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Is joining a country club worth it?


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So recently I have been considering joining one of the many country clubs in my area after playing a round with a few members at a local club. I had always assumed that country clubs cost somewhere in the realms of $20k+ just to get initiated and $600 a month after, but was surprised to hear that the members at the local club said they offer Jr. memberships with initiation costs as low as $1k and monthly dues under $300. Simply doing the math on how much I spend on golf a month, I usually average around $320, and more if I decide to play some of the really nice courses in the area. After a little bit of research and contact with one of the nice local clubs I found a very nice club with a maximum of 380 members with $1200 initiation fee and $280 a month for Jr members. At the age of 24 I quality for the Jr membership for another 11 years and it is within my price range.

 

This all sounds great to me, but I would like to know form other possible Jr members or equity members of country clubs, is it worth it to play at the same course (albeit a nice, non crowded course) over and over again? Is it worth it if you can only play full rounds during the weekl, or are weekend warriors such as myself going to find these kind of clubs to be a good value and worth the investment? My knowledge of country club life is non-existent as I have never known anyone who was a member of one, so any insight would be helpful.

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I'm not a junior nor a member anywhere. That said, there's no way I could join a club. I like playing as many as 4-5 courses on a regular basis. I do play at one of those more then the others but I really like playing different courses all the time. If I joined a club I'd feel as though I had to get my monies worth and play that course all the time. That sounds very boring to me.

Can't join a club!!

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I would say that, if you are considering joining a country club to save money per round, you are not going to be happy. You join a country club because you enjoy being a member of a club. This includes using the other facilities, such as the locker room, the pool and the dining options. You also will need to enjoy the other members, as that is who you will be playing most of your golf with. Unless you are joining with 3 other buddies, you will be playing with new people. There are many benefits to being a member, but rarely does it involve saving money.

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[quote name='hef63303' timestamp='1313611598' post='3496688']
I would say that, if you are considering joining a country club to save money per round, you are not going to be happy. You join a country club because you enjoy being a member of a club. This includes using the other facilities, such as the locker room, the pool and the dining options. You also will need to enjoy the other members, as that is who you will be playing most of your golf with. Unless you are joining with 3 other buddies, you will be playing with new people. There are many benefits to being a member, but rarely does it involve saving money.
[/quote]

Well said. BUT...sometimes juniors can get in really, really cheaply.....

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One caution. Add up the numbers to see if you can afford to join. Then forget the numbers.

If you go adding up the total money spent on private club membership and divide it by the number of rounds you play, the resulting number looks like a "bad deal" on a cost per round basis compared to the alternatives. Our club's costs are quite reasonable and I do play a lot of rounds but still, playing at various public options around the area would work out to maybe a third the cost per round.

It's a qualitatively different experience. For me a "round of golf" isn't a "round of golf". Playing at my club every week I know that I love the course, I have people I like to play with frequently and I'm treated the way I like to be treated. And no, that doesn't mean "high touch" service being waited on hand and foot, although some clubs are like that. It means a low hassle, friendly environment where everyone generally acts like a grown-up (although 95% of the people I've met at daily fee courses are great, some of those other 5% are pretty darned annoying).

So if you can make the finances work, do it. It's a great way to enjoy the game. If not, in a lot of areas the public golf options are also fine. Especially once you settle in to playing regularly at a well-run daily fee operation. And public-course golfers always have the advantage of knowing they're getting a better deal money-wise!

P.S. To directly answer the other part of your question, I am more than happy to play about 80 rounds per year at my home course. In addition to the 15-20 I play "away" per year. If it's a course with reasonably interesting green complexes, there's many years of challenge just to learning all the subtleties of getting the most out of your game on a course you know well. Some people value variety more but if I play a couple of new "away" courses per year plus visit a couple of familiar favorites on vacation I'm good.

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Yes its worth it if - the layout is challenging and exciting enough to keep you interested, and you can grow with the course. I like difficult courses that you can feel like you are playing a differnt place depending on how you play that day like trent jones tracks. That being said, you will need to interview the membership as well to make sure they are the group you want to play poker with etc and hang out with on the course. Lots of good options and you are in the drivers seat - good luck!


