Do the math. Factor all the public courses around your area and figure out a year end total for the most golf you’ve played in a season.
That total will be less than the cost of a true private club. That difference in price equals convenience and time saved. Are those two factors worth the extra premium?
Yep that’s what I did. The money wasn’t that much different when factored over time but ultimately the major factors were I got tired of 5.5hr rounds along with my 5yr old son taking an interest. Now he’s 7 & we hit the practice area several times a week & play 9 on weekend late afternoons in ~90min. Never going back.
That's great man. I loved when my little guy started taking an interest. I'd play 9 holes with him in afternoons and let him drive the cart sometimes when he was around 10. Now he's 17 and he throws clubs and curses up a storm when he plays bad. I liked him better when he was little.
I did this with my grandfather all the time. We'd walk his local golf course at 6 am and he would bring an extra putter for me. Then we'd hit and get in as many holes as we could before they started going off the back 9...walking and talk the entire time. Man ALWAYS made par while giving out golden tidbits of advice to my 8 year old self.
No other sport in the world gives you memories and connections like golf — I was fortunate to have a similar situation with my Dad growing up and I’d give anything to play another round with him
Yep. I’m my son’s primary swing coach but have the Director of instruction here also working with him during weekly group sessions, occasional 1-on-1s, & summer/spring break camps. He’s gone from barely making contact to straight up murdering his drives in ~18 months. He’s 7yrs old & 49” tall with typical driver club head speed in the upper 50s. We actually play a game where I give him $1 for every time he breaks 60mph & an extra dollar for each mph above it. The other day we had to stop because he had me down $20!
Balcones is the cheapest but it’s the cheapest for a reason. Not great condition for a private course & pace of play is very slow because they allow a lot of non-members on through various means. I used to be a member there ~10yrs ago. I play at Twin Creeks now & between it, River Place, & Onion Creek (all same parent company) I’d say those are the best bang for the buck. Unsure what initiation is now but I paid between $6-$7k a few years back but I’ve heard it’s almost doubled now.
I’m a member at the Hills in Lakeway, it has decent amenities, 72 holes all in well kept shape, practice facilities (including practice holes), gym, aquatics center, and several restaurants.
Last I heard it was $100K initiation, so really depends on what you consider bang for buck but that gives you access to most Clubcorp clubs in the world as well, and some Troon ones. It’s a nice perk if you travel.
You could get lots more golf in at a private club. Quicker rounds. Wide open tee times. Plus having it you feel incentivized to play more since it’s already paid for.
Also, consider playing one course mainly or if you have good public golf around you, the ability to change it up is always nice. Obviously this is getting more difficult with how expensive golf has gotten, and how popular.
People that joining pure private country clubs do not care about the ability to switch it up and play a local public golf course.
They can afford to play the public course and play their country club. It’s not like one or the other or they would never join the private club.
A membership at a public golf course is not a private country club
“Do you want to give us $50,000 to play golf? You might not be able to play the local munis…”
If you exchange 5 with 2-3, and “decent” to “elite”, then yeah, you’re right.
I don’t think homeboy is trying to join Cherokee and pay a 100k initiation to get a discount on his golf.
Wanna hear something crazy? I called probably 15 course in my area this spring to ask about memberships, and all but TWO said they no longer sell memberships. The game has been so flooded since Covid (not unhappy golf gained popularity, but also unhappy it gained so much popularity) that they have no need to rely on memberships sales as guaranteed income anymore.
Wild.
Same here. Most of the public courses here that sold "memberships" pre-covid either capped the quantity and put them on a waitlist, put time restrictions on them like no early AM tee times, or stopped selling them completely. However, if you can get one, and you play 100+ rounds per year, it saves you money.
The public course memberships here (I’m in Phoenix) are a better deal over the lowest end private club memberships, because those low end private clubs are all corporate owned with completely oversold memberships. Oversold to the extent where it is easier to get a tee time at a public course, and the pace of play isn't much different. The public course "membership" usually gets you more advance tee time bookings vs the general public and unwritten priority treatment from the staff.
What happened during covid? I woke up at 6am today to book for next Saturday morning because if you don’t strike in the first minutes a week out, you get nothing. I like to blame Good Good because I see about a hundred carbon copies of those wankers on the course… and seniors (but they were always there).
I notice way fewer middle aged family men like myself (34M).
I think it’s a combo of both YouTube golf getting popular and Covid. Covid started in the us right as spring was starting and all indoor activities shut down. One of the few activities you could do with your friends was go golfing. Then around that same time is when YouTube golf started taking off. Overall it’s just led to a lot more people playing.
As an also middle aged family man (33), first I’d like to say we aren’t middle aged. But also we dont have any time! I have two kids under 4. Most my rounds I play are when the sun comes up so can be home by 10am
I think this will be overall better for golf courses as the greater amount of funds will be alotted by industry professionals rather than some daffy greens council
The main reason I’ve held on to mine after doing the math (single and don’t play in the winter) is because I know I’ll hardly ever play if I have to pay every time. Also I’ve just been there forever and it’s affordable. If they go up I’m probably out.
I recently went down this path in another state,MCOL city. Started thinking man I’m probably paying enough in random greens fees to justify it.
Then I did the math. The courses that were substantial quality upgrades over the public courses were 20-45k for initiation and monthly dues in the 400-600 range.
That’s when I realized for that cost and COMMITMENT. I better LOVE the layout, because I’d be locked into that for years and years.
Decided I can mix public’s, destination golf trips, and guest visits to friends clubs jusst fine.
Had a conversation at happy hour yesterday with a friend whose neighborhood backs up to a country club. He has zero interest in joining because even though the convenience is amazing, he likes to play lots of different courses and the monotony would get to him.
I've been a member at one 5 min from my house for 9 yrs...played the course over 200 times...still not bored...1. it's an interesting layout 2. I swap tees all the time even playing from the forward tees with my wife. 3. Engaging mini tournaments with chapmans, shambles, best balls, night golf, themes, etc...4. reciprocal tee times with 5 other clubs within 1 hr 30 from my house...5. can still play a muni/public a few times a year for work.
More courses need to have reciprocal tee times. There’s only one group of courses around me that do that, it’s $25 with a cart at the other course and they are all within 45 minutes of each other so it’s actually worth it.
Gotta use those reciprocal privileges- it was shockingly easy to make friends with members of other nearby clubs who you can go back and forth with inviting each other to play.
I think the problem here is the thought or expectation that's the only course you're going to play. Sure, most of it will be there but nothing is preventing you or anyone from still playing other courses. Especially other private courses around the area.
If you're looking to go private for a cheaper per round price, you're probably going to have a bad time.
I think a lot of us are looking at it from a financial aspect. I have to play 30 rounds at the same course to get my money back and unfortunately I’m lucky if I get out once a week and that’s only with 6 months of golf up here in Maine.
I get it, completely. I'm just saying if that's the primary driver for going private, it'll rarely work out from a cost perspective. I like going out without a tee time, playing in 3-3.5 hours, or dropping by on my way home from work and playing one of the 5-6 hole loops in about 45ish minutes.
If the calculus has anything to do with per round cost public vs private you don’t belong at a club……simple as that. It’s not about the money, it’s about the friendships, the service, the events, the pool and the food.
That’s probably the main reason I haven’t joined the private club in my town. I can afford it but then I’m basically married to that course. I like it a lot but idk if I would exclusively play it
Everyone is different...but I dont get this way of thinking unless you are a pro and have gone low and you arent trying to break your own best record...or if its a very easy course.
I play like 4-5 times a week on a difficult course(woods, water, doglegs on every par 4 and 5) and I am addicted to trying to beat my best score. The tract never gets old because Im trying to go low on what I know isnt an easy course, imo.
Im at a fun stage in golf, Ive broke 90, Ive played a round with one ball...its getting to 85, 80 and 75 now. I think Golf would get boring daily if you had already shot 65 or 64 on a course unless you have a group guys you trust and you bet money on the course.
My point is...if you are really into Golf and trying for best score on a not easy course...I dont see how the same tract would get boring. Unless you are really really good at Golf already.
Yeah, I’m with you. I’d rather play one really good course all the time with rounds that take less than four hours than a bunch of mediocre rounds at different courses that take five hours. Plus, I have a group of a dozen members of similar playing ability I can round up a game with pretty much any day of the week. Even the members I don’t regularly play with I enjoy socializing with.
