Thinking of joining a Country Club

[littleprov1x]

Once you get past the "fit" part, i.e. how well the club fits with your personality, family (if any), and lifestyle, there are basically three-four really important money questions:

1. What is the initiation and structure (all up front, delayed over time, % back if you leave the club, etc)?
2. What is the all-in cost per month if I do not play a single round of golf (including any ancillary fees and minimums)?
3. What will my average cost per month be on average? (very different from #2 - includes any tournaments, merchandise, bar spend, lessons, guest fees, etc.)
4. What do the club's financials and structure look like- is it a financially viable model?

[Jack Pearsall]

You should not be looking at most country clubs with the idea that you are saving money on golf costs.

[Truman]

I think you're correct to first look at the culture that you think will best fit you and your wife. The social aspects are the main reason to chose a private experience vs. a public one. You've received a lot of sound advice re: costs. In order to be considered a "good" member you need to support the club beyond just paying the dues, which is why it's important to select a culture you want to be part of.

[wingedfoot97]

I joined a country club out of college in my hometown and enjoyed it. I was the youngest member by quite a few years so, unless I took a guest, I was playing with the older crowd. There were a few Judge Smails types in the club who clearly didn't realize it wasn't Augusta National and that the club was a small town country club that was struggling to survive (hence allowing moi to join!) and would look down there nose at folks. Most of the other members were friendly and fun to play golf with.

I joined solely to play golf and hit balls on the GRASS range. The course was close to where I lived at the time and I could be there in 5 minutes after leaving the house. I could show up anytime I wanted and play. The course was only closed if it was flooding rain or they were reseeding. No tee times required and I had the option to purchase a "cart shed" where I could store my cart for a monthly fee that included power to charge the cart. Cart had to be purchased separately somewhere else.

There was a food/beverage minimum but it wasn't expensive and the food was good in the restaurant so I ate out there several times per month. I have since moved away but maintain a membership as an out of town member.

The country club was private and there were several membership classifications such as social and unlimited. A social member could join and pay a fee every time he or she played golf or tennis or used the pool. It was more of an access membership. The unlimited was covered under one fee paid every month and covered golf, tennis, and pool. There were also different type of family memberships as well.

There was never an assessment but they did implement a "trail fee" of $1 for every person riding whether you were a guest or member (social or unlimited) in an effort to slowly raise money for cart trail improvement.

It seems as if everything stated above has been spot on. I would reiterate looking to see how much you play versus how much you want to pay. In other words, as a golfer, you want to get your moneys worth. The fact that I had access and could show up anytime and play was/is PRICELESS.