Cal Club Membership? (SF Bay Area)

cardinal22 · March 26, 2019

Hi guys,

Been a Bay Area resident for awhile now and had the opportunity to play the Cal Club, quite a few years ago now, for a charity event and loved it. At the point of my life now where I might be able to potentially join a club in the area and Cal Club would be top of my list. Unfortunately, I don't know any members, even through friends of friends, so thought I would throw it out there to see if anyone on here is either a member or knows of one who wouldn't mind chatting? Thanks greatly for any help.

Schley · April 2, 2019

Your best bet is pretty simple, as Golfwrx isn't a place to network for a place like Cal Club.

1. Join a lesser club where you can get in without knowing members in the Bay Area.

2. Start to increase your golfing network drastically. It has to be a focus for you as that is how things happen. Join the Outpost Club or Thousand Greens after membership somewhere etc.

Higher end clubs rely on their members recommendations almost exclusively and probably always will.

carrera · April 3, 2019

I know a few Cal Club members. I will disagree with the above advice - joining another club in the area isn't going to help, and joining a remote club like the ones listed will help even less. You just need **one** member friend who will work to get you a membership there - by taking you out there, introducing you to other members, and eventually shepherding your membership through the process. That's the way it works there, and most other places, regardless of standing. One member can make a difference, if he is willing to do the work to get you "networked" in the club and through the process.

Getting that one friend - that's the hard part.

Several years ago Cal Club was significantly easier to join - things have changed (and so has its membership).

Schley · April 3, 2019

> @carrera said:

> I know a few Cal Club members. I will disagree with the above advice - joining another club in the area isn't going to help, and joining a remote club like the ones listed will help even less. You just need **one** member friend who will work to get you a membership there - by taking you out there, introducing you to other members, and eventually shepherding your membership through the process. That's the way it works there, and most other places, regardless of standing. One member can make a difference, if he is willing to do the work to get you "networked" in the club and through the process.

> Getting that one friend - that's the hard part.

> Several years ago Cal Club was significantly easier to join - things have changed (and so has its membership).

We can disagree, because my suggestion is all about building his network to meet members. Friends of friends at private clubs will know Cal Club members etc. Networking is part of anyone looking to get a job, by increasing your network and creating relationships with people who know you, that doens't happen without starting.

duffer987 · April 3, 2019

I think taking the opinion of someone dialed into the Bay Area scene for decades takes precedence over generic networking platitudes 101.

carrera · April 4, 2019

Thanks, Duffer...you can't "network" your way into places like Cal Club (or other Bay Area clubs like SFGC, or Burlingame, or Claremont, or Orinda, or Meadow Club). And any Thousand Greens member from one of those clubs has deflector shields out for any local resident who seems intent on just doing membership networking. You need a _real_ friend at the club who wants to do the heavy lifting to sponsor your membership (which isn't just writing a letter...it is real work).

I'm sorry I don't have better advice for the OP....years ago (right after the club took on a ton of debt to do the restoration, and lost a lot of old members), Cal Club was much easier to join. Now, **much** less so. I'm playing with my club in a home and away at Cal Club in about a month and I will post here if anything I've said above is not correct.

Schley · April 4, 2019

I don't need anyone to co sign my posts to make them mean more. I am a member of a few clubs and in each instance I knew 1 friend to get me into the process. That idea isn't novel. What is unique is how I met each of those buddies, which was networking (not golf related btw) and we shared a mutual love of golf. Fast forward a couple years and of course friends all want to help out other friends, isn't that what a friend is after all? Thus, I don't see anything different in that you need a buddy to get the process going, but how do you establish that?

Some people are in industries where coworkers, customers, bosses, etc. are golfers at private clubs. Lawyers, private equity, finance, etc. Particularly in major metropolitan areas (NY, Chicago, Boston, SF, etc.). If you aren't in those industries in those major metro areas, it just means it will take longer. Give it time and let it be known to your friends and golf buddies you are looking to join XYZ etc. Already having been a member of a lesser club is part of that networking. This isn't unique to SF either and would be some advice for anyone getting started. I'm not looking to join any more clubs right now, but have played in over 50 charity rounds in the last 7-8 years (including Cal Club btw). That is a great way to get introduced to at least one member, who almost always are great guys for they put a round up for charity and serve as great hosts.

Good luck as although you may have to be patient, the journey will be fun.

raynorfan1 · April 4, 2019

I think what Carrera and others are pointing out is that there has been a real bifurcation in clubs that has been fluid over time. In the major metro markets there are a small handful of courses that "networking" is not going to get you into, except potentially over a very long period of time. The admissions process is just too big a pain in the rear to go through for anybody except a very close, long term friend. There is another set of clubs where you just need to know a guy, especially if it's the "right" guy. Cal Club (from what I understand) has - particularly since the renovation - gone from the latter to the former. It's one of the three most desirable clubs in a superheated metro area and is almost certainly one of the ~30 or so hardest clubs to get into in the country.

cardinal22 · April 8, 2019

OP here. I really appreciate all of the comments and suggestions. I think a lot of them are spot on. I was able to get out for a round at the club this past week through a friend of a friend of a friend and he echoed similar thoughts--membership, especially for the under 40 category, is much more of a challenge now. Instead of worrying about that, I just tried to enjoy every minute of being out there, and I did.