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Golf Course Memberships. Worth it or not?

jb8396 said:
@Hawk @That post Thanks for the feedback
@wadesworld Thanks that's a useful.

In general, do memberships include green fees or it's more common a discounted member's rate?
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In many cases they include the green fees, but you will have to pay for a cart. We never saw the advantage to a membership anywhere since we think that variety is the spice of life! We like playing many different courses. There a really nice public course not that far away from us (about a 40-45 minute drive via interstate), that offers memberships at ridiculously cheap prices. But, we might get out there twice a year! So that's a no go.

Plus, with the decreasing population of this area, and the pressure that exerts on private club memberships, I've found that if you show up with enough cash in your pocket it becomes, "Welcome to Possum Hollow Golf Club!" These places need to make money as well, why would they not sell you a round!
 
I would be playing the courses that I'm a member at even if I wasn't a member. I save a ton of money as a member
 
For me, it’s worth it. It’s a Golf Club, not a “country club”. No pool, no tennis, no range.

Private course (9 hole track) nice layout. $350/mo for a family membership. Cart fees included in dues. No tee times. No minimum spend. Awesome members. Basic amenities, but the course is very well kept and challenging. I’ve been happy there for 12+ yrs.
 
We like playing as many courses as we can and would not care to be tied to just one. We have friends who are members of our local Oak Creek County Club and they only play there. They often invite us to play with them and we get the member's guest rate, but we prefer to enjoy the range of other courses around Arizona.
 
I have had 4 private memberships different places and found them valuable both for golf and for social and career reasons. I no longer play enough to justify but have considered a social membership and some clubs here after 65 (turn this year) offer substantial discounts in the DC (but not the high end clubs).

My advice strongly consider joining it will improve your game and has other benefits. i have been a member with Steve Stricker in Madison, WI among other places and got to play with him a few holes and that was an experience never would have had.
 
Membership has been totally worth it for me. The biggee for me has been, if I have some time I can drop in and play however many holes and then head out. Don't feel obligted to myself to have to play 18. The there is full range access. So I guess it would come down to frequency you can take advantage of it.
 
The course I live on has a $1200 a year membership. I can walk out my back porch and play whenever I want as long as I don’t get in anyones way. That’s way worth it to me, but I am at the very top of convenience and the very bottom of price. The math only gets more difficult from where I am 😂
 
golfboyblues said:
If you plan on playing a lot it is worth it. My seven-day membership at a municipal course includes golf, cart and unlimited range balls. The cost is less than two grand a year.
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That is awesome that they have this for you! what course is that?

If I were closer, I think i could work the math to make it financially make sense. with some lifestyle changes, not sure it is in the cards for a while
 
Browndog said:
Over the years I have experienced all aspects of golf club types: Municipal, public, resort, semi-private, private, invitation only private, and even golf course ownership.

Whether it is worth it to be a member of a golf club or not can be answered in a variety of ways.

At a course that allows the public to play and also offers memberships, it is fairly straightforward to add up all the costs of a membership and divide those by the number of rounds you play to come to a cost per round figure and compare that to what it would cost if you were a non member. The more rounds you play the greater the cost savings.

Not trying to dissuade you but in general if you play less than 20 rounds a year then joining a club for most people is more about the social and other aspects than the golf because the membership costs in most cases will be higher than just playing somewhere that is open to the public.

The more serious you are about golf and the importance of course conditioning to you as well as the availability of practice facilities that are maintained to the same conditions as the course will start to limit what type of course you might want to consider joining.

If you have a family there might be other considerations and other aspects of the club that will come into the decision such as dining options, social activities, kids programs, facilities and activities for women, pools, tennis, day care.

There are other considerations besides the facility itself. Is the course fun to play, because you will probably be playing it a lot more often from now on. What is the average pace of play? How close is the course to your home? Availability of tee times at your preferred times, ability to make tee times ahead of their availability to the public. Ability to charge things on a member account. Possible discounts because of your membership.

How much is it worth to you to be a member of a club that is 2 minutes away from your home and the pace of play allows you to finish your round in 3 1/2 hrs versus playing at the closest public alternative 45 minutes away and the pace of play there requires 4 1/2 to 5 hrs to finish your round? What is your time worth to you and your family?

Is status important to you? Is exclusivity important to you? Are competitive golf events hosted at your club important to you? Is the ability to maintain a handicap with a specific golf club a desirable part of the membership? Are locker room, changing and shower facilities desirable to you. Is club storage a benefit to you or not?

Can you use cell phones in the clubhouse to conduct business? Is there wi-if available to members?
Is there a dress code and how does that mesh with your personal fashion style?