BTW - At 24 i hope you are putting away an equal 300 a month in your 401k to allow you to play golf later in life too; always invest in yourself first before 'things'

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[quote name='hef63303' timestamp='1313611598' post='3496688']
I would say that, if you are considering joining a country club to save money per round, you are not going to be happy. You join a country club because you enjoy being a member of a club. This includes using the other facilities, such as the locker room, the pool and the dining options. You also will need to enjoy the other members, as that is who you will be playing most of your golf with. Unless you are joining with 3 other buddies, you will be playing with new people. There are many benefits to being a member, but rarely does it involve saving money.
[/quote]

Saving money by joining a club had never entered my mind until I found out how cheaply I could get in as a Jr. I also would be able to drop my $80 a month gym membership since the club has a full workout facility. Probably the largest perk would be, being able to play golf in the morning on the weekends and not having to pay $75 per round like all the courses in my general area. I have become somewhat of a twilight only golfer since I started playing again, and almost never get to play a round where it is almost dark when I am on the last tee. Paying weekend morning rates at any course in my area more than 4 times a month would already be more than the cost of the monthly dues, but would come with 5+ hour rounds with less then great course conditions and layouts.

Anyways the membership director has arranged a tee time for me on Sunday along with a course tour, so I hope the course is a great as people have said it is!

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[quote name='Swingie' timestamp='1313612114' post='3496727']
Yes its worth it if - the layout is challenging and exciting enough to keep you interested, and you can grow with the course. I like difficult courses that you can feel like you are playing a differnt place depending on how you play that day like trent jones tracks. That being said, you will need to interview the membership as well to make sure they are the group you want to play poker with etc and hang out with on the course. Lots of good options and you are in the drivers seat - good luck!


BTW - At 24 i hope you are putting away an equal 300 a month in your 401k to allow you to play golf later in life too; always invest in yourself first before 'things'
[/quote]

I actually worked at a Trent Jones Jr. track called Rancho San Marcos a few years ago, and the layout there was so great, I could play it 5 times a week and each round would feel unique because the layout was so perfect! Unfortunately I live too far and it is much too expensive to play regularly.

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My friends and I used to love playing a different course every time we got together to play. I've always thought "it would be so nice to be a member at a club, but I could never afford it". Then the country club 1.5 miles down the road from my house had a special with no initial fee and an unlimited plan I couldnt pass on. So 2 of us jumped on it.

Ive been there a year and a half now and still love it. I thought I would get bored of playing the same course, but I really dont. The other side of the coin is, you get to really know the course, try different approaches on different rounds, practice that one hole that really doesnt "fit your eye" and just feel like it is "your" course. I join my friends once in a while when they want to play other courses, and my friends come play at my course too. Plus I've made SOOO many more golfing buddies, and there are regular groups on Saturday and Sunday mornings, plus weekday groups too. Friendly 9-hole evening scrambles once a week, and all sorts of social games throughout the year. I can go after work and play 9 or 18 or 6 or 14 holes and not feel like I paid for a full round and need to get my moneys worth. And finally, it is never over-crowded and way behind on tee times, and i can pretty much walk on and find an opening or a group to play with any time.

As others have mentioned, feeling like part of a club is something you also factor into the cost. Along with good, cheap food and drink, and the same "grown up" people to associate with. Plus, the members treat teh course and facilities well since it is "their" course.

Well worth my money in my opinion, you wont be disappointed.

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In my opinion, you should be joining for one of 2 reasons -- either all of your friends belong or you really, REALLY like the course. You can not know many people at a club and have a great time if the course is fun and challenging. Likewise, the course could be a goat path, but if most of what you're doing is hanging out with friends, it's not going to make much of a difference.

There are also other (potential) benefits -- course might not be as crowded, free practice facilities, etc.

I joined a course nearby a couple of years ago -- only lasted about a year. I joined because not many people I worked with were golfers, and none of my friends/neighbors played. I wanted to meet some more golfers, and since the only courses within half an hour of my house are all private, I decided to give one a shot.

Met a lot of great people, and the club actually had 2 courses, so you could usually get out anytime on one of them, but I just wasn't thrilled with the layouts of the courses. Too many quirky holes, and just an odd setup overall. The only things I really liked about the place were some of the people I met and the fact that it was about 7 minutes door-to-door for me to get there.

In the end, it just wasn't enough for me to stay. I miss the weeknight men's club scrambles and some of the tournaments, but other than that I just didn't feel like I was getting much out of the place.