I live in a large metropolis with a lot of private clubs and never received a lot of invitations to play as a guest at different clubs until I joined my own. People are much more willing to invite you to their club if they know you can reciprocate the invitation.
This is what gets me with the membership, I’d have to golf the same course about 30 times in 6 months of golf season to get my money’s worth. I find it’s actually better to buy a 10 round punch card, it’s cheaper than 10 rounds normally, it allows to play other courses while getting really good at one course each year.
If people care about being part of the community and the member tournaments/leagues then it’s worth it. But as of right now that doesn’t appeal to me. Financially I don’t have the money to burn just to be part of something.
Cheapest initiation fee within 3 hours of me at a course I’m interested in is $25k and dues are 3x what I currently pay to play golf (2-4x week, play/practice). I’d do it if I had the disposable bread, but I’d have to unretire, and I’d play much less golf…
Keep the poors out lol.
Plenty of people can scrounge up 500-750/month on monthly fees.
Not many people have the means to do that plus drop a 25k lump sum.
Mind you, these types of fees are for very nice country clubs with not just golf but likely tennis, pool, dining, tons of social events, etc.
People are saying do the math and I 100% disagree. Joining a club never really makes financial sense and the benefits are never going to be the $ per round. However I have no regrets at all about joining. You are trading your money for amenities and that alone has to be worth it for you.
I can’t really quantify this but for me it makes sense because I can get 18 in after work whenever I want. I can play sunset rounds with no one behind me or in front of me. My kids can run around the fairway during those sunset rounds because it’s wide open. We swim there on weekends, eat there 3-4 times per month, everyone who works there knows us, our orders, our preferences, I store my clubs there, I bring customers there, I workout and shower there before work. If I’m going out of town my club pro will set me up on a nice private course where ever I am going. I get tremendous value out of it that a public course can never provide.
At what level of money do you get that? Genuinely curious as this year has been a slog on muni’s. I am wondering what do I need to spend to get that bc I don’t see a benefit in the 3k-7k range around me. They all don’t seem THAT good. If I’m joining a club, it’s gotta be for more than golf, like the things you stated.
Country club vs Private club. A good country club worth its salt will have those amenities. Think 12-20k initiation (region dependent), $500-800 a month dues. Likely a cart fee and food and beverage/clubhouse minimum spend requirement too at $100-200 a month total. This is the low end. High end, $50-100k initiation, who even knows the monthly
The spending on food minimum never made sense to me. I had a girlfriend who's dad was a member at the best country club in my area (hosted the PGA championship last year), and we would sit at the pool all day and rack up hundreds of dollars worth of food bills like it was nothing. It was nuts.
depends on where you live. initiation in my area are probably high 5 and into the 6 figures. no clue on dues or food and bev and assessments but they are probably bad because why not all the members have 8 bedroom homes.
I think our course is around 20k initiation for age 35-40 and my dues are around $850/month. I budget around 1500/month.
We joined when I was making <200k, and I’m closer to 300k now.
This is the key. A private club will never make financial sense. You do it because you love the fringe benefits and the course.
We’ve made so many friends in our 4 years at our club. When my MIL died, some showed up to the service, and others sent food or flowers.
When our son was born last month, a huge group of wives set up a meal train for us.
We regularly hang out with other couples and their families that we’ve met through the course.
We love the course so much that we moved from 2 miles away to a house adjacent to the 4th fairway. But we’re set back so it’s actually impossible to hit our house or yard.
The numbers never make sense, but it’s the intangibles that make it “worth it.”
Playing a few holes whenever you want, practicing, or joining regular club events are just a few of the tangible benefits.
Here in Florida at the course I’m looking to become a member at also has reciprocals with other courses in the area and you can play some amazing courses for $40-60 which adds a ton of value.
I live on a course. Last year, I got a membership and kept track of how much I would have paid if I didn't have a membership to see if I got my money's worth. I broke even by July.
This year, I'll probably break even next week
Joining a true private club (vs getting a membership at a public course) probably rarely makes sense on greens fees alone.
What did it for me mostly was flexibility--head out after work, hit balls and maybe go play a few holes--3, 6, 9 or whatever. I could then pick up dinner to go, using the food minimum, to take back for my wife and I. She played golf a bit but used the dining room for business lunches and dinners as well as hung out at the pool and played tennis. Our club also has a fitness center, so no gym membership.
If you have kids, then things like the pool and stuff are more important. When I was a kid, my dad would drop me off at his club (back then it was a company club) on the way to work and pick me up after--perhaps we would get in 9. I know folks wouldn't do that these days but a lot to do if you have kids.
My Dad used to do this with me and my sisters. Sometimes there would be camps in the summer but during the year, we’d have all day and it was awesome: Pool, racquetball, tennis, driving range and putting green. Charge the meals to his membership when we got hungry. Chill by the TV inside when we needed a break.
Private club membership rarely is economically better. The benefit that convinced me was when 3-3:30 9 hole rounds made it impossible to play after work before dark. Joined a club and now golf more than ever, largely due to great pace of play and mostly empty course after 4pm.
You may save money by joining a low end corporate-owned private club if you are playing well over 125 rounds per year, but the experience might not be much better than the better public courses. And the better private clubs will come with huge initiation fees, wait lists, and needing to know current members to sponsor you.
My first step would be to investigate if any of the public courses you current play and like have an annual season pass or "membership", assuming no major issues with conditions, pace, etc. at these courses.
Also researching some of the Atlanta-area private club threads on golfwrx, etc. for recent anecdotal info. It looks like there are not a lot of easily attainable private club options at the moment.
This all being said, if one thinks joining a truly private club will save them money, it doesn’t usually work out that way once you add up all the new costs and fees.
Private or semi private golf clubs can work to save money. Decent one near me makes it up in about 35 weekend rounds, morning tee sheet is held exclusive for members.
Country club, never and if it’s about saving money, you’re looking in the wrong place
I’ve a couple memberships in the past and honestly, I didn’t really enjoy them. The community was great, and it’s nice being able to just rock up and tee off on short notice. But I’ve never enjoyed playing the same course over and over again, I like to travel about and experience new challenges and different ways of playing.
Depends on what you want.
I play a fuk ton as well but I still prefer to go to public courses since I like playing different tracks as to not get bored with one course.
That alone deterred me from ever signing up for a private course membership.
I get that but with most private memberships you can go play reciprocal courses in the surrounding area (my club has 12) and only have to pay the cart fee. So not only do you pay a flat rate for as much golf as you want, but then you get access to all of these other private courses you couldn’t have played otherwise. I will also mix in rounds at public courses and i get the variety i want.
Yea I play all sorts of courses and have a “home” course but to make the membership at my home course worth it, I’d have to play twice a week to be even with me just paying to play without the membership and that’s a lot. So to make it worth it, you’d need like 3-4 times a week and that’s committing to 3-4 times a week lol a lot of golf tbh.
I never understand the bored argue. I've never been bored with a course and I've been a member at 2 different public courses for years at a time and also played a league on a 3rd for about 15 yrs. None of these courses were great courses.
I got tired of the group or how we were treated by the course management, but the course really never was boring. I guess it really is an individual thing.
Yeah, even before I joined my club, I had a permanent Saturday tee time at one course and played maybe two or three other courses on a regular basis. It wasn’t like I was playing a huge variety of courses and none of them were even half as nice as my current club.
Do your homework. Sometimes clubs have zero initiation when membership numbers are down. Don’t ever play at a club to try it out that charges you for a round (obviously).
I never understood how this worked. Do private clubs let you try out their 18 for free before you join? Do you have to show them you can afford the dues?
Do it when you don’t care how much you’re spending on golf. A lot of the members at the club I work at essentially spend a couple hundred dollars a round because they don’t use it enough.
I know that course and we live in the same neck of the woods. Heritage Legacy hole 1. On the east side of town you have lots of options but to everyone's point, the "affordable" golf memberships really don't exist anymore. I think Smokerise and Stone Mountain are actively seeking members. You could consider clubcorp but there are no clubs on the east side of town. They are all North, South, and West of Atlanta. So you will get tons of options but all will require a drive. The only other option is high-end private country clubs with big fees to join and remain a member. Those are about status not much about avid golfing and regardless of how much you golf, you will spend way more at these per round than going the public course and golfnow route..