Do you anticipate the club becoming an important part of your social life? How welcome will you be there? Are there people of similar age and life situation there?

Will the club be an important part of your business life for either entertaining clients or perhaps help you grow your business by getting more clients?

Best of luck to you as you search for a new home club in the Miami area. There are lots of choices available there and many things to consider along the way. Hopefully you’ll get to experience a number of courses and golf clubs to see which ones make the short list as possibly being the best fit.
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Great post here with a lot of stuff to consider. Another thing I would consider is the Initiation Fee. Some clubs can have a substantial initiation fee while other could have little to no initiation. You also want to check about whether that comes with any equity or privileges. Some clubs are member owned as opposed to being owned by an individual/company. Member owned would give you some equity in the club and voting rights for future projects/improvements. These are also generally the ones that could have assessments. Some of these you may later be allowed to "sell your membership" to a new member if you decide to leave and recoup your initiation fee. If not then one factor to consider would be if you plan to stay there long term or not.

For me the most important factors are the membership, golf, and MGA/holiday/competitive Tournaments. Most of the people at my club are awesome. I have probably 50-60 people that I routinely have a beer and hangout with depending on which day or the week or group I play with. Our course isn't the best but we can get around in 3 to 3 1/2 hours usually. We just had our MGA Fall Partnership this weekend and finished in about 4 hours. We also have different scrambles which can be fun to play in.
 
Raiderboost said:
Great post here with a lot of stuff to consider. Another thing I would consider is the Initiation Fee. Some clubs can have a substantial initiation fee while other could have little to no initiation. You also want to check about whether that comes with any equity or privileges. Some clubs are member owned as opposed to being owned by an individual/company. Member owned would give you some equity in the club and voting rights for future projects/improvements. These are also generally the ones that could have assessments. Some of these you may later be allowed to "sell your membership" to a new member if you decide to leave and recoup your initiation fee. If not then one factor to consider would be if you plan to stay there long term or not.

For me the most important factors are the membership, golf, and MGA/holiday/competitive Tournaments. Most of the people at my club are awesome. I have probably 50-60 people that I routinely have a beer and hangout with depending on which day or the week or group I play with. Our course isn't the best but we can get around in 3 to 3 1/2 hours usually. We just had our MGA Fall Partnership this weekend and finished in about 4 hours. We also have different scrambles which can be fun to play in.
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Also wait lists, every club here in Charlotte is on a wait list, and have jumped their fees crazily. Some of the smaller clubs used to have initiation fees of 2500-3500 now they are 10-12k :banghead:
 
Obviously cost is an important factor but IMHO a private club if affordable is cost effective and important. I have played so much more since re-joining a club last fall and several times have gone out later in the evening and putted and then got in 6 or 7 holes. I would never do that at a public course. You also find out quickly when the best times to play are. At my club, weekend afternoons are empty. I know I can get on any time without having to make a tee time days in advance.
 
pumbaa said:
Also wait lists, every club here in Charlotte is on a wait list, and have jumped their fees crazily. Some of the smaller clubs used to have initiation fees of 2500-3500 now they are 10-12k :banghead:
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You're right. I joined Myers Park in 1983 for a $7000 initiation fee. It's $100,000 today. Also, many of the public courses have closed. I think North Stone might be the best deal. It's a private club with no initiation fee and annual dues. I've played there a few times and the course is great. The only problem is it's forty five minute to an hour from downtown Charlotte.
 
Hoganman1 said:
You're right. I joined Myers Park in 1983 for a $7000 initiation fee. It's $100,000 today. Also, many of the public courses have closed. I think North Stone might be the best deal. It's a private club with no initiation fee and annual dues. I've played there a few times and the course is great. The only problem is it's forty five minute to an hour from downtown Charlotte.
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Yeah and on a year long wait. Pine ridge, cabarrus, and northstone are the most affordable and all on a crazy wait.
 
The simple answer is NO. There are no affordable private clubs in Miami. The costs are outrageous for the quality of the course and what you get. Buy the Patron's card for the municipal courses (Crandon is by far the best). You will get discounts on range balls and tee times.
 
skeets said:
The simple answer is NO. There are no affordable private clubs in Miami. The costs are outrageous for the quality of the course and what you get. Buy the Patron's card for the municipal courses (Crandon is by far the best). You will get discounts on range balls and tee times.
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Hi @skeets, thanks for sharing. I've also seen that there is the "Premier Card" available. What's your opinion on it? Is one better than the other?
 
Hi,
Never thought the "Premier Card" worth it for me. The Miami Beach and Normandy Shores clubs are the best of that bunch though some of the others are good. Mostly a deal for the summer. Number of people buy both cards.
 
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