If you have a bunch of friends who golf, try to get them to join with you -- I know that some courses will work with you on a better deal (free carts for a year, proshop vouchers, etc.) if you come with a whole group that want to join. And, as I said at the beginning, it really helps if you love the course.

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I went through a lot of these same thoughts about a year and half ago. I will say that you need to look at what you can truly afford and not just the monthly dues. I realized that the monthly dues are only about 1/2 of my monthly bill. Other things can quickly add up such as tournament fees, guest fees, dinners, drinks, apparel(and yes, you can get by without spending much additional depending on how closely you watch it). The course I belong to has a locker room fee, bag storage fee, mill river fee, etc... I also notice I buy more apparel because of the reasonable prices with the mill river and the ease of purchasing.

All that being said, I would not trade it for the world. I did not have a lot of buddies in the area that played golf as serious as I do and so it was not a situation where I was leaving a group of friends behind to go play at a club. I have met a lot of great golfers at all ages. Every weekend I can find a very competitive game, whether sponsored by the club or just good golfers getting together to play for money. I have noticed that my game has gotten better under pressure because you are always playing for something.

With a low or 0 initiation I would say give it a try. If you do not like it you are not out much, but I am confident if it is not too much of a financial burden you will love it.

And last, like others have said, you need to enjoy the course. I found a course that is old style with big trees, which is exactly what I enjoy playing.

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I joined a university course about 6 years ago and to me the "worth" is the fact that I can fit in 18 holes after work because nobody is out there. It's a difficult course, so I don't get bored with it, and I also pay per round, so I don't feel like if I play somewhere else that I'm just throwing money away.

If it weren't for the fact that I can play 18 after work, I probably wouldn't belong there.

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Love being at a private club. The best thing I've ever done with my cash. Walk on whenever, always able to get a game. And once your in a club you don't have to play the same course over and over. Your pro can call just about any area CC club and get you on for a cart fee. So you actually will have access to better courses.

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[quote name='invulse' timestamp='1313612614' post='3496754']
[quote name='hef63303' timestamp='1313611598' post='3496688']
I would say that, if you are considering joining a country club to save money per round, you are not going to be happy. You join a country club because you enjoy being a member of a club. This includes using the other facilities, such as the locker room, the pool and the dining options. You also will need to enjoy the other members, as that is who you will be playing most of your golf with. Unless you are joining with 3 other buddies, you will be playing with new people. There are many benefits to being a member, but rarely does it involve saving money.
[/quote]

Saving money by joining a club had never entered my mind until I found out how cheaply I could get in as a Jr. I also would be able to drop my $80 a month gym membership since the club has a full workout facility. Probably the largest perk would be, being able to play golf in the morning on the weekends and not having to pay $75 per round like all the courses in my general area. I have become somewhat of a twilight only golfer since I started playing again, and almost never get to play a round where it is almost dark when I am on the last tee. Paying weekend morning rates at any course in my area more than 4 times a month would already be more than the cost of the monthly dues, but would come with 5+ hour rounds with less then great course conditions and layouts.

Anyways the membership director has arranged a tee time for me on Sunday along with a course tour, so I hope the course is a great as people have said it is!
[/quote]
Hope it works out for you. Yes, a junior membership can be very affordable but my experience is that some hidden costs always comes up. And, at sone point, you will be asked to pony up the difference and, at that point, you may not want to go somewhere else.

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To me you cant pay enough to be able to walk onto an empty course after work around 6:30 pm and walk 9 holes in about an hour an 10 minutes! That and the fact that most weekend rounds at my club are accomplished in 4 hours or less. None of the public course 6 hour marathon rounds. As long as you have the time to use the membership and play golf, I think youll enjoy it. I know I have. If I ever get to the point where I drop my membership, it would be solely because I just dont have the time to play enough anymore.

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My club membership is one of the things in my life that I very much love. I know it's difficult to pull the trigger at first but for me, it's been 2 years since I first joined and I've never regretted it.

One example of what I love about a private club: Last Sunday, I was meeting guests at 11:15 AM for lunch and teeing off around noon. I got to the club early, around 7:30 AM to play an 18-hole practice round. There were 3 twosomes that just went off the front so I went off the back. After playing about 14 holes, I realized it was only 9:15 AM, I had 4 holes left and two hours left. To kill time, I jumped around to all the holes that gave me trouble. Never once did I hold anyone up or get in anyone's way. All in all, I played about 24 holes, some with several balls, and was done at 11:00 AM just in time to meet my guests for lunch and play another 18 holes.

