Connecticut golf memberships for 2019

[Fairwindsgolfer]

Just curious to hear if anyone in Connecticut is contemplating on joining up with a private club next year and if so which ones and why

[UnderPar18]

I’m looking too but haven’t found a club worthwhile yet. Seems they’re all typically outrageous for what you actually get.

[Fairwindsgolfer]

I'm looking too but haven't found a club worthwhile yet. Seems they're all typically outrageous for what you actually get.

 

I fully agree. The pricing does seem outrageous, which is a shame because I would love to avoid the bottleneck that seems to be present at most public tracks in the area.

[UnderPar18]

I get that there is a value associated with time and convienence but some of the things I have seen make absolutely no sense. One club I looked into was ~$1,500 for a good/drink minimum for an age bracket of like 21-40. No 30 year old wants to spend $1500 forced on CC food. And the kicker was they were basically having each age category spend the same amount of food. It just doesn’t seem logical.

[Fairwindsgolfer]

I too have noticed a good majority of clubs have a very archaic fee structure, and as you mentioned, in some cases there are incurred costs for things the potential member doesn't want.

feel free to p.m. me some of the courses that you have looked at as I'm always curious what people find out there.

[hickorysmokes]

I’m in the same boat, Following this thread to see what you all settle upon.

Where are you located, just out of curiosity

[TBD203]

I'm clear for this year and next year, but I will have to take a long hard look in 2021 (Hopefully they can't hit me full dues if I turn 30 after paying right...?) once my membership doubles from the junior rate.

[UnderPar18]

I'm clear for this year and next year, but I will have to take a long hard look in 2021 (Hopefully they can't hit me full dues if I turn 30 after paying right...?) once my membership doubles from the junior rate.

 

Most courses won’t, but it’s worth while to inquire.

[gr00vetech]

Madison Country Club. Good course fully renovated in 2015 and very reasonable fees.

[sjpaster]

In Fairfield, the public course (H Smith Richardson) is $22 to walk on a weekend as a resident, provided you can get on. Weekends before 9am, I always get around in 4 hours. That makes it hard to consider one of the high end clubs, where each round comes at a very steep cost, especially when you consider caddie fees. I was at a low cost club, and miss being able to play whenever I want, miss the tournaments, miss the gambling and camaraderie, but with kids having activities on weekends, it just isn't worth it to sink money into a club unless there is a long term plan to use it.

[Fairwindsgolfer]

In Fairfield, the public course (H Smith Richardson) is $22 to walk on a weekend as a resident, provided you can get on. Weekends before 9am, I always get around in 4 hours. That makes it hard to consider one of the high end clubs, where each round comes at a very steep cost, especially when you consider caddie fees. I was at a low cost club, and miss being able to play whenever I want, miss the tournaments, miss the gambling and camaraderie, but with kids having activities on weekends, it just isn't worth it to sink money into a club unless there is a long term plan to use it.

This is certainly the age-old question when it comes to whether to join a club or not.

for the time being, I'm splitting my time between Fairfield county and Harford county and I looked at a couple of clubs up in the Hartford area but the membership price just doesn't outweigh the savings that can be had if I play even two or three times a week at a public track.

Moreso, the number of public tracks in the Hartford area are bountiful therefore it is great to have a selection to choose from, where as in Fairfield county the number of public tracks are fairly limited

Consequently, I'm going to join a very active men's club and of course in the Hartford area and that all but

Guarantees me access to early tee times on the weekends because the men's club has reserve tee times.

[golow]

I think the deals dried up ... seems like the midrange privates are all hoping the competition closes or go public.

 

Example: Wallingford was a couple hundred north of $7000 last year. That cost does not include food, drink, carts, or a sleeve of balls. They do have cheaper full memberships for those 26-3x years of age.There is no initiation. I'm staying one more season until my son goes to college. He plays free with some of the best juniors in the state every day. Invaluable.

 

Yale is the best fee structure .... no fees or assessments or minimums at all. $2000. I work for School/Hospital. May keep only this membership after son goes away.

 

Courses like Madison are great for $4200 + 600 assessment + spending .... caveat is $9000+ initiation fee.

 

Indian Hills CC is just old fashioned cheap ... nice greens but course is a bit short.

 

I've talked to Rian (UnderPar18) a lot about dues structures and options .... He suggested posing as same sex couple and go from there. I'm old AF he can just pass as my son.

[Fairwindsgolfer]

I think the deals dried up ... seems like the midrange privates are all hoping the competition closes or go public.

