Private Club vs. Public Course

[ehonk00]

Which do you prefer?

Hey, sorry if this is already a topic. If so someone show me where it is. Do you prefer a private club or a public course for membership? Why?

[flubbed_it]

At the moment, i'm not getting enough time for golf to make it worthwhile to be a member of a private club. I've been practicing a bit at a muni. It is an old Edwardian mansion with a course built in to the well established surrounding parkland. It is the nicest muni i've ever seen but at these public courses, you find yourself repairing 2-3 pitch marks on every green (I have this OCD thing where I can't walk past a fresh one) nobody seems to replace divots, there's litter, a lot of people at this place don't know how to behave on a course.

 

The most annoying thing is slow groups not letting you play through. It isn't always slow but last Sunday because the weather was nice, - 5hr 35mins. That is too much for me. I'm going to have to organise a decent private club.

[Bomb and Gouge]

I live in the Chicago suburbs and we have a plethora of really nice public courses within an hour's drive.

I usually end up playing about 20 different courses each season.

 

I do have a golf membership at my home course which allows me to play as much as I want and bang balls at the range and practice course (for about $3K year).

 

Now there are areas of the country where I would probably be forced to join a private club. So IMO, it definitely depends on your location.

 

Who knows, I may join a club when I get older and have a family and stuff.

[hitsalittle]

Haven't joined a club since moving to Chicago, although economically it would make sense, even with the little amount of golf I play, but the only thing that matters to me (after you get past the course being decent and somewhat challenging) is pace of play - if it takes over 4:30, I start getting facial tics...

[Bomb and Gouge]

if it takes over 4:30, I start getting facial tics...

 

I usually leave if that's the pace. Let me know if you want me to send you a list of nice courses in the area. Ones that actually enforce a decent pace.

[BogeysBGone]

Hey, sorry if this is already a topic. If so someone show me where it is. Do you prefer a private club or a public course for membership? Why?

 

Private over public. More flexibility, better conditions.

 

It will not make any economic sense for personal use only imho - it's purely for improved conditions or snob appeal. But if you use it as a business tool (to take your clients to; do not do business with members) then it should pay for itself in short order. Then you could even join another one. :-)

 

And no - it does not prevent you from playing other courses.

[Jetski]

At the moment, i'm not getting enough time for golf to make it worthwhile to be a member of a private club. I've been practicing a bit at a muni. It is an old Edwardian mansion with a course built in to the well established surrounding parkland. It is the nicest muni i've ever seen but at these public courses, you find yourself repairing 2-3 pitch marks on every green (I have this OCD thing where I can't walk past a fresh one) nobody seems to replace divots, there's litter, a lot of people at this place don't know how to behave on a course.

 

The most annoying thing is slow groups not letting you play through. It isn't always slow but last Sunday because the weather was nice, - 5hr 35mins. That is too much for me. I'm going to have to organise a decent private club.

 

I'm from Herts Flubbed it, what course are you talking about? Panshanger in WGC is another nice muni in Herts.

[flubbed_it]

I played a society day at Pansanger once, i've been meaning to go back, I really enjoyed that course. I'm talking about Whitewebbs.

 

Do you have any other recommendations from your area ?

[InTheHole]

We have some really good municipal courses where I live (two of them have been in the Golf Digest Top 100 list several times). They are maintained to a level that I would say is comparable to a private course. The private courses here may have a little edge, but not anything that is going to drastically improve your game.

 

The big difference I see between the public and private is the available services and the level of service.

 

The private clubs all cater to the membership to the point where it is almost embarassing... "Hello Mr. xxxx, may I shine your golf shoes for you after your round?" The club houses are beautiful, the food is excellent (several have hired top chefs from NY), banquet centers, fantastic locker rooms, massages, etc., etc. The list goes on.

 

The municipal courses are just that- golf courses. No or very few ammenities, limited hours of operation, no practice facilities (or limited), etc. But the biggest difference to me is the people. The staff at the muni's are the nastiest people I've met around golf. No one smiles. They can't wait to tell you "no" when you ask a question, and they just look unhappy to be there.