The downsides are that my club doesn't have a range and without traffic, it's a 30-minute drive. With traffic, it's about a 90-minute drive so going before or after work isn't possible for me.

The friendships I've formed, the camaraderie, the tournaments and other amenities such as having a locker, an attendant that shines shoes and bag storage are priceless (well, some come with a fee).

I get invited to play other, much nicer courses but I always prefer to play my club. I've never gotten tired of playing one course.

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I joined a club several years ago that had a very nice course with a few perks (no gym, but tennis, pool, restaurant, and racquetball). This was the course I had grown up playing when it was a semi private or open course (anyone could pretty much play it whenever). It was the only course in within about 30 miles of where I lived. When I joined it was a private course that had upgraded its facilities and no longer let just anyone play. I found out that, after I had been out there playing, there was stuff that pretty much peed me off...

A couple diffrent types you may run into while playing....

[u]The playing membership[/u] - these are the folks that actually play. Within that there were several different stratas of players, cliques, etc. I fell in the young, single, very good player category that didnt have any trouble finding a game. However most games I found were with older retirees that thought they were better than everyone else at the club and were somewhat rude (think Judge Smails). I know, I know you run into that at country clubs but these people committed cardinal sins that hell has special places for. They wouldnt let anyone play thru. They would play sixsomes and sevensomes. They didnt repair pitch marks on the greens. I didnt play with them much.

At 8 AM and 1 PM each day about 10-30 of these would tee off about half on the front, half on the back. If I wasnt playing in that group, I was screwed and couldnt play through. Even asking would bring about a "no" or a "what are you asking me that for" look.

[u]The non playing membership[/u] - these are the folks that dont really play golf but for some reason want to go out to the course to display their new outfit or to gossip and ride around. These are the players that suck really bad. This group is also made up of the playing membership's kids who are horrible golfers but because they are in middle school or high school use it as an excuse to kill time.

A late afternoon round? Yes unless you get behind some of those mentioned above that would happen occasionally.

I decided to make use of some of the perks and play tennis one day and that is also made up of a couple diffent types that I dont feel like writing about.

What else I learned...

See if there is any trial basis or something along those lines. That gym at the club may appear nice but will you be able to use it or will you have the recently divorced rich cougar in there with her girlfriends not really working out but taking up valuable space. Pools? Can you use the pool or will you have 30-40 brats running about wrecking pure havoc becauses mom isnt paying them any attention as she is on the prowl or busy gossiping in the restaurant, or in the gym doing the above? Does this pool have curfew? Restaurant? Turns out the restaurant at this club was not very good. The only thing they had good was chicken fingers and of course, beer. Nice dinner with a girl? No. If this is something that means alot to you, try it out. May save you some grief from bringing a date and her having a horrible time.

Guest policy? Do you have to be with your guest? Can you call for them and set it up for them do their thing, etc? How do they treat guests? At my former club they treated them like second class citizens. Not overly mean but like the guest was a bother to them. I didnt like that. I wasnt out there for socializing but to get in my golf and bring buddies when possible.

Finally ask yourself is this what you want to pay for every month? Good golf? The club I was at had a good golf course and was fun when I didnt have to deal with the *****s. Is your course something that you would want to play often? Challenging? Ultimately you want a good course for a good value! You also want to occasionally get out there for a quick round in the afternoons or morning. Or after watching the final round of the British!!!

I left because after about three years I found myself playing other places and the dues at the former club kept getting raised. Good luck.

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[quote name='wingedfoot97' timestamp='1313647368' post='3498199']
I joined a club several years ago that had a very nice course with a few perks (no gym, but tennis, pool, restaurant, and racquetball). This was the course I had grown up playing when it was a semi private or open course (anyone could pretty much play it whenever). It was the only course in within about 30 miles of where I lived. When I joined it was a private course that had upgraded its facilities and no longer let just anyone play. I found out that, after I had been out there playing, there was stuff that pretty much peed me off...

A couple diffrent types you may run into while playing....