 

Example: Wallingford was a couple hundred north of $7000 last year. That cost does not include food, drink, carts, or a sleeve of balls. They do have cheaper full memberships for those 26-3x years of age.There is no initiation. I'm staying one more season until my son goes to college. He plays free with some of the best juniors in the state every day. Invaluable.

 

Yale is the best fee structure .... no fees or assessments or minimums at all. $2000. I work for School/Hospital. May keep only this membership after son goes away.

 

Courses like Madison are great for $4200 + 600 assessment + spending .... caveat is $9000+ initiation fee.

 

Indian Hills CC is just old fashioned cheap ... nice greens but course is a bit short.

 

I've talked to Rian (UnderPar18) a lot about dues structures and options .... He suggested posing as same sex couple and go from there. I'm old AF he can just pass as my son.

I agree with what you're saying.

I know oronoque has remained at $2800 the last couple years and a buddy of mine played a round there last year and was highly unimpressed with the course.

Subsequently he joined Bronson, which is a very short course but he enjoys the camaraderie and guaranteed tee times.

 

As for me, I've looked at all the deals across the state and whereas

there are a couple of public courses in the Hartford area that you can join for about three thousand year, it just isn't worth it because the public is able to play whenever they want therefore you're really not getting much bang for your buck by belonging to one of those courses.

 

I'm able to get pretty good tee times on weekend mornings by playing in the men's club and will likely stick to that and also play various public tracks throughout the state during the year.

[sjpaster]

So this is hitting home.

 

Oronoque is a good price for golf only, but I agree the course is so so (played it once).

 

I was at Brownson for a few years and it is fun with good membership and games. Probably the best deal for a full CC experience in the area.

 

I have a friend at Mill River who complains about mandatory carts and old membership. Course seems similar to Brownson.

 

I did a limited round at Yale, and love the architecture, but would prefer faster greens and a less public feel to it.

 

I think the big challenge is getting a core group to play each weekend. You have that built in at a club. Playing as a single is fine, but you never get a game.

 

As for the high end clubs in my area, I can’t see dropping $20k a year on Brooklawn, CCF (if I could even get in), Patterson or Aspetuck. And my wife wouldn’t go for $15k for CT Golf club.

[Fairwindsgolfer]

So this is hitting home.

 

Oronoque is a good price for golf only, but I agree the course is so so (played it once).

 

I was at Brownson for a few years and it is fun with good membership and games. Probably the best deal for a full CC experience in the area.

 

I have a friend at Mill River who complains about mandatory carts and old membership. Course seems similar to Brownson.

 

I did a limited round at Yale, and love the architecture, but would prefer faster greens and a less public feel to it.

 

I think the big challenge is getting a core group to play each weekend. You have that built in at a club. Playing as a single is fine, but you never get a game.

 

As for the high end clubs in my area, I can’t see dropping $20k a year on Brooklawn, CCF (if I could even get in), Patterson or Aspetuck. And my wife wouldn’t go for $15k for CT Golf club.

From what I understand, Mill River is approximately $8k, which IMHO is asinine for what you are getting.

Other courses in that price range include all the Wallingford tracks, Racebrook (which is awesome), Wethersfield, Great River and others.

[UnderPar18]

Wallingford CC price doubled essentially once you hit 30. Goes from $2.4k to $4.2k which is steep for one year. The do 4-5 bills instead of monthly which I’m not a fan of.

 

The Farms had like a $1.6k food and beverage minimum and that was for a younger person. Seemed like that was the deal breaker for me.

 

Wethersfield has reached out to me and I’ve reached out to them. Got 3 different prices from them in 3 different months. Not a fan of their games. Their greens are usually mint though!

 

Lyman is around $3k but I only like one course. They don’t do monthly billing which sucks.

 

Yale moved their 2019 pricing to late February. I really wish they’d release them sooner. Likely will buy a 15 round pass.

 

 

[johnnydamz]

I live in Fairfield too and am in the same boat as most of you. It just seems crazy to me what the prices are down here. I grew up in RI and still work up there and when I compare the deals in RI to whats available in CT it's not even close. It just seems impossible to go anywhere in CT and once you add it all up you can't spend any less than 8k. When you start breaking it down price per round you have to play almost 4-5 days per week for it to be worth it. I love the layout at Yale but the conditions are so spotty that it's tough to justify 100.00 per round or whatever it is on the limited deal. Has anyone had that limited membership? What did you think of it? How was it getting tee times?