 

Last week I had to wait 10 minutes for the starter to finish having a conversation in the parking lot before walking over to the starter's booth. Golf is supposed to be relaxed, but c'mon.

 

So the bottom line is, if you are lucky enough to be in an area where the courses are all pretty nice and well maintained, the difference comes down to paying for services and ammenities.

[mantan]

I think it really depends on how much you golf, where you live and what you're looking for.

 

I play public courses. But I live iin a metro area with plenty of reasonably priced high quality golf courses. My job gives me a lot of flexibility, so I play 80% of my golf on weekdays. That helps me avoid the long slow rounds that plague a lot of public courses on the weekend. I'm not interested in the social aspects of a club and it doesn't make business sense for me to join.

 

On the flip side, one of my friends (and fellow WRXer) has a tough time golfing on weekdays. He joined a private club because he DETESTED the hassle of trying of being a 'single' on the weekend. Most of the the time that equates to long waits and long rounds. He loves his private club because he can easily play 3-3.5 hour rounds every weekend and get in a few holes after work.

[stellablue14]

Playing golf and being a member of a private country club is a total experiance. I know that it's not for everybody, but for me it's hands down private. Drive your car to valet parking, change in your locker room, coffee and danish before your round, caddies, club storage, good food, people you are comfortable with, sunday family dinners, July 4th and Labor Day picnics, full tournament schedules, opening day scramble,two man handicap championships, Three day member guest days, a place to take guests, clean and raked sand traps, your pro shop, teaching programs, junior programs, clean shoes, lunch in your dining room, come on. If affordable it not even a conversation

[InTheHole]

Agree completely- but as you highlight, it is the services provided that make up the bulk of the difference. It comes down to can you afford it and are you willing to pay for all that stuff.

[SpinMill75]

It depends on the quality of the public course and the prices and clienst of the private. I have played at some unbelievable public courses in outstanding condition. On the other hand I have played on some goat farms with guys in wife beater shirts and jeans who only teed up cans of Bud Light all day. I've also been stuck with a foursome of uber wealthy "golfers" at a private club who had 5K worth of golf gear and should have stuck to putt-putt golf at the family fun center instead.

 

It just depends on all the factors.

[wedge1]

I'm not sure how it is a choice NOT to be a member of a club. My club is about $350 a month before small food minimum AND I can walk anytime. Any local public course in the area is at least $40 and most $55-60 when you include the required cart Even if it is just $40, that is about 6 rounds a month to break even with what it costs for the month at the club. I do that in two weeks.

This does not even consider the other stuff that comes with the club fee...range balls, swimming pool, tennis, tournaments, better care of the course, etc...AND my wife and kids play ... imagine what that would cost alone with all of us playing Muni's? The muni yearly deals in my area and not very good.

[BS66]

I was a private member for a number of years. The issue that I didn't like was the dues...the costs weren't that high per month, but I don't feel like I used it enough to make it worthwhile. Also, my club was starting to get fairly large and getting tee-times was starting to get tough. In the end I was just tired of playing the same course all the time. I didn't feel like I could justify play elsewhere spending the money I was on the dues. After 7 years, I dropped it and have been a public guys every since.

[Wait_What]

I'm not sure how it is a choice NOT to be a member of a club. My club is about $350 a month before small food minimum

 

It's called living in San Francisco. There is no private club within 45 minute drive that is under $10k-$12k a year. i could play 25 rounds at Pebble Beach a year for that kind of investment. Think about that; 2 rounds a month at Pebble...but take out December through March of the playing year and you get to play 3 rounds a month at Pebble for the price of a lowend CC...that actually sounds like a good idea now that I think of it.

[Bomb and Gouge]

It's called living in San Francisco. There is no private club within 45 minute drive that is under $10k-$12k a year.

 

Same here. Nothing decent for under $60K...some have junior memberships but they're still $20K or so.