[u]The playing membership[/u] - these are the folks that actually play. Within that there were several different stratas of players, cliques, etc. I fell in the young, single, very good player category that didnt have any trouble finding a game. However most games I found were with older retirees that thought they were better than everyone else at the club and were somewhat rude (think Judge Smails). I know, I know you run into that at country clubs but these people committed cardinal sins that hell has special places for. They wouldnt let anyone play thru. They would play sixsomes and sevensomes. They didnt repair pitch marks on the greens. I didnt play with them much.

At 8 AM and 1 PM each day about 10-30 of these would tee off about half on the front, half on the back. If I wasnt playing in that group, I was screwed and couldnt play through. Even asking would bring about a "no" or a "what are you asking me that for" look.


[/quote]


I have always wondered how the people of a club would treat someone like myself who would be a really young member who is not affiliated with any current or previous member. It's safe to say that most people my age simply cannot afford something like this unless they come from money (which I do not), so I wonder whether or not the existing members would treat me with the same respect they treat each other, or would I be looked down upon since I am young and completely new.

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[quote name='wingedfoot97' timestamp='1313647368' post='3498199']
I joined a club several years ago that had a very nice course with a few perks (no gym, but tennis, pool, restaurant, and racquetball). This was the course I had grown up playing when it was a semi private or open course (anyone could pretty much play it whenever). It was the only course in within about 30 miles of where I lived. When I joined it was a private course that had upgraded its facilities and no longer let just anyone play. I found out that, after I had been out there playing, there was stuff that pretty much peed me off...

A couple diffrent types you may run into while playing....

[u]The playing membership[/u] - these are the folks that actually play. Within that there were several different stratas of players, cliques, etc. I fell in the young, single, very good player category that didnt have any trouble finding a game. However most games I found were with older retirees that thought they were better than everyone else at the club and were somewhat rude (think Judge Smails). I know, I know you run into that at country clubs but these people committed cardinal sins that hell has special places for. They wouldnt let anyone play thru. They would play sixsomes and sevensomes. They didnt repair pitch marks on the greens. I didnt play with them much.

At 8 AM and 1 PM each day about 10-30 of these would tee off about half on the front, half on the back. If I wasnt playing in that group, I was screwed and couldnt play through. Even asking would bring about a "no" or a "what are you asking me that for" look.

[u]The non playing membership[/u] - these are the folks that dont really play golf but for some reason want to go out to the course to display their new outfit or to gossip and ride around. These are the players that suck really bad. This group is also made up of the playing membership's kids who are horrible golfers but because they are in middle school or high school use it as an excuse to kill time.

A late afternoon round? Yes unless you get behind some of those mentioned above that would happen occasionally.

I decided to make use of some of the perks and play tennis one day and that is also made up of a couple diffent types that I dont feel like writing about.

What else I learned...

See if there is any trial basis or something along those lines. That gym at the club may appear nice but will you be able to use it or will you have the recently divorced rich cougar in there with her girlfriends not really working out but taking up valuable space. Pools? Can you use the pool or will you have 30-40 brats running about wrecking pure havoc becauses mom isnt paying them any attention as she is on the prowl or busy gossiping in the restaurant, or in the gym doing the above? Does this pool have curfew? Restaurant? Turns out the restaurant at this club was not very good. The only thing they had good was chicken fingers and of course, beer. Nice dinner with a girl? No. If this is something that means alot to you, try it out. May save you some grief from bringing a date and her having a horrible time.

Guest policy? Do you have to be with your guest? Can you call for them and set it up for them do their thing, etc? How do they treat guests? At my former club they treated them like second class citizens. Not overly mean but like the guest was a bother to them. I didnt like that. I wasnt out there for socializing but to get in my golf and bring buddies when possible.

Finally ask yourself is this what you want to pay for every month? Good golf? The club I was at had a good golf course and was fun when I didnt have to deal with the *****s. Is your course something that you would want to play often? Challenging? Ultimately you want a good course for a good value! You also want to occasionally get out there for a quick round in the afternoons or morning. Or after watching the final round of the British!!!

I left because after about three years I found myself playing other places and the dues at the former club kept getting raised. Good luck.
[/quote]

To be honest....well, you don't sound much different from Judge Smails yourself...just a younger, singler version. However, to each their own. Just remember those "horrifying juniors" are the future of the game and EVERY course has retired persons that play on Monday and Wednesdays.