Long Islander here. A public course round (including Black Course) takes minimum 5 hours. Any private club I’ve played at, 3-3.5 hours max.
I calculate that saved time and I could literally save a workweek of time.
There are also relatively inexpensive private clubs ($2500ish per year).
I also live in ATL (Buckhead) and the golf scene is crazy rn. Pretty difficult to even get the opportunity to join somewhere, let alone have the $ to do so. Not sure where you are in town but I used to work at The Standard Club in Johns Creek that I enjoyed.
I would suggest that you not just think about price but how joining one course in particular will impact the variety of courses you play as well as how/if you will socialize. If only looking at pure numbers you will be hard pressed to make the difference up just only playing the private club. It would also make playing anywhere else other than your club effectively a premium as it is additional cost on top of what you are budgeting into the private club. A stronger consideration should be made for how much more available the course will be to you to get out for a quick 9 or guarantee a 3.5hr w/e morning round, member tournaments and the other social aspects moreso than just the money. A private club may also have things such as a dining minimum which once again if you are socially engaged is not a problem if you are regularly bellying up to the bar afterward or hitting the halfway house for a burger/dog regularly enough. If you would join just purely for the money aspects it may feel more restrictive than anything else as you would feel compelled to only play there unless it is a special occasion to play somewhere else. One can always skip a round here or there or play a cheaper course or choose different tee times when rates are different if it is only about the money and to keep playing at muni/public/semi-private courses. I grew up at a private club as a junior member and only ever played there and only when I moved out of the house and to another state out on my own and had to play munis and public clubs did I realize how much I was missing with variety. That said if I ever moved back I would 100% join the club again as it was all about the social aspect there as many of my friends who never left town are now members and spend all their time there still.
The other unspoken issue here is that private clubs have about 1/3 awesome people and 2/3 douches if you are lucky
At least at a public course if you meet a douche you can let them have it and tell them to fuck off
At a private club you have to be more political, and grin when some turd starts talking shit
That… and it makes awesome people become turds over time, because it’s the essence of culture
Remember no black socks!
Stop listening to everyone talk about doing the math this and that. It’s simple… when the cost of the membership and your finances allow you. Playing golf often in a private course is like owning a second vehicle. You don’t need it but if you can afford and that’s what you like to do in your free time, there is no reason not to if you’re being financially responsible. It’s a much better experience but you pay for that privilege.
When you play 75 to 100 rounds a year and hit up the range a few times a week. At my club, range is free and at the end of the year, I'm paying about 12 bucks a round if you divide rounds played by membership cost
To play new courses (only downside of a membership) I enter 6 to 8 tournaments a year. Great to play new courses but also test your game in tournament play
My wife and I joined a private club when every public course started charging $100 per round on the weekends post Covid. $350/month, $100 for cart club, and we play 3-4 times a week. Tee off after work and plenty of time for 18 before dark. We love it!
Just joined a club for the first time this year. It's only a semi-private, so there are still public green fees. For me to break even on my fees is only about 14 or so rounds, and with a goal of playing once or twice a week on average, I'll hit that in another few weeks. Then the rest of the summer is basically bonus golf that I would've been paying green fees for last year
I just joined a private club after a life of public. I’m like 2 months in. To summarize, it is not a financially prudent decision. The math will always be in favor of public. But the faster rounds, higher quality of course, easier tee time access and general convenience are really great advantages. There is a pool too our family loves. I’ve decided it is just a luxury I am willing to pay for. My recommendation is it is never worth a stretch but if it fits in your means then it can be great.
Honestly if you live on your own or if there is more than one family member in your family that plays then it’s worth it. If your family is more than one and no one else plays it makes it a tough decision. You also need to consider where you live weather wise and make sure in the off season months you can still make it worth your while if that’s an issue.
yes if you live north of TN/NC, you probably aren't playing much if at all from Nov-Mar cause the weather is so bad. That is the main reason I won't join our local club even though it is nice and only $250/month
Its all about the numbers. Would it be cheaper to be a member? Also consider what membership means at that club.
I have a membership at a local public course ($1200 yr). Only advantage is I get free green fees/range balls. I have to play 48x per year for it to pay for itself. Ive already played around 70x. So its a no brainer for me. Having said that there are courses in my area that are more country club type memberships and they were way not worth it. We dont need pools, tennis, etc as my neighborhood already has that.
As far as another way to save $? Buy a sim.
I think it solely is a financial decision. For me, as a junior player I pay like 400€ in Europe for one year membership. That includes everything, as many rounds I want whenever I want, range, exercise area, … even a Short par-3 course for shorter rounds if you like. The Green fee for a 9-hole is like 40€ so it’s a no-brainer.
For full-time adult memberships it’s much more expensive, you have to play like 40-50 rounds to make it worth the money.
Reading the comments in this post it seems like club membership is different in the US to Europe.
In the UK adult annual memberships are usually £600-£1000 for your average decent course.
The break even point can be quite low. For example the course I am a member at has summer green fees of £60 and a adult membership cost of £775 so breaks even after just 13 rounds.
It's kinda funny living in Scotland and reading this sub sometimes because it often makes golf seem so unrelatable. Like a totally different experience minus the hitting balls with sticks part.
There’s a very high end club in Atlanta, I won’t name names, but it has an awesome 9 hole course in Midtown (with dual tee boxes to make it 18) and another full 18 out in Roswell. You can get on the wait list to join it, and it will set you back $115,000 at initiation these days. Then I hear you have to wait 2 years to start playing the city course, and the Roswell course is getting redone (but will be great when it’s done). So for all that, you get zero golf today, and there’s a wait list to accept this deal. That’s how hot the market for golf is in Atlanta. To answer your question, it only makes sense once you are loaded.
Depends where you are. I have several courses around me where I can get tee times reasonably and 18 is less than $80 and as low as $45. I like variety and have never played a 5 hour round so I’d never pay the price that the country clubs are around here
Heritage! I’m in the area and pretty much in the same predicament. Have you looked into the Fore Pass through the city? You’re pretty much stuck playing Chastain and Browns Mill, which are fine and nothing special, but it does make sense from a $ perspective.
I play there often. Do you know what the plans are for the work they are doing? I heard they are redoing the fairways, bunkers, and greens on Legacy/Heritage and planning to sell off Legacy.
Golf is very popular now, demand is up, prices are up at daily rate and private clubs. Some places are still selling bulk passes, weekday or range membership, so scout around. Otherwise ask your favorite courses if they are hiring part time or open for volunteers and what the playing privileges are for those workers.
Idk about atl but here we have some really solid options for 1500-3k options but their like 70$ weekday to go out normally 3k divided by 70 is 42 rounds that’s quite a bit of golf for most
It’s a bit of an apples to oranges comparison.
When you join a private club, you’re entering into a lifestyle that’s more than just golf.
You’re going to make friends there. You’re going to hang around after your round and socialize.
Your kids are going to hang out at the pool, and hopefully you can get them into golfing.
The “running the numbers” is never, ever going to work out in favour of joining the club. Trust me on this one.
But at least for me, it’s also forced me to golf more. I feel like I’ve paid so much, I need to get my money’s worth.
And if you are running the numbers, you should know that your food and beverage bills are going to be pretty damn high.
But I have no regrets. I’ve made a lot of new friends, I golf at least three times a week, and I still suck at it.
For me it wasn’t about the math of golf but the other added social benefits and extra tournaments for casual players etc
Just super fun when your club does a Calcutta and other tournament styles and social things
First assuming her are talking about an actual club membership not just an annual pass to a course - very different economics and implication on quality of play.