 

One thing I've found to be pretty good is if you play in tournaments. The CSGA entry fees are reasonable considering you get a discounted practice round and if you make the cut play in multiple rounds at some decent tracks.

[Tiemco]

Just a note about the Country Club of Fairfield. It’s a very family oriented place, and if you don’t fit in, you’re not getting in, especially if you don’t really know any members. It used to be very old money, blueblood, but that has been changing especially since they need more members. We all know it cost a lot to run a golf course and their membership is down. They are also redoing their clubhouse and the current membership is already paying extra for work that hasn’t even started yet.

[kpm0915]

Does anyone know of any fall promotions worth checking out? Especially for young executive memberships.

[RTP419]

> @sjpaster said:

 

>

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> As for the high end clubs in my area, I can’t see dropping $20k a year on Brooklawn, CCF (if I could even get in), Patterson or Aspetuck. And my wife wouldn’t go for $15k for CT Golf club.

 

FYI- Brooklawn, CCF and Patterson initiation are $60K+ for a full family membership. $20K would be a steal at any of them.

[vinprun71]

Cheapest initiation among Brooklawn, CCF, Patterson Club, and Aspetuck Valley is in fact Aspetuck. If anyone is serious about joining these clubs, I know the approximate initiation and dues of Brooklawn, Patterson, and Aspetuck from our recent search and joining this past summer. Happy to share via PM if anyone needs. Most of these clubs are running preview memberships for 90 days to test the club out, but most of those have either ended or will be due to the season.

[UnderPar18]

> @kpm0915 said:

> Does anyone know of any fall promotions worth checking out? Especially for young executive memberships.

 

Young Executive memberships in CT suck at most courses. Clubs clearly don't understand how to properly tier and it shows.

[sjpaster]

 

> @RTP419 said:

> > @sjpaster said:

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> >

> >

> >

> > As for the high end clubs in my area, I can’t see dropping $20k a year on Brooklawn, CCF (if I could even get in), Patterson or Aspetuck. And my wife wouldn’t go for $15k for CT Golf club.

>

> FYI- Brooklawn, CCF and Patterson initiation are $60K+ for a full family membership. $20K would be a steal at any of them.

 

Yes, I was talking about the ongoing annual dues, not initiation. So you're out $60k plus, then you're out $20k each additional year.

 

> @vinprun71 said:

> Cheapest initiation among Brooklawn, CCF, Patterson Club, and Aspetuck Valley is in fact Aspetuck. If anyone is serious about joining these clubs, I know the approximate initiation and dues of Brooklawn, Patterson, and Aspetuck from our recent search and joining this past summer. Happy to share via PM if anyone needs. Most of these clubs are running preview memberships for 90 days to test the club out, but most of those have either ended or will be due to the season.

 

Another item to note is that if you're dropping $30-60k+ on initiation that you cannot recover, you should take a deep look at the financial standing of the club you are joining. It would be terrible if the services dried up, membership reduces and you are stuck with a sub par club compared to what you first joined.

[zwiggyz]

I know that some courses have pretty good summer member options for the first year as a ‘trial.’ Really depends where you want to join in Connecticut. I was pretty much up there for a large portion of the summer and know a decently ranked club (top 20 in CT) has a summer deal for 4xxx. (May-oct) near Stamford.

[qwertyb22]

I've joined just about every reasonably priced club in the Fairfield County area in the past few years, and ended up leaving them all. Great River was by far the best, but ultimately they screwed me over on membership pricing when I should have been paying junior rates, and you still get stuck behind 6 hour rounds because it is only semi-private. Mill River was not in good shape and we felt that an assessment would be looming in the coming years to update the clubhouse, which is very dated. The lack of a reasonable range actually hurt my game considerably as well, and the food is not good so we felt the monthly minimum was a chore. Bronson's front and back 9 are totally disjointed, and Oronaque felt like you were golfing in the condominium complex. We moved to Milford and my wife and I are Yale alumni so that seems to be the best option for us, but it does lack a certain degree of maintenance that you expect for a course of that calibre associated with a school of that endowment... Unfortunately our kids are little and work is very busy, so joining a pricey club right now doesn't make sense for us because we just don't get out enough to make it worthwhile.

[hkane55]

Have you tried Race Brook?

[hkane55]

Have you tried Race Brook?

[hkane55]

Have you tried Race Brook?

[Hoodman22]

Merry Christmas to everyone here in New England!

[hkane55]

Anyone have any updates on Fairfield or New Haven County Clubs?