wife and I love club life; not only are the golf conditions better, we love the tournaments and team play, all the social activities and tennis.

Private clubs are about so much more than simply calculating ones cost per round to determine if joining is "worth it." Traditionally, those who stand to enjoy the private club experience the most are those who develop an appreciation for the intangible benefits that aren't readily apparent to those who have not lived it. This is often hard to understand if you haven't belonged to one, or like me, were not privileged enough to grow up in a private club environment.

My wife and I went out on a limb and joined our club when we were in our mid twenties. We could barely afford it then and had to make many sacrifices in order to swing it. Over the years, we have grown with the club, developed a social life that centers around our many friends from the club and have really learned to appreciate it all. My wife doesn't golf much but enjoys the social life and even has chaired some big charitable fundraising efforts through the club. We have 2 daughters, 13 and 10, who have enjoyed many wonderful times there, although only my 10 year old plays golf. About 5 years ago we bought a new home within 5 minutes of the club. There is nothing like getting home from work and heading over for a few holes or some short game practice with my daughter.

Besides enjoying the time with friends and family, there are many other benefits if one is so inclined. The networking opportunities are endless both personally and professionally. I have had the opportunity to play some of the best golf courses around the country as a result of contacts at or through my club, and if I l were to lose my job tomorrow, I would be able to find work by week's end through contacts there. I have been witness to many investment/business successes and failures over the years from which I have learned a great deal. Unlike most other activities, golf transcends age, and there is a lot to be learned from those with more life experience.

Given the current depressed economic conditions, there are great opportunities to become a private club member at a fraction of the historical cost. If you have the means, join the right club and you will have an experience like no other, all the while enjoying the game you love with others who share your passion.

So many posts in this thread talk about deals being offered by certain clubs, or not, by others. This begs a simple question; how does one find about these deals? There are a ton of courses around me, private and public. Enough that I played 60 rounds and didn't play any course more than eight times. I could make a membership 'pay', but my wife and I just recently joined a non-golf private tennis club just for the pool, because all the private courses near me are six-figure initiations ( and try as I might, I couldn't make that pay ).

Other than knowing a member, how do you find these clubs looking for members?

-member looking for a club

I think you have to find a middle-of-the-road club. The ones you seem to know about fall into the high-end category.

There's one near me that has a full-membership of $6000 + $1000 initiation fee. Pretty reasonable when you consider some other clubs that have initiation fees of almost 6-figures. They were advertising in the local paper to join in Sept. and get the rest of 2009 for free. Didn't do it because of my job situation.

I too fell into the trap of trying to justify a membership based on the cost per round. But that's not why you join a private club. If my job situation straightens out by next summer, I'll consider joining if they have the same deal in September. If not, then maybe in 2011.

[quote name='David Hillman' post='2136995' date='Dec 21 2009, 01:24 PM']So many posts in this thread talk about deals being offered by certain clubs, or not, by others. This begs a simple question; how does one find about these deals? There are a ton of courses around me, private and public. Enough that I played 60 rounds and didn't play any course more than eight times. I could make a membership 'pay', but my wife and I just recently joined a non-golf private tennis club just for the pool, because all the private courses near me are six-figure initiations ( and try as I might, I couldn't make that pay ).

Other than knowing a member, how do you find these clubs looking for members?

-member looking for a club[/quote]
Most clubs have web-sites with "guest" sections where you should be able to obtain the contact information for their membership coordinator. I would start by contacting the clubs that look interesting to you via email and make inquiry as to membership options, rates, special incentives, etc. After you narrow it down to those you like and can afford, I would visit each personally. Most places will give prospective members a free round.

Keep in mind that some (especially older member-owned clubs) may require you to go through an interview and/or be sponsored by an existing member in good standing. They are all different, so you should be able to find something that suits you if you put the time into your search.

True about the "more than" golf aspect of joining a club.

I'm not super inclined to hang out at the club all that often, but do find myself eating and drinking in the bar/restaurant after a round, and playing around the putting green...

My wife doesn't play, has no interest in really playing, although she has a set of clubs.. Pool, and work out stuff, she'll do.. Social.. maybe, but only with me there...

So for me, golf is the #1 reason I WANT to join, and the who majority of the cost I figure into joining.

If I can play the course for $50 a pop, and play 4 times a month, and the dues are $300, then to me.. I don't care how great the people are.. They aren't worth the $100 extra I spend to see them 4 times a month.

[quote name='David Hillman' post='2136995' date='Dec 21 2009, 12:24 PM']So many posts in this thread talk about deals being offered by certain clubs, or not, by others. This begs a simple question; how does one find about these deals? There are a ton of courses around me, private and public. Enough that I played 60 rounds and didn't play any course more than eight times. I could make a membership 'pay', but my wife and I just recently joined a non-golf private tennis club just for the pool, because all the private courses near me are six-figure initiations ( and try as I might, I couldn't make that pay ).