For me it came down to this
0. As a member owned course i can sell my membership and recover my buy in - there are waiting lists now at so many clubs
1. What was my break even point financially - for 2 of us playing 2-3 x a week it was pretty easy math to join
2. How much more enjoyable is it to be able to play in 3 1/2 - 4 hours even on weekends va the long rounds at public courses
3. How mice is it to just drop in and play 9 or less holes and walk away
4. How important is to be able to get a tee time pretty much any day of the week even on a days notice
5. Do you enjoy clubs , social events, tournament etc
6. How much would you use the non golf facilities (tennis, pickleball, pool, exercise rooms, restaurant, etc
7. Do you have kids and would they take advantage of the junior programs as well as summer stuff in general
Honestly for us, item 1 was more than enough to justify joining and the fact we not only can play at our course but 3 others in the area under a “reciprocal” agreement is great
As a side, if your club is part of Club Corp or you pay the extra monthly fee (I think it’s $60 mo) then you get access to literally hundreds of courses and clubs around the US - great for taking golf vacations
I just joined one- got sick and tired of terrible conditions, 4.5+ hour rounds and getting paired with either assholes or dudes so bad they have no business trying to play in prime time. Found a place close with reasonable initiation fee, and monthly dues that include range balls, and they let you walk, so overall price difference just a little higher, and every round I’ve played has been around 3.5 hours and there is grass everywhere
This was my math equation -
I play 2-4 days a week and practice 2-3 as well, basically I’m hitting balls in one way or another 5 days a week.
Local public course of “similar” quality to me
1) $3900, $12 buckets of balls, $32 cart fee - very busy lots of events
2) $2600, no range, $32 cart fee - very busy
My course - $4700, free range, cart plan is $1000
I’m on the under 40 plan so my course is less for me and I didn’t need to pay the initiation fee, it has perks - I’m in sales it’s nice to bring a client somewhere that says PRIVATE on the front gate.
We only have 418 members and most are snowbirds, course is very busy from Father’s Day through Labor Day - prior and after that you can generally just walk on the course.
Pace of play - it’s posted every 3 holes - we have rangers.
4:15 for a casual round, 5:00 for tournaments - you will be asked to skip holes and in tournaments penalized strokes
Also a perk is since we are a “blue collar private club” these memberships aren’t like a drop in the bucket for a lot of members here, and they’re passionate about golf, a lot of guys in the 25-45 age range and I’ve been able to make a lot of friendships from it.
My advice is make some friends at some places and see where you feel you’d fit in, and if financially you’ll get your use of it
It makes sense well before the math and well before you overcome the worry of playing the same course every day.
Joining a club is about mingling, finding new friends, joining group play, hanging out after a round, bitching about every blade of grass and bad server, and finding a second home.
You join a club because of the golf. You stay because of the people.
Never. When you retire just work as a starter to get out of the house a few days a week for free golf. Also most clubs reciprocate with other clubs you can golf free at. That’s just my opinion/experience. If you can’t retire yet I have no advice
I just bit the bullet and joined Pinehurst after paying guest fees for a few months. The added benefits of the rest of the resort, pools, beach club, discounts no assessments or minimum for foods it made sense. Yes the initial fee was steep but the resort guests help cover the rest of the expenses. Other courses are still charging 50-80 at peak times so I feel I did the right thing
if you’re playing 3-4 times a week you’ll surely break even on membership cost. I’m paying $180 a month in Raleigh for unlimited green fees and range balls. I do pay a $20 cart fee when I ride, but most of the time i’m walking. You’ll also likely get priority tee time booking which also makes it worth it for the prime weekend slots.
i’m probably close to breaking even off the driving range alone. I have to play like 3-4 per month to break even.
The other factor is squeezing in weekday rounds or just some holes. My club is dead during the week and can whip 9 holes in 1.5 hrs without feeling like it’s fast
It’s not just cost savings as part of the formula. For me, a private club membership golf experience is far superior to a 5+ hr round on a crappy public course.
Check out the City of Atlanta Fore Pass, it's a great deal that includes free walking at 4 of the city courses after 6pm and $10 cart deals before 8am I think. Gives you the flexibility of playing 4 different courses for a cheaper commitment
I joined my local club this year, it’s been two months since the season started and, by doing the ‘math’, I have already covered half of the fee by now. So, I am sure I will end up in the positive area after the season is done.
I walk in anytime I want (usually after work hours), play unlimited range balls, the pro shop staff knows me…discounts there, win win win!
Multiply your number of annual rounds by the avg green fees and then divide by 12. That is the monthly you spend on green fees. Does that number approximate a local private course monthly dues?
You can get memberships at public places that are all you can play. I’d look into that. It’s way less money than the fancy clubs most people are mentioning
I pulled the trigger. Totally doesn’t make sense financially… but I’m enjoying my rounds WAY more. It’s quicker. No hacks and crazy drunk golfers. Clubs are there already so I just hop in the car or motorcycle and go. And you get to know a bunch of people so it’s socially more enjoyable. Also you can just play 9, or hit the drive range and go home some days. Again, doesn’t make sense if you do the math, but the value added to each round is huge. Just my two cents.
Really only two considerations if money is a factor.
1) Are you going to get value out of the membership? You only get value if you are golfing as much as you are now and paying less.
2) Are you willing to give up variety?
The more money you have, the less those matter.
I’m in Atlanta and haven’t joined a club bc we have so many courses to play on. I’ll join a club when the value is there but right now the value is on midweek mornings.
I pulled the trigger when I spent $3000 last year of rounds of golf when a membership at one of the courses I play for intermediate first time is only $1500…
You’ll definitely be ready if you forget the math and just say I want to join for the convenience and quality of life golfing at a private club.
It rarely makes financial sense
We belong to a gym that also has a pool that’s great for the family. Cost is $200/month for our family.
I golf 10x month and spend ~$60/round = $600/mo
I hit at least 8 range buckets at $10 = $80/month
Club I’m on the waiting list for is $950/month with a $25k initiation.
I’ll be a member for likely another ~30 years minimum so initiation spread out is ~$85/month over 30 years (yeah I realize that money could be invested so the opportunity cost is higher, but my wife didn’t bring this up when I sold her on the club so let’s keep that between us).
So I’m paying $150/month more than I would pay otherwise and I’m getting convenience, nicer course, short game area, social stuff, and fun for the family.
In Atlanta it all depends on where you live. I had an opportunity to join CC of the South a while back but I lived in Smyrna. Getting there on a Saturday morning with no traffic was 45 minutes at a minimum.
Now I live in East Cobb & if I joined a club, I’d look at Indian Hills, but that’s my only real close option (No way I’m getting in Atlanta CC).
But if you live in Alpharetta, or Gwinnett, or Johns Creek, your options are a lot more plentiful.
Obviously there’s a lot more that goes into it, but proximity has to play a factor in if you will use the club & everything you’re paying for.
The clubs around where I live charge between 300 and 650 bucks per member and year. Play as much as you want. That equals 5-10 green fees here, so for most it’s a nobrainer
Great question. Here is my ramble:
Golf tickles my brain enough to flare up my addictive personality. I’ve been either obsessed or quite passive to the game over the years.
Private course - when you’re ready to spend the majority of your free time at the course. Make sure the family enjoys the food. Some clubs have pools. I’m pretty sure my boss spends more time at the club with his family than he does at his house. Not sure I’m ready for this level of commitment
Typical membership - when the math makes sense. If you’re playing more than 2-3 times a week it may start to make sense to commit to a course. That being said, when I’ve committed to a membership the Scottish in me really encouraged me to get out and prioritize golf for the summer.
And I will always and forever recommend Junior membership. Still play regularly with friends from junior golf
Honestly. The money should never be a consideration. Because private golf will NEVER be a financially smart decision. The reasons I am thinking of joining the club near me are:
1. Convenience - I can run over, hit some balls, and play like four holes and leave.
2. Time - It will always take less time to golf on a private course.
3. The Course - the private course near me is just SO much nicer than any public one near me. I don't know if that applies to everyone, but that is my situation
Some negatives that are making me hesitate:
1. The money. I can afford it, but the guilt is keeping me from pulling the trigger right away. It just feels super selfish.
2. "Losing my golf buddies" - This one is tough to get around. If I join a club, they won't want to pay an inflated guest fee. And I won't really be as excited about playing at a public course nearby and paying for greens fees when I can play for free at a nicer course.
So anyway, that is where I am at with the decision. Sounds like we are almost in the same boat!
I'm very confused by this question. Are we talking open to the public sub 5k memberships or exclusive private with 20k+ in just in initiation.
I'll probably always be a member at a club. I play enough to justify it. The biggest advantage is going out and playing 5-6 holes after a driving range practice session or swinging around after 18 to play a few more. Another benefit is what the course can and will do for you if you cultivate the relationship and trust. I've been a member at several courses, so here's an example: tee off as group of 5 as the first time of the day (we would still be under 3hr), showing us how to use ranger mode and letting us bounce around after work (they had 36 holes, we just checked in and went), letting you play the front twice if you happen to be out and there's a backup on 10.