 

And Medinah is the only nice club within a 1/2 drive. (maybe someday! ;) )

[flubbed_it]

Playing golf and being a member of a private country club is a total experiance. I know that it's not for everybody, but for me it's hands down private. Drive your car to valet parking, change in your locker room, coffee and danish before your round, caddies, club storage, good food, people you are comfortable with, sunday family dinners, July 4th and Labor Day picnics, full tournament schedules, opening day scramble,two man handicap championships, Three day member guest days, a place to take guests, clean and raked sand traps, your pro shop, teaching programs, junior programs, clean shoes, lunch in your dining room, come on. If affordable it not even a conversation

That's it, i'm moving to the states !!

[dan360]

We have a few very nice public courses in western Washington which are very reasonable for membership and offer great services.

 

It helps when Microsoft millionaires build golf courses for the public. :rolleyes:

 

http://www.okigolf.com/

 

 

*I don't work for/represent/or otherwise have a stake in Oki Golf, or their courses, other than I'm a member and am very impressed with the quality of the golf course, the services offered, and the values available by using their facilities.*

[oldironman]

I live in Noth San Diego County so I'm blessed to have bunches of nice public access courses within a 45 minute drive. Being a building contractor I've had clients that that treat me to rounds at private clubs that I don't think God could afford to join. Yea the pampering is great and the course conditions were fantastic but worth 300k and up to join (non-equity) and God knows what a month in dues makes me grateful for a $75 weekend round at a well maintained public course. .

[Purealive]

Playing golf and being a member of a private country club is a total experiance. I know that it's not for everybody, but for me it's hands down private. Drive your car to valet parking, change in your locker room, coffee and danish before your round, caddies, club storage, good food, people you are comfortable with, sunday family dinners, July 4th and Labor Day picnics, full tournament schedules, opening day scramble,two man handicap championships, Three day member guest days, a place to take guests, clean and raked sand traps, your pro shop, teaching programs, junior programs, clean shoes, lunch in your dining room, come on. If affordable it not even a conversation

 

That to me just sounds awful. The above are reasons why I drifted away from golf for so long. I was brought up to believe that golf was a peoples game, not just for those that can afford it. I prefer to play a local muni (I am very lucky to have some amazing munis nearish to me) and am very lucky to play the worlds most famous muni for next to nothing.

 

The flip side of the above is that for people that are interested in more than just the golf, the country club approach is ideal and gives a nice day out for whoever wants that kind of thing.

 

I am glad that there is a wide range of courses/days out. Sometimes I want to go whack a ball about and a £5 a round muni is ideal, other days/occasions the whole boona is required and can be achieved.

 

My next club will be more muni that the above example though.

[CPSOX]

Purealive - there's a HUGE disparity between different private clubs in the US. I've played one that will have staff wash your car while you play to another that the only thing to eat are homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches....both top 100 in the US.

 

ehonk00 - I'm a member at 2 private clubs. One is a "country club", the other is a "golf club". I enjoy the CC because my wife can enjoy it (the pool) during her summers off (she's a teacher), it has a huge clubhouse that's pretty impressive to dinner guests and is an overall great "family" club. As for the golf, it has 36 holes, one course being very well known. My "golf club" has a tiny clubhouse, a lodge that fits 16 testosterone filled guys with giant leather couches and a fridge full of bevs and no frills that take away from golf. The course is very difficult and the 99.99% male membership is by in large very low handicap. Probably the last place on earth my wife would want to spend time at.

 

I'll also play at least 40 DIFFERENT public/private courses a year since I travel anytime I can to play. What I've seen over the years is that by in large, 80% of the golfers you'd find at public or private courses are basically the same person. Private golfers aren't the stereotypical "uptight" person and public golfers aren't slobs. Private golfers generally enjoy sharing their club with a guest, very few make you feel unwelcome. Most public golfers are courteous, but there are the few that don't have a clue.

