How difficult is it to join Kingston Heath?

[Seamus_MacDuff]

A question for the Aussies.  How difficult is it to join Kingston Heath, or other top clubs in the Melbourne area?  I'm considering eventual retirement from the US to Melbourne, and the ability to join a club like Kingston Heath would be a huge attraction.  Top clubs here in the US can be very difficult to join without connections, while top clubs in Scotland are considerably easier.  Knowing nobody in Melbourne, how difficult would it be to join KH?

[Cubebot]

Hi Seamus, 

My experience is that a number of the mid-tier private courses (Kew, Spring Valley - all very good in their own right), would prefer a nomination but will make an exception and allow you to join to full membership without knowing someone from the club.

 

I suspect places like Kingston wouldn't be so generaous as I'm sure you no doubt know, they're uber exclusive, and tend to have fairly substantial waitlists. Some clubs may offer provisional membership prior to full, which gives you the chance to meet members and for them to nominate you at a later date. 

 

We in Melbourne are extremely fortunate to have some of the best courses in the world at our doorstep, both in Metro and Regional. If it is not Kingston, it will certainly be something else fantastic!

Edit: I thought I would also add, I have a family friend at Royal Melbourne, and several years ago he mentioned that the wait list was around 7 years...how true this is, not sure. But I would think it's even longer now after COVID. 

 

Edited April 26, 2022 by Cubebot