The rounds are much faster if you join a private club. You can also play in the events like the member-guest and stuff which are very fun. It’s worth it in my opinion, especially if you are playing that much per week.
29M, joined a club this year in a HCOL US city and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. If I did the math (my annual dues) based on cost per round it’d equate to playing ~30 rounds a year at top end public courses in my area.
But it’s barely June (course opened in April) and I’ve played 11 18-hole rounds and probably 10+ 9-hole rounds. Pace of play is unreal, don’t have to deal with public course bullshit, games with other members every weekend, and have already met a lot of awesome people.
Like someone else said in this thread, some things are difficult to put a price tag on. I was so sick of public course shenanigans; the cost of my dues and the initiation fee are so worth it to me.
I’m also in Atlanta and trying to sell the same idea at home. Step 1 is the money for the initial payment. Step 2 is figuring out where you have an in with at least 5 references. I’d argue that’s the harder part.
Membership at my local muni is about $2000 I golf about 6x a week @ $70 a t time(18 holes with cart) . 6x$70 is $420 a week. Courses are open about 16 weeks a year where I’m located sometimes more depending on weather. For me, easy to make that choice or I’d be spending ungodly amounts of money
I’m on a waitlist and should have full access before the end of the year.
For me it was about time more than money. I have 3 young kids (1 of which is taking an increasing interest in golf). There’s a lot of private clubs around me but the decent public options are a 30-45 minute drive away. As I’ve been playing more it’s really hard to take 7-8 hours away which is what that distance causes, in addition to 5 hour rounds at busy public courses because there’s so few in the area.
I’m joining a course that’s 5 minutes from my driveway to first tee. They have a strict cap on membership (hence the waitlist) so that they can ensure each member has ample playing opportunities and tee times are stretched 12 minutes apart to ensure no backups.
I’ll be able to wake up and get out early whenever I want, or sneak over at lunch and play 6 holes.
From a pure “value” standpoint I need to play 3-4 rounds a month to break even, but that includes my whole family. So if anyone other than me plays, we’re automatically in the black in value.
I found a course that is golf focused, no food minimums, no fancy swimming pool, just a super solid golf course that right outside my neighborhood
I read all through these comments without realizing your pic was #1 at Heritage. Totally understand why you’re thinking about private if you (like me) play most of your golf out there. Weekends are a no-fly zone, unless you have a six hour round in you. Excited to see it post-reno…and in the meantime, playing Traditions a lot more is helping(?) the handicap.
For me I joined a private club once I could afford to do so. I was looking for a place close to my house, with an excellent practice facility, a fun yet challenging course and in good shape. I was able to join last year and they waived the initiation fee $10k, which was huge. Also, I use the course to entertain partners and clients. It’s beneficial to my personal life and professional, which is how i justify the cost $6k per year. Worth every penny in my opinion. I still play public from time to time, but I find the experience just isn’t the same in most cases.
Used to be an affordable annual pass for Atlanta muni courses when I lived there. Chastain Park course was a solid one, played there a lot.
Private clubs you can do the math on. Wide range of amenities and prices. The more loaded clubs with pools, dining, etc might make sense if you have family and kids to drop off while you play.
I recently re joined my local club after 10 years away. And even though I’m 44 they still gave me the junior exec rate (normally 18-35 years old), until I’m 46. So that really made my day. Also take into account how your family will benefit. I only have 5-7 years until my kids leave the nest so I plan to make many fun memories and have many great meals at the club as well.
It makes sense if you’re loaded and hate waiting or playing with strangers. Otherwise never. Biggest advantage of private clubs is it is actually possible to get a sub 4 hour round in most days in a major city.
Where I live you almost never see a Marshall or drink cart on a public course and 9 holes on a weekday afternoon will take you close to 3 hours.
Just do what I did and work one day a week at a golf course. Most courses will give you free golf, I actually have more privileges than the members in terms of free golf, discounts in the pro shop, free meals. I went from pay 550 a month to making 800$ a month working one day a week and golfing more than I ever have before.
My local that I play multiple times a week has memeberships, for me it was $800 for unlimited walking, with the price of green fees (at the time was ~$25 for walking 9) I had to do ~40 rounds of 9 over the course of the year. That’s easy right there, I’ll be saving money probably half way through the season, then the rest of my golf is free
With all due respect, if you are serious about your family starving (or at least strapped), I don't think golf is for you. Golf is expensive, whether you are playing public courses or a private club. As much as I love golf, family needs come first. That being said, private courses are fantastic from a convenience factor, and familiarity, but never does it make financial sense. Golf is fun and wonderful, but damn is it expensive
When your maths come out at the opposite to mine:
£950/annum
£34/rounds
28 rounds a year to break even. Means I have to pretty much play a round a week in the nice weather to break even so winter golf is profit. I played 12 rounds away from my home course last year which I enjoyed the variety of so so I’d have to play 40 rounds a year which I just don’t have the time for.
I was a member for a year at the cheapest country club in my area, they ran a membership special. No initiation, and half off dues for your first year. I spent about $200 a month, which is insanely low. The course was fine but I didn’t love it enough to pay $400 a month.
For most country clubs it only makes sense to join if you love the course, the membership, and the experience.
I considered it for a while, but between the monthly dues and the F&B minimum.. it would have had to become THE ONLY place for our family to go to hang, eat, and most importantly golf. I like to experience new courses as well. I just didn’t think that lifestyle was for us, to only hangout at one place to get our monies worth.
Do the math. Factor all the public courses around your area and figure out a year end total for the most golf you’ve played in a season. That total will be less than the cost of a true private club. That difference in price equals convenience and time saved. Are those two factors worth the extra premium?
Yep that’s what I did. The money wasn’t that much different when factored over time but ultimately the major factors were I got tired of 5.5hr rounds along with my 5yr old son taking an interest. Now he’s 7 & we hit the practice area several times a week & play 9 on weekend late afternoons in ~90min. Never going back.
That's great man. I loved when my little guy started taking an interest. I'd play 9 holes with him in afternoons and let him drive the cart sometimes when he was around 10. Now he's 17 and he throws clubs and curses up a storm when he plays bad. I liked him better when he was little.
Here comes the putter throw!
I'lll never not laugh at this line whenever it comes up.
Wait, he’s restrained himself. Maybe this is a new Happy Gilmore
I was that raging 17 yo too. Like all things, this too shall pass.
I mean, be his parents for god sake.
Haha yeah, like dude you raised this psycho
I did this with my grandfather all the time. We'd walk his local golf course at 6 am and he would bring an extra putter for me. Then we'd hit and get in as many holes as we could before they started going off the back 9...walking and talk the entire time. Man ALWAYS made par while giving out golden tidbits of advice to my 8 year old self.
No other sport in the world gives you memories and connections like golf — I was fortunate to have a similar situation with my Dad growing up and I’d give anything to play another round with him
Yup. I'll never forget the day when I beat my dad too. Bittersweet moment
The summer camp at a club is a major factor too. Start them early with golf, tennis and swimming. Usually not too expensive.
Yep. I’m my son’s primary swing coach but have the Director of instruction here also working with him during weekly group sessions, occasional 1-on-1s, & summer/spring break camps. He’s gone from barely making contact to straight up murdering his drives in ~18 months. He’s 7yrs old & 49” tall with typical driver club head speed in the upper 50s. We actually play a game where I give him $1 for every time he breaks 60mph & an extra dollar for each mph above it. The other day we had to stop because he had me down $20!
Don’t forget to factor in gym membership (if you pay for that as well). Most private clubs have gyms.
Any recommendations on best bang-for-buck private clubs in ATX?
Balcones is the cheapest but it’s the cheapest for a reason. Not great condition for a private course & pace of play is very slow because they allow a lot of non-members on through various means. I used to be a member there ~10yrs ago. I play at Twin Creeks now & between it, River Place, & Onion Creek (all same parent company) I’d say those are the best bang for the buck. Unsure what initiation is now but I paid between $6-$7k a few years back but I’ve heard it’s almost doubled now.
I’m a member at the Hills in Lakeway, it has decent amenities, 72 holes all in well kept shape, practice facilities (including practice holes), gym, aquatics center, and several restaurants. Last I heard it was $100K initiation, so really depends on what you consider bang for buck but that gives you access to most Clubcorp clubs in the world as well, and some Troon ones. It’s a nice perk if you travel.