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Have no idea about the young part, as I haven't been young to anyone except my grandmother in quite a while.

But when I joined the club where I'm now a member, I did not know anyone there well and only a couple of the members were even acquaintances. I just cold-called the membership director and asked to come out, see the course and talk to him about joining.

On the first visit, they totally welcomed me like I already belonged. First time I went back after joining, same thing. Every time since then. Hard to generalize from my one experience (well OK also from the one previous club I've belonged to) but I think at your typical country club a new member is just...well, a new member. Unless you do something to piss people off they'll be glad to have you.

The exception would be real big-money, old-money clubs or highly exclusive ones that you or I aren't even in the right league to join. Or maybe a plain old club that just happened to be really snooty and standoffish. I guess those exist, but not any place I've visited.

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I suppose that there will be the "Judge Smails" types at just about any club you go to. Some more, some less. You'll get a good feel when you play the course this weekend. Go early and sit in the grill or patio and simply look and listen to some conversations. Go to the range and do the same. Walk around and see how people treat you. Don't just get in and get out. Take in EVERYTHING because it's YOUR money on the line.

Some clubs are small and some are big. My club has ~1000 members so there's no way in hell i'll meet everyone. But everyone I run into I'll give a "hello", if I don't get a response or they don't even look at me (Judge Smails) i'll know where we stand. ;)

Good luck! If you decide to join i'm sure you'll get your money's worth and love it.

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For me, I've never minded playing just one course so that was never an issue. A few of the things I really enjoy about being in a club. First, the ability to go out whenever and walk 3, 5, 7, or 9 holes in an evening and be all by yourself (one of our 9s is set up so you can do this, and I know a lot of other courses that are similar). The other thing that I really enjoy, that I was iffy on when joining, was meeting so many different people and ending up in several different groups. Now, if I want to play during the weekends in the am, I email one group. if I want to play in the early afternoons on the weekends, I email another group, and all the guys are great and you end up hanging out with them off the course (plus I never have to worry about setting up games or tee times). I just had my membership jump from the junior to the regular and thought for a second whether it was worth the extra $$ and in the end I know it is as I get the best of both worlds. On one end I can enjoy a nice quiet evening on the course whenever I want and on the other end I can get in competitive games with good guys anytime I want (and I probably get 3-4 emails a week about guys wanting to play). It just opens up so many opportunities to play with new people.

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It sounds like there are a lot of perks in joining a club. Since I started playing golf, I have only had 1 group that I have ever regularly played with, so it would be nice to play regularly with new groups of people. (Plus the people I play with are usually lacking any kind of class, anger management or courtesy for the most part, so I could certainly do with some change on that part)

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I'm really considering one of these "junior executive" memberships at a nearby club. They have 27 holes and the club is 7 miles from where I live in the city. A few great public courses are just a little farther away, but are always packed to the brim during twilight, which is when I play the most. The appeal of getting 18 undisturbed holes in on a weeknight, and being back before dark, is almost too good to resist.

The [b]real[/b] kicker for me is unlimited access to practice facilities. The amount I spend on the range alone each month usually adds up to about a round, so in the long run I think I'll be getting my money's worth! My goal is to become a better golfer, and having access like that is key.

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Mizuno MP Fli Hi 21°, Recoil 110

MP-20 MMC  5-P, DG X100
SM8 50F, 54S, 58M (X7 "spinners")
Odyssey Eleven S
Tour BX

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To me joining a club allows you the flexibility with your game. You can play 18 after work, or heck you can play 3 holes after work and hit some balls at the range.

To me it is the convenience and having a track that I love to play every day.

Ping G425 LST w Accra TZ6CB      M5 Rocket 14* Accra RPG 472    CBX119 18* EvenFlow Black 
Mizuno MP20 MMC w KBS $Taper     Mizuno T22  50, 54, 60 - DG TI S400     LAB Mezz1 Max    OldSkool Ping L8
#TeamJetSpeed - Dec 2013
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Of course you can always quit after 3 holes or 7 holes or whatever at a public course, too. I've never quite understood that justification. I play something other than exactly 9 or 18 or 27 holes dozens of times at the public course where I played for my first ten years of golf.

Paying for nine holes of public golf and only playing 3 once in a while is still generally cheaper overall than paying dues plus fees plus other misc. costs of private course membership.

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