Other than knowing a member, how do you find these clubs looking for members?

-member looking for a club[/quote]

I play at private clubs in multiple states and was a member of two different private clubs. For the most part nicer private country clubs don't advertise available discounts when advertising that open memberships are available. I suggest you visit the club and talk to membership. And, whether or not potential candidates hear about those discounts has much to do with what they think of you. Reason it's that much easier if you know a member. Also keep in mind there are still many clubs that have plenty of members and are reasonably health.

[quote name='pepperturbo']And, whether or not potential candidates hear about those discounts has much to do with what they think of you. Reason it's that much easier if you know a member. Also keep in mind there are still many clubs that have plenty of members and are reasonably health.[/quote] Oh I know, the huge majority around here seem to be doing fine. I've been randomly-grouped with a couple people who are either members, or work at, the three clubs closest to my house and all three seem to be doing great with their mortgage-sized initiations. I never seem to meet anyone from a club that's struggling, and seeking new members. That's why I'm surprised to hear about all these deals available elsewhere.

Thanks.

I'm not sure where you guys are from, but I live in central New Jersey and know of plenty of private clubs that have lowered their initiations or equity buy-ins substantially and are offering creative payment options in an effort to attract new members. I have also observed a resurgence of young executive memberships, junior memberships and various associate type memberships, all designed to attract new/prospective members. I also know of several very high end clubs where the members are stuck and bound by a membership contract. They have paid as much as 100k to get in, but risk losing it all should they walk away and stop paying dues because the membership is not "full." I know 2 places where you can assume another member's dues for a year (and enjoy full member privileges) as a result of the above circumstances.

Although the "old school" prestigious clubs in the central NJ/Philly area are suffering less, probably because they've been around for so long that they have little debt and as member owned clubs, they don't need to turn a profit. That said, their one time forever-long waiting lists have become substantially shorter. In fact, a friend of mine took advantage of that and was able to get into one of the most prestigious clubs in the Philly section this season. Interestingly, many of the most coveted and exclusive clubs are not very expensive, but have historically just been ridiculously tough to get into and require that you be sponsored by a member and go through a rigorous selection process.

[quote name='dpb5031']I'm not sure where you guys are from, but I live in central New Jersey
and know of plenty of private clubs that have lowered their initiations
or equity buy-ins substantially and are offering creative payment
options in an effort to attract new members.[/quote]

To give you an idea of how far in the opposite direction the environment near Chicago is, they are actually __building new clubs__ here.

[url="http://www.chicagohighlands.com/golfClubMembership.php"]http://www.chicagohighlands.com/golfClubMembership.php[/url]

Within 5 miles of that club are at least six other clubs with similar pricetags.

That's about $225 million in initiation fees within a roughly 30 square mile area ( $7.5M per mile^2! )

[quote name='FATC1TY' post='2137240' date='Dec 21 2009, 03:46 PM']True about the "more than" golf aspect of joining a club.

I'm not super inclined to hang out at the club all that often, but do find myself eating and drinking in the bar/restaurant after a round, and playing around the putting green...

My wife doesn't play, has no interest in really playing, although she has a set of clubs.. Pool, and work out stuff, she'll do.. Social.. maybe, but only with me there...

So for me, golf is the #1 reason I WANT to join, and the who majority of the cost I figure into joining.

If I can play the course for $50 a pop, and play 4 times a month, and the dues are $300, then to me.. I don't care how great the people are.. They aren't worth the $100 extra I spend to see them 4 times a month.[/quote]

Exact same situation here! We live in downtown Atlanta which means the options are East Lake, (funny, they're not returning my calls... ) Druid Hills, or Ansley, which are out of my budget at the moment. My wife does not play either, and does not have much interest in playing. The social aspects she'd enjoy, the pool, etc., but she's not going to drive 40+ minutes (nor would I want her to!) just to go to the pool. That does not make any sense.

Plus, I'm not altogether certain how long my career situation will allow me to stay in Atlanta. The big problem is location though - I just can't see myself joining a club unless it is CLOSE. There are some great deals out there right now - the best deal at the best course is probably at Rivermont. That is a really strong golf course, but I don't know much about the rest of the club aspects there. I think even Golf Club of GA has made huge cuts in their initiation fees, and Country Club of the South is now in receivership.

Have you ever played Brookfield or Indian Hills?

[quote name='David Hillman' post='2136995' date='Dec 21 2009, 01:24 PM']Other than knowing a member, how do you find these clubs looking for members?