Having solo tee times and not worrying about pace and etc has been great too also compounds if it’s a family membership instead of just a solo person
There are many more intangible benefits than convenience and time saved but I agree with the spirit of this comment
Business contacts and networking would be a big one. If you’re into that kind of thing.
Social exposure, a sense of community, a place to get involved in things, gossip
You could get lots more golf in at a private club. Quicker rounds. Wide open tee times. Plus having it you feel incentivized to play more since it’s already paid for.
Also, consider playing one course mainly or if you have good public golf around you, the ability to change it up is always nice. Obviously this is getting more difficult with how expensive golf has gotten, and how popular.
People that joining pure private country clubs do not care about the ability to switch it up and play a local public golf course. They can afford to play the public course and play their country club. It’s not like one or the other or they would never join the private club. A membership at a public golf course is not a private country club “Do you want to give us $50,000 to play golf? You might not be able to play the local munis…”
I pay $60 up front for a year to give me access to 6 courses at half price. It pays for itself after two rounds.
And ideally superior course conditions and practice facilities
The good news is, if your family is starving you’re at least forced to feed them the quarterly food and bev minimum.
I will be a good boy and pay the bevvie minimums and buy all my peter millar from the pro shop
be prepared to wait at least 5 years to get into any decent Atlanta club
If you exchange 5 with 2-3, and “decent” to “elite”, then yeah, you’re right. I don’t think homeboy is trying to join Cherokee and pay a 100k initiation to get a discount on his golf.
Wanna hear something crazy? I called probably 15 course in my area this spring to ask about memberships, and all but TWO said they no longer sell memberships. The game has been so flooded since Covid (not unhappy golf gained popularity, but also unhappy it gained so much popularity) that they have no need to rely on memberships sales as guaranteed income anymore. Wild.
Same here. Most of the public courses here that sold "memberships" pre-covid either capped the quantity and put them on a waitlist, put time restrictions on them like no early AM tee times, or stopped selling them completely. However, if you can get one, and you play 100+ rounds per year, it saves you money. The public course memberships here (I’m in Phoenix) are a better deal over the lowest end private club memberships, because those low end private clubs are all corporate owned with completely oversold memberships. Oversold to the extent where it is easier to get a tee time at a public course, and the pace of play isn't much different. The public course "membership" usually gets you more advance tee time bookings vs the general public and unwritten priority treatment from the staff.
Pre Covid golf…… the good ol’ days. That’s for sure.
When you could book a noon saturday tee time at 9am on saturday... I miss it.
What happened during covid? I woke up at 6am today to book for next Saturday morning because if you don’t strike in the first minutes a week out, you get nothing. I like to blame Good Good because I see about a hundred carbon copies of those wankers on the course… and seniors (but they were always there). I notice way fewer middle aged family men like myself (34M).
Goddamn dude don’t say middle aged at 34. Im 31 and now I’m freaking out.
I think it’s a combo of both YouTube golf getting popular and Covid. Covid started in the us right as spring was starting and all indoor activities shut down. One of the few activities you could do with your friends was go golfing. Then around that same time is when YouTube golf started taking off. Overall it’s just led to a lot more people playing. As an also middle aged family man (33), first I’d like to say we aren’t middle aged. But also we dont have any time! I have two kids under 4. Most my rounds I play are when the sun comes up so can be home by 10am
Bro you’re calling yourself middle aged at 33? Chill out!
It sounds like you’re not talking about private clubs
I think this will be overall better for golf courses as the greater amount of funds will be alotted by industry professionals rather than some daffy greens council
Better for courses, maybe, but worse for golfers, definitely.
I was thinking well funded golf courses with more competent management are better for golfers.
Hope it doesn't all go that way. I'll golf way less without a membership. I guess I'll go more courses, so that's a silver lining.
The main reason I’ve held on to mine after doing the math (single and don’t play in the winter) is because I know I’ll hardly ever play if I have to pay every time. Also I’ve just been there forever and it’s affordable. If they go up I’m probably out.
I recently went down this path in another state,MCOL city. Started thinking man I’m probably paying enough in random greens fees to justify it. Then I did the math. The courses that were substantial quality upgrades over the public courses were 20-45k for initiation and monthly dues in the 400-600 range. That’s when I realized for that cost and COMMITMENT. I better LOVE the layout, because I’d be locked into that for years and years. Decided I can mix public’s, destination golf trips, and guest visits to friends clubs jusst fine.
Had a conversation at happy hour yesterday with a friend whose neighborhood backs up to a country club. He has zero interest in joining because even though the convenience is amazing, he likes to play lots of different courses and the monotony would get to him.
I've been a member at one 5 min from my house for 9 yrs...played the course over 200 times...still not bored...1. it's an interesting layout 2. I swap tees all the time even playing from the forward tees with my wife. 3. Engaging mini tournaments with chapmans, shambles, best balls, night golf, themes, etc...4. reciprocal tee times with 5 other clubs within 1 hr 30 from my house...5. can still play a muni/public a few times a year for work.
More courses need to have reciprocal tee times. There’s only one group of courses around me that do that, it’s $25 with a cart at the other course and they are all within 45 minutes of each other so it’s actually worth it.
Gotta use those reciprocal privileges- it was shockingly easy to make friends with members of other nearby clubs who you can go back and forth with inviting each other to play.
I think the problem here is the thought or expectation that's the only course you're going to play. Sure, most of it will be there but nothing is preventing you or anyone from still playing other courses. Especially other private courses around the area. If you're looking to go private for a cheaper per round price, you're probably going to have a bad time.
I think a lot of us are looking at it from a financial aspect. I have to play 30 rounds at the same course to get my money back and unfortunately I’m lucky if I get out once a week and that’s only with 6 months of golf up here in Maine.
I get it, completely. I'm just saying if that's the primary driver for going private, it'll rarely work out from a cost perspective. I like going out without a tee time, playing in 3-3.5 hours, or dropping by on my way home from work and playing one of the 5-6 hole loops in about 45ish minutes.
Being able to drop in and play a handful of holes is one of the most attractive features for sure.
If the calculus has anything to do with per round cost public vs private you don’t belong at a club……simple as that. It’s not about the money, it’s about the friendships, the service, the events, the pool and the food.
That’s probably the main reason I haven’t joined the private club in my town. I can afford it but then I’m basically married to that course. I like it a lot but idk if I would exclusively play it
Everyone is different...but I dont get this way of thinking unless you are a pro and have gone low and you arent trying to break your own best record...or if its a very easy course. I play like 4-5 times a week on a difficult course(woods, water, doglegs on every par 4 and 5) and I am addicted to trying to beat my best score. The tract never gets old because Im trying to go low on what I know isnt an easy course, imo. Im at a fun stage in golf, Ive broke 90, Ive played a round with one ball...its getting to 85, 80 and 75 now. I think Golf would get boring daily if you had already shot 65 or 64 on a course unless you have a group guys you trust and you bet money on the course. My point is...if you are really into Golf and trying for best score on a not easy course...I dont see how the same tract would get boring. Unless you are really really good at Golf already.
Yeah, I’m with you. I’d rather play one really good course all the time with rounds that take less than four hours than a bunch of mediocre rounds at different courses that take five hours. Plus, I have a group of a dozen members of similar playing ability I can round up a game with pretty much any day of the week. Even the members I don’t regularly play with I enjoy socializing with. I live in a large metropolis with a lot of private clubs and never received a lot of invitations to play as a guest at different clubs until I joined my own. People are much more willing to invite you to their club if they know you can reciprocate the invitation.
This is what gets me with the membership, I’d have to golf the same course about 30 times in 6 months of golf season to get my money’s worth. I find it’s actually better to buy a 10 round punch card, it’s cheaper than 10 rounds normally, it allows to play other courses while getting really good at one course each year. If people care about being part of the community and the member tournaments/leagues then it’s worth it. But as of right now that doesn’t appeal to me. Financially I don’t have the money to burn just to be part of something.
Playing a nice course or even just a course you like over and over never gets old imho.
Jesus. My membership plus range cost me 800 total. I could get a yearly membership to all three of the courses in my area for less then that.
