Private Club Membership - How far away is too far away?

[deadsolid...shank]

You'd be surprised how valuable even an extra 30 minutes becomes once you have kids. Especially once they get involved in their own activities ...

I have two kids and one is 13. It isn’t a factor. To me this is simple, either I have time to play or I don’t. An extra 30 minutes makes no difference in that equation as far as I can tell. An average round at my club takes 3:45. 20-23 minutes to get there. Warm up for 20-30. 20-23 to get back. I’m usually gone 5:00-5:15 give or take. If it were 5:15-5:30 or 4:45-5:00 instead I would play exactly 0 more rounds/year.

 

Here’s where it makes a difference. I’m not interested in playing a few holes before or after work. Many people are and I get that. That part makes sense. The only time I play less than 18 is when I have a kid with me. :)

 

That’s my main issue. Kids are not a factor but I really like being able to pop in and play three or four holes, or hit a half bucket of balls. That’s doable at five minutes (or less), probably not at 30.

[hangontight]

You'd be surprised how valuable even an extra 30 minutes becomes once you have kids. Especially once they get involved in their own activities ...

I have two kids and one is 13. It isn’t a factor. To me this is simple, either I have time to play or I don’t. An extra 30 minutes makes no difference in that equation as far as I can tell. An average round at my club takes 3:45. 20-23 minutes to get there. Warm up for 20-30. 20-23 to get back. I’m usually gone 5:00-5:15 give or take. If it were 5:15-5:30 or 4:45-5:00 instead I would play exactly 0 more rounds/year.

 

Here’s where it makes a difference. I’m not interested in playing a few holes before or after work. Many people are and I get that. That part makes sense. The only time I play less than 18 is when I have a kid with me. :)

 

Exactly, and that was my point. For a full round, no the 30 minutes doesn’t make a difference in me playing or not. BUT at this stage in my life with the kids I would get the most use of a membership on the range/practice and “quick 9s” (or less ).

 

Certainly where you live plays a big part too - traffic, convenience to work, school, etc..

[bazinky]

You'd be surprised how valuable even an extra 30 minutes becomes once you have kids. Especially once they get involved in their own activities ...

I have two kids and one is 13. It isn't a factor. To me this is simple, either I have time to play or I don't. An extra 30 minutes makes no difference in that equation as far as I can tell. An average round at my club takes 3:45. 20-23 minutes to get there. Warm up for 20-30. 20-23 to get back. I'm usually gone 5:00-5:15 give or take. If it were 5:15-5:30 or 4:45-5:00 instead I would play exactly 0 more rounds/year.

 

Here's where it makes a difference. I'm not interested in playing a few holes before or after work. Many people are and I get that. That part makes sense. The only time I play less than 18 is when I have a kid with me. :)

 

Exactly, and that was my point. For a full round, no the 30 minutes doesn't make a difference in me playing or not. BUT at this stage in my life with the kids I would get the most use of a membership on the range/practice and "quick 9s" (or less ).

 

Certainly where you live plays a big part too - traffic, convenience to work, school, etc..

 

I understand your points, but for myself an extra 30 minutes makes a huge difference. I agree that the primary benefit is for getting in a range session or few quick holes. One of the best parts about my club is that it has about several different walkable 3-4 hole loops that end up back at the clubhouse, which is great for when your limited on time or aren't sure exactly how long you can play.

 

That extra little bit of time also gets me at least one extra round of golf a month in season. Although pace of play is usually quite good at my course, I'm just not comfortable playing unless I know I have a sufficient buffer between when I'm going to finish and when I need to pick my daughter up. For full 18-hole rounds, if I know that in the worst case I'm finishing an 45 minutes to an hour before I need to be somewhere I'm playing. If I'm possibly finishing only 30 minutes before I know I need to be somewhere, I'm probably just going to practice if I do decide to do anything golf-related.

[hypergolf]

Update from my end. I have decided to go with the Eastern Golf Course (30 mins drive) I brought my family along before deciding and my wife approved due to its facilities and scenic view of the course. There is children's playroom and she can picture herself hanging at the club house with her friends and babies from time to time. When I play 18 holes it would usually take 3.5 hours anyway then some socializing etc so we didn't find that extra 30 mins on the road round trip was not an important factor. At the end of the day I chose a club which I was proud to be part of and support.