-member looking for a club[/quote]

Look on their websites...ask other golfers you know who may have looked into it themselves...call the club and ask for the membership director. Based on a friend's recent experience at a pretty stuffy old-line club, even the "must be sponsored by a member, have 5 letters of recommendation" thing can be blown through quickly in today's economy. He thought he didn't know anyone at the club, so he sat down with the membership director and paged through the club roster. Turns out his dentist was a member and he didn't even know it. Membership director talked to the dentist, dentist sponsored him and had 5 of his buddies write letters, and he was in.

Do any of you guys have ClubCorp near you? Many of the private courses here are owned by ClubCorp, but maybe it's only a southern thing. You can play all of their courses, but most of them are fairly scattered and would be a 1+ hour drive away. Still, these aren't the high-end courses in Houston either. I haven't checked lately, but a friend of mine recently paid about $25K to join Brae Burn CC, so apparently the economy hasn't hit us all that hard.

In any case, I have not joined because the one course I would like to join is about 30 minutes from my house. Adding an hour onto getting out to the practice facility would just not work, and I know I wouldn't take advantage of it like I would want to. I'll keep paying per-round fees until the right club (near enough to my house) is available.

[quote name='David Hillman' post='2139332' date='Dec 22 2009, 06:21 PM'][quote name='dpb5031']I'm not sure where you guys are from, but I live in central New Jersey
and know of plenty of private clubs that have lowered their initiations
or equity buy-ins substantially and are offering creative payment
options in an effort to attract new members.[/quote]

To give you idea of how far in the opposite direction the environment near Chicago is, they are actually __building new clubs__ here.

[url="http://www.chicagohighlands.com/golfClubMembership.php"]http://www.chicagohighlands.com/golfClubMembership.php[/url]

Within 5 miles of that club are at least six other clubs with similar pricetags.

That's about $225 million in initiation fees within a roughly 30 square mile area ( $7.5M per mile^2! )
[/quote]
Wow, that's quite a few new club projects, but I wonder how are they doing with membership sales? There are new clubs here in NJ also with some pretty lofty ambitions, but many have had to alter their plans or change strategies in the near term to deal with the economy unless the original investors have very deep pockets and can afford to wait it out and get by with less than optimal membership numbers. By no means do I have any knowledge of the greater Chicago area so forgive me if I'm dead wrong, but I would really be surprised if in this economy all of those new clubs are having great success attracting new members for the full published freight.

Remember, high-end clubs have to be very careful and discreet about [b]LOWERING[/b] their "buy-ins" and are unlikely to publish same on their website or advertise it publicly. They have to be considerate of the members who joined for the full amount in recent years. You usually don't find out about the attractive and creative options until you make serious inquiry. They often will create different layers or tiers of membership to give those who have already paid the premium a feeling of exclusivity and not feel as if they got screwed. Creative financing and one year trial type options also seem to be popular.

The discreet pricing is the key I think.

I got an e-mail from a large club that is around 23 courses deep, has pretty darn nice courses and good reciprocal rates for alot of other courses and clubs.. She told me $0 to join, 1st month is free... lowered rates this year. After Dec 31, you'll need to front the smaller entry fee of around $3000.

[quote name='mrhills0146' post='2139458' date='Dec 22 2009, 07:44 PM'][quote name='FATC1TY' post='2137240' date='Dec 21 2009, 03:46 PM']True about the "more than" golf aspect of joining a club.

I'm not super inclined to hang out at the club all that often, but do find myself eating and drinking in the bar/restaurant after a round, and playing around the putting green...

My wife doesn't play, has no interest in really playing, although she has a set of clubs.. Pool, and work out stuff, she'll do.. Social.. maybe, but only with me there...

So for me, golf is the #1 reason I WANT to join, and the who majority of the cost I figure into joining.

If I can play the course for $50 a pop, and play 4 times a month, and the dues are $300, then to me.. I don't care how great the people are.. They aren't worth the $100 extra I spend to see them 4 times a month.[/quote]

Exact same situation here! We live in downtown Atlanta which means the options are East Lake, (funny, they're not returning my calls... ) Druid Hills, or Ansley, which are out of my budget at the moment. My wife does not play either, and does not have much interest in playing. The social aspects she'd enjoy, the pool, etc., but she's not going to drive 40+ minutes (nor would I want her to!) just to go to the pool. That does not make any sense.

Plus, I'm not altogether certain how long my career situation will allow me to stay in Atlanta. The big problem is location though - I just can't see myself joining a club unless it is CLOSE. There are some great deals out there right now - the best deal at the best course is probably at Rivermont. That is a really strong golf course, but I don't know much about the rest of the club aspects there. I think even Golf Club of GA has made huge cuts in their initiation fees, and Country Club of the South is now in receivership.

Have you ever played Brookfield or Indian Hills?
[/quote]

Do any of them offer "trial Memberships?" In order to recruit new members, one of the courses in Hartford is deferring the initiation fee for a year. From what I have heard, they are not in "that much" trouble. They feel that people will enjoy the experience and stay on.