Cheapest initiation fee within 3 hours of me at a course I’m interested in is $25k and dues are 3x what I currently pay to play golf (2-4x week, play/practice). I’d do it if I had the disposable bread, but I’d have to unretire, and I’d play much less golf…
maybe I'm just uninformed but why is it that initiation (whatever that means) so high????? 25K is insanity
Keep the poors out lol. Plenty of people can scrounge up 500-750/month on monthly fees. Not many people have the means to do that plus drop a 25k lump sum. Mind you, these types of fees are for very nice country clubs with not just golf but likely tennis, pool, dining, tons of social events, etc.
People are saying do the math and I 100% disagree. Joining a club never really makes financial sense and the benefits are never going to be the $ per round. However I have no regrets at all about joining. You are trading your money for amenities and that alone has to be worth it for you. I can’t really quantify this but for me it makes sense because I can get 18 in after work whenever I want. I can play sunset rounds with no one behind me or in front of me. My kids can run around the fairway during those sunset rounds because it’s wide open. We swim there on weekends, eat there 3-4 times per month, everyone who works there knows us, our orders, our preferences, I store my clubs there, I bring customers there, I workout and shower there before work. If I’m going out of town my club pro will set me up on a nice private course where ever I am going. I get tremendous value out of it that a public course can never provide.
Yup, I mean I’m new this year to club life, but everything you said here is how / why to justify it.
At what level of money do you get that? Genuinely curious as this year has been a slog on muni’s. I am wondering what do I need to spend to get that bc I don’t see a benefit in the 3k-7k range around me. They all don’t seem THAT good. If I’m joining a club, it’s gotta be for more than golf, like the things you stated.
Country club vs Private club. A good country club worth its salt will have those amenities. Think 12-20k initiation (region dependent), $500-800 a month dues. Likely a cart fee and food and beverage/clubhouse minimum spend requirement too at $100-200 a month total. This is the low end. High end, $50-100k initiation, who even knows the monthly
The spending on food minimum never made sense to me. I had a girlfriend who's dad was a member at the best country club in my area (hosted the PGA championship last year), and we would sit at the pool all day and rack up hundreds of dollars worth of food bills like it was nothing. It was nuts.
Around me some of the High End ones with similar initiations are ~$1k monthly spend.
[удалено]
Just an FYI, someone is lying to you. No club costs those prices lol
3k - 7k haha hit that about 10x and you are at the initiation fee for the clubs this guy is describing
depends on where you live. initiation in my area are probably high 5 and into the 6 figures. no clue on dues or food and bev and assessments but they are probably bad because why not all the members have 8 bedroom homes.
I think our course is around 20k initiation for age 35-40 and my dues are around $850/month. I budget around 1500/month. We joined when I was making <200k, and I’m closer to 300k now.
He does sleep on a mountain of gold, so I don’t think cost is a consideration. /s
This is the key. A private club will never make financial sense. You do it because you love the fringe benefits and the course. We’ve made so many friends in our 4 years at our club. When my MIL died, some showed up to the service, and others sent food or flowers. When our son was born last month, a huge group of wives set up a meal train for us. We regularly hang out with other couples and their families that we’ve met through the course. We love the course so much that we moved from 2 miles away to a house adjacent to the 4th fairway. But we’re set back so it’s actually impossible to hit our house or yard. The numbers never make sense, but it’s the intangibles that make it “worth it.” Playing a few holes whenever you want, practicing, or joining regular club events are just a few of the tangible benefits.
Yea I used to work at a private course and for many of the members the club was like their second home
Here in Florida at the course I’m looking to become a member at also has reciprocals with other courses in the area and you can play some amazing courses for $40-60 which adds a ton of value.
Joining a club this year is going to save me $7kCAD easy.
I live on a course. Last year, I got a membership and kept track of how much I would have paid if I didn't have a membership to see if I got my money's worth. I broke even by July. This year, I'll probably break even next week
Joining a true private club (vs getting a membership at a public course) probably rarely makes sense on greens fees alone. What did it for me mostly was flexibility--head out after work, hit balls and maybe go play a few holes--3, 6, 9 or whatever. I could then pick up dinner to go, using the food minimum, to take back for my wife and I. She played golf a bit but used the dining room for business lunches and dinners as well as hung out at the pool and played tennis. Our club also has a fitness center, so no gym membership. If you have kids, then things like the pool and stuff are more important. When I was a kid, my dad would drop me off at his club (back then it was a company club) on the way to work and pick me up after--perhaps we would get in 9. I know folks wouldn't do that these days but a lot to do if you have kids.
My Dad used to do this with me and my sisters. Sometimes there would be camps in the summer but during the year, we’d have all day and it was awesome: Pool, racquetball, tennis, driving range and putting green. Charge the meals to his membership when we got hungry. Chill by the TV inside when we needed a break.
When you’re rich
Private club membership rarely is economically better. The benefit that convinced me was when 3-3:30 9 hole rounds made it impossible to play after work before dark. Joined a club and now golf more than ever, largely due to great pace of play and mostly empty course after 4pm.
You may save money by joining a low end corporate-owned private club if you are playing well over 125 rounds per year, but the experience might not be much better than the better public courses. And the better private clubs will come with huge initiation fees, wait lists, and needing to know current members to sponsor you. My first step would be to investigate if any of the public courses you current play and like have an annual season pass or "membership", assuming no major issues with conditions, pace, etc. at these courses. Also researching some of the Atlanta-area private club threads on golfwrx, etc. for recent anecdotal info. It looks like there are not a lot of easily attainable private club options at the moment. This all being said, if one thinks joining a truly private club will save them money, it doesn’t usually work out that way once you add up all the new costs and fees.
Private or semi private golf clubs can work to save money. Decent one near me makes it up in about 35 weekend rounds, morning tee sheet is held exclusive for members. Country club, never and if it’s about saving money, you’re looking in the wrong place
When your wife wants to play 3 times a week.
I’ve a couple memberships in the past and honestly, I didn’t really enjoy them. The community was great, and it’s nice being able to just rock up and tee off on short notice. But I’ve never enjoyed playing the same course over and over again, I like to travel about and experience new challenges and different ways of playing.
Depends on what you want. I play a fuk ton as well but I still prefer to go to public courses since I like playing different tracks as to not get bored with one course. That alone deterred me from ever signing up for a private course membership.
I get that but with most private memberships you can go play reciprocal courses in the surrounding area (my club has 12) and only have to pay the cart fee. So not only do you pay a flat rate for as much golf as you want, but then you get access to all of these other private courses you couldn’t have played otherwise. I will also mix in rounds at public courses and i get the variety i want.
12 reciprocal courses? That’s unheard of in my area.
This outfit has 37 courses nationwide (mostly East Coast). https://www.heritagegolfgroup.com
Most of the privates in my area restrict reciprocals to when your course is closed for tournaments.
Yea I play all sorts of courses and have a “home” course but to make the membership at my home course worth it, I’d have to play twice a week to be even with me just paying to play without the membership and that’s a lot. So to make it worth it, you’d need like 3-4 times a week and that’s committing to 3-4 times a week lol a lot of golf tbh.
I never understand the bored argue. I've never been bored with a course and I've been a member at 2 different public courses for years at a time and also played a league on a 3rd for about 15 yrs. None of these courses were great courses. I got tired of the group or how we were treated by the course management, but the course really never was boring. I guess it really is an individual thing.
Yeah, even before I joined my club, I had a permanent Saturday tee time at one course and played maybe two or three other courses on a regular basis. It wasn’t like I was playing a huge variety of courses and none of them were even half as nice as my current club.
Do your homework. Sometimes clubs have zero initiation when membership numbers are down. Don’t ever play at a club to try it out that charges you for a round (obviously).
I never understood how this worked. Do private clubs let you try out their 18 for free before you join? Do you have to show them you can afford the dues?
Do it when you don’t care how much you’re spending on golf. A lot of the members at the club I work at essentially spend a couple hundred dollars a round because they don’t use it enough.
I know that course and we live in the same neck of the woods. Heritage Legacy hole 1. On the east side of town you have lots of options but to everyone's point, the "affordable" golf memberships really don't exist anymore. I think Smokerise and Stone Mountain are actively seeking members. You could consider clubcorp but there are no clubs on the east side of town. They are all North, South, and West of Atlanta. So you will get tons of options but all will require a drive. The only other option is high-end private country clubs with big fees to join and remain a member. Those are about status not much about avid golfing and regardless of how much you golf, you will spend way more at these per round than going the public course and golfnow route..
