Northern VA Clubs - younger crowd

[ejp22golf]

Hello - looking to join a country club in the northern Virginia area, ideally in Loudoun county. Is there a particular club that is known for having a “younger crowd”. My wife and I are still in our early 30s and from what we’ve been told, it will be tough to find many members our age. 
 

 

[davep043]

17 hours ago, ejp22golf said:

Hello - looking to join a country club in the northern Virginia area, ideally in Loudoun county. Is there a particular club that is known for having a “younger crowd”. My wife and I are still in our early 30s and from what we’ve been told, it will be tough to find many members our age. 

I think you'll need to visit a few to find out, really.  I play at Stoneleigh, at the west edge of Loudoun County.  I'm 66, but we have a reasonable population of younger guys as well.  I believe we may have the lowest greens fees in the area, which may be attractive.  I'm pretty sure lots of the clubs will have a "junior" membership for younger players, like you.  If you're interested, I'll be happy to PM you the contact details for our Membership Director.

[DonatelloNobodie]

Look at Loudoun CC in Purcellville.

[davep043]

8 hours ago, DonatelloNobodie said:

Look at Loudoun CC in Purcellville.

I agree with this, look at all of them.  I play at Stoneleigh, in fact I'm one of the longest-term members, so I know a lot of the membership, but I know very little about the others.  I have seen our membership grow significantly over the past couple of years, and many of the newer members are relatively young.  Whether that's happened with the other clubs in the area, I simply don't know.

[davep043]

@ejp22golf, I see you've also asked about Belmont.  I hope you'll come back and let us know what you've found out, and where you've decided to join.

[cristphoto]

Don't just think clubs only have older more affluent members and few younger members.  Many clubs have plans where if you have kids and after they turn a certain age (and you kept them on the books) they can roll right into a membership skipping any initiation fee. My club was like that. After age 21 I had to pay flat $300 additional per year/per child for them to have full club benefits. Prior to age 21 they were included in my family membership at no extra charge. Then at age 30 they could enter as a full member with no initiation.  Thus you get a continual freshening of the membership and the new blood is familiar with club and members.  

 

All this said if you are new to a club you'll pay full going rate but there is probably a good mix of age groups present.  Good luck in your shopping. 

Edited March 2, 2022 by cristphoto

[ejp22golf]

I haven’t decided on a club yet.

 

are there any clubs that include cart fees in membership dues?  All clubs charge extra for carts which is new to me. Seems the cost would quickly add up aside from the monthly fees…

[davep043]

5 minutes ago, ejp22golf said:

I haven’t decided on a club yet.

 

are there any clubs that include cart fees in membership dues?  All clubs charge extra for carts which is new to me. Seems the cost would quickly add up aside from the monthly fees…

The cost can definitely add up, and I'm not aware of any clubs that include the cart fee.  I know that Stoneleigh does not require a cart at any time of day, you an always walk, and I walk a lot of my rounds there.  Lots of guys use motorized trolleys, both my wife and I do.    

[cristphoto]

1 hour ago, ejp22golf said:

I haven’t decided on a club yet.

 

are there any clubs that include cart fees in membership dues?  All clubs charge extra for carts which is new to me. Seems the cost would quickly add up aside from the monthly fees…

 

You said you're in your early 30's so I would suggest walking unless you have a physical issue preventing that.  Plus its great exercise.  I estimate about one third of our total membership walks. The senior men's group I'm in its about 50% walkers.  Our course only has two holes I'd call real hilly. Otherwise the rest is easily walkable.  So if carts fees are an issue make sure the course you choose is walker friendly.  To add to prior responses I don't know of any club that includes carts.  

[JWells]

Hidden Creek in reston had a very good young professional rate and has very young crowd (28-35).  Worth checking out 

[Fwitz11]

I have heard good things about Hidden Creek, but last time I tried reaching out to them, never heard back 🤷‍♂️

[davep043]

13 hours ago, Fwitz11 said:

I have heard good things about Hidden Creek, but last time I tried reaching out to them, never heard back 🤷‍♂️

I played with a Hidden Creek member a week ago.  He said the membership costs were really low, including no initiation fee deals.  He also mentioned that the tee sheets were full, they did a lottery for weekend tee times, and that the ownership wasn't very interested in maintaining the course very well.  Take that any way you want, its one man's views, filtered through my own mind.  I like the course at HC, it feels really secluded in most areas, surprising given its location in the middle of the community.

[Fwitz11]

Thanks for the info Dave, good to hear from someone with knowledge of the course/membership experience. I’ve played a couple of the semi-privates around the DMV and seems like everywhere is just insanely busy currently. 

[davep043]

7 minutes ago, Fwitz11 said:

Thanks for the info Dave, good to hear from someone with knowledge of the course/membership experience. I’ve played a couple of the semi-privates around the DMV and seems like everywhere is just insanely busy currently. 

If the distance isn't overwhelming, come visit Stoneleigh, in Round Hill.  Demanding course, good conditions, reasonable costs, and not insanely difficult to get tee times.  Feel free to send a PM if you'd like more info.