 

I enjoy my 2 clubs for a few different reasons. First and foremost, the golf courses. All 3 courses are simply great and I never get tired of playing them. All the other reasons to join a club are moot if the golf isn't to die for, IMO. You're spending too much money at a private club if you don't really love the course. After that, I enjoy the laid back atmosphere. No tee times, staff knows me (which doesn't mean kiss my a**.....but a simple "hi, how's the family" and friendly conversation goes a long way), can come and go as I please and a sense of community. The community is a big deal. Not that everyone at the club are friends, but peer review is a big deal. It is VERY rare that someone acts like an a****** on the course because they know other members can see them. At a public course, poor behavior is more readily seen (by the very small minority) and is enough to ruin someone's day. I hate the attitude that these players have, "I paid $100 to play, I'll do it MY way or else I'll never come back here again!" It often wins over at a public course because daily fees are the lifeblood. At a private club, poor behavior gets you a timeout. Sometimes removed from the club. But it's often curbed because you know that you'll see the foursome ahead of you and the foursome behind you all the time, you're all members.

 

In most parts of the country, private golf is more expensive than public....in many cases, much more. You're paying a premium for exclusivity, faster golf (in almost every case) and often better conditions. A Euro friend of mine summed it up well for me, we really don't pay more to play our course.....we pay more so that YOU don't play our course. Not exactly the truth, but when comparing private golf in the UK to private golf in the US, I can see how it looks that way. But I can never see myself joining a public course and paying a full membership. I think that would lead to a lot of frustration. In almost every case I've seen, members of public courses have to work around the club's higher priority of daily fee play. I'd hate to be second fiddle after I wrote a big check.

[Blues Golfer]

While I liked the variety of playing public courses, I recently joined a private club. Totally different world.

 

Number one is, I show up and play. Tee times are not a problem, pace of play never a problem, I have played alone and walked after work and gotten in nine and even 18.

 

Range is mine, I can hit all day if I want.

 

Today is a perfect example. Weather was sort of cold, so I thought I'd just go and hit a bucket of balls. When I drove in, I could see the course was almost empty. Why hit balls when you can play? I played by myself, walked the back nine, finished in 90 minutes. Never stopped, never waited, never thought about anything but the course. Finished the 9 and was home in 10 minutes.

 

Pretty tough to get that at a public course.

[jerryo]

Wedge1,

 

You are a lucky man my friend. I had no idea those prices even existed in the US. Where I live the up front initiation buy in is anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000. After that then you get to monthly fees you refer to.

 

Jerry

[Pinehurst1999]

There are courses in Charlotte with VERY affordable prices for private membership and I love being a part it. Better practice, better facilities, better course, better crowds, better everything for entertaining clients. However, in Raleigh there are no completely private courses for under $30,000 initiation, so I could not afford that at 30 years old right now, so it would be public there. The public courses in NC are great, for the most part, but once you get a taste of the difference when it is completely private it is hard to switch back.

[mikpga]

I love any course which has tee boxes and greens!

[ctgolfnut66]

I've been a public course golfer for all of my life, but recently joined a private course here in CT. This time of year, especially in New England, the hardcore golfers tend to disappear, which happens even more at a private course. I can go out on weekends and play very quick rounds, where at my old course there are still a lot of people playing on weekends.

 

Also, I feel like my game is improving at my new course, mainly because it tends to be a lot more difficult on the short game. The conditions are more difficult and the shot selection is tougher. Hopefully I can say this for a while!

[obsessed_golfer]

I don't know how anyone could prefer public courses to private clubs!

[ballzo]

I've been toying with the idea of going to a private club myself. I'm thinking the wife and kids would enjoy all the other stuff included. Golf, tennis, swimming etc. I'm still not 100% sure that they would use it though? Anyone care to comment if their other family members enjoy it too?

[InTheHole]

Don't forget the best of both worlds for those that can't afford (or don't want the expense of) a private club...

 

Many clubs offer limited golf memberships (weekdays only, dining only, etc.) that let you enjoy the friendship of members, the facilities themselves, at a much reduced rate.

 

There's a VERY nice club in our area that offers exactly that and you don't feel obligated to spend all your time on one course because of all the money you spend at that club- gives you variety to play other courses and still enjoy the nice club occasionally.

 

This allows my family to enjoy the great facilities (my wife doesn't play) while I get to play all over the place.