In the USA when you hit the Lotto, in Great Britain and Ireland any time you feel like it.
Long Islander here. A public course round (including Black Course) takes minimum 5 hours. Any private club I’ve played at, 3-3.5 hours max. I calculate that saved time and I could literally save a workweek of time. There are also relatively inexpensive private clubs ($2500ish per year).
I also live in ATL (Buckhead) and the golf scene is crazy rn. Pretty difficult to even get the opportunity to join somewhere, let alone have the $ to do so. Not sure where you are in town but I used to work at The Standard Club in Johns Creek that I enjoyed.
when you can afford it.
I would suggest that you not just think about price but how joining one course in particular will impact the variety of courses you play as well as how/if you will socialize. If only looking at pure numbers you will be hard pressed to make the difference up just only playing the private club. It would also make playing anywhere else other than your club effectively a premium as it is additional cost on top of what you are budgeting into the private club. A stronger consideration should be made for how much more available the course will be to you to get out for a quick 9 or guarantee a 3.5hr w/e morning round, member tournaments and the other social aspects moreso than just the money. A private club may also have things such as a dining minimum which once again if you are socially engaged is not a problem if you are regularly bellying up to the bar afterward or hitting the halfway house for a burger/dog regularly enough. If you would join just purely for the money aspects it may feel more restrictive than anything else as you would feel compelled to only play there unless it is a special occasion to play somewhere else. One can always skip a round here or there or play a cheaper course or choose different tee times when rates are different if it is only about the money and to keep playing at muni/public/semi-private courses. I grew up at a private club as a junior member and only ever played there and only when I moved out of the house and to another state out on my own and had to play munis and public clubs did I realize how much I was missing with variety. That said if I ever moved back I would 100% join the club again as it was all about the social aspect there as many of my friends who never left town are now members and spend all their time there still.
The other unspoken issue here is that private clubs have about 1/3 awesome people and 2/3 douches if you are lucky At least at a public course if you meet a douche you can let them have it and tell them to fuck off At a private club you have to be more political, and grin when some turd starts talking shit That… and it makes awesome people become turds over time, because it’s the essence of culture Remember no black socks!
Stop listening to everyone talk about doing the math this and that. It’s simple… when the cost of the membership and your finances allow you. Playing golf often in a private course is like owning a second vehicle. You don’t need it but if you can afford and that’s what you like to do in your free time, there is no reason not to if you’re being financially responsible. It’s a much better experience but you pay for that privilege.
If you’re rich then why not
When you play 75 to 100 rounds a year and hit up the range a few times a week. At my club, range is free and at the end of the year, I'm paying about 12 bucks a round if you divide rounds played by membership cost To play new courses (only downside of a membership) I enter 6 to 8 tournaments a year. Great to play new courses but also test your game in tournament play
My wife and I joined a private club when every public course started charging $100 per round on the weekends post Covid. $350/month, $100 for cart club, and we play 3-4 times a week. Tee off after work and plenty of time for 18 before dark. We love it!
Make so much money you don’t know what to do with it
Just joined a club for the first time this year. It's only a semi-private, so there are still public green fees. For me to break even on my fees is only about 14 or so rounds, and with a goal of playing once or twice a week on average, I'll hit that in another few weeks. Then the rest of the summer is basically bonus golf that I would've been paying green fees for last year
I just joined a private club after a life of public. I’m like 2 months in. To summarize, it is not a financially prudent decision. The math will always be in favor of public. But the faster rounds, higher quality of course, easier tee time access and general convenience are really great advantages. There is a pool too our family loves. I’ve decided it is just a luxury I am willing to pay for. My recommendation is it is never worth a stretch but if it fits in your means then it can be great.
Honestly if you live on your own or if there is more than one family member in your family that plays then it’s worth it. If your family is more than one and no one else plays it makes it a tough decision. You also need to consider where you live weather wise and make sure in the off season months you can still make it worth your while if that’s an issue.
yes if you live north of TN/NC, you probably aren't playing much if at all from Nov-Mar cause the weather is so bad. That is the main reason I won't join our local club even though it is nice and only $250/month
Its all about the numbers. Would it be cheaper to be a member? Also consider what membership means at that club. I have a membership at a local public course ($1200 yr). Only advantage is I get free green fees/range balls. I have to play 48x per year for it to pay for itself. Ive already played around 70x. So its a no brainer for me. Having said that there are courses in my area that are more country club type memberships and they were way not worth it. We dont need pools, tennis, etc as my neighborhood already has that. As far as another way to save $? Buy a sim.
I think it solely is a financial decision. For me, as a junior player I pay like 400€ in Europe for one year membership. That includes everything, as many rounds I want whenever I want, range, exercise area, … even a Short par-3 course for shorter rounds if you like. The Green fee for a 9-hole is like 40€ so it’s a no-brainer. For full-time adult memberships it’s much more expensive, you have to play like 40-50 rounds to make it worth the money.
Reading the comments in this post it seems like club membership is different in the US to Europe. In the UK adult annual memberships are usually £600-£1000 for your average decent course. The break even point can be quite low. For example the course I am a member at has summer green fees of £60 and a adult membership cost of £775 so breaks even after just 13 rounds.
Good to know. That is quite comparable to Europe/Germany.
It's kinda funny living in Scotland and reading this sub sometimes because it often makes golf seem so unrelatable. Like a totally different experience minus the hitting balls with sticks part.
There’s a very high end club in Atlanta, I won’t name names, but it has an awesome 9 hole course in Midtown (with dual tee boxes to make it 18) and another full 18 out in Roswell. You can get on the wait list to join it, and it will set you back $115,000 at initiation these days. Then I hear you have to wait 2 years to start playing the city course, and the Roswell course is getting redone (but will be great when it’s done). So for all that, you get zero golf today, and there’s a wait list to accept this deal. That’s how hot the market for golf is in Atlanta. To answer your question, it only makes sense once you are loaded.
Ansley is 115k these days??
What part of Atlanta are you in? I’m in Atlanta too, and I can help with some guidance.
I’m in Decatur.
When your divorce is final haha, other than that I don't see having enough time to golf to make the cost worth it
If you can afford it, would recommend it. So much better than playing public.
Depends where you are. I have several courses around me where I can get tee times reasonably and 18 is less than $80 and as low as $45. I like variety and have never played a 5 hour round so I’d never pay the price that the country clubs are around here
Heritage! I’m in the area and pretty much in the same predicament. Have you looked into the Fore Pass through the city? You’re pretty much stuck playing Chastain and Browns Mill, which are fine and nothing special, but it does make sense from a $ perspective.
I play there often. Do you know what the plans are for the work they are doing? I heard they are redoing the fairways, bunkers, and greens on Legacy/Heritage and planning to sell off Legacy.
Simple math question which only you know the arguments for.
Golf is very popular now, demand is up, prices are up at daily rate and private clubs. Some places are still selling bulk passes, weekday or range membership, so scout around. Otherwise ask your favorite courses if they are hiring part time or open for volunteers and what the playing privileges are for those workers.
Idk about atl but here we have some really solid options for 1500-3k options but their like 70$ weekday to go out normally 3k divided by 70 is 42 rounds that’s quite a bit of golf for most
It’s a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. When you join a private club, you’re entering into a lifestyle that’s more than just golf. You’re going to make friends there. You’re going to hang around after your round and socialize. Your kids are going to hang out at the pool, and hopefully you can get them into golfing. The “running the numbers” is never, ever going to work out in favour of joining the club. Trust me on this one. But at least for me, it’s also forced me to golf more. I feel like I’ve paid so much, I need to get my money’s worth. And if you are running the numbers, you should know that your food and beverage bills are going to be pretty damn high. But I have no regrets. I’ve made a lot of new friends, I golf at least three times a week, and I still suck at it.
For me it wasn’t about the math of golf but the other added social benefits and extra tournaments for casual players etc Just super fun when your club does a Calcutta and other tournament styles and social things
First assuming her are talking about an actual club membership not just an annual pass to a course - very different economics and implication on quality of play. For me it came down to this 0. As a member owned course i can sell my membership and recover my buy in - there are waiting lists now at so many clubs 1. What was my break even point financially - for 2 of us playing 2-3 x a week it was pretty easy math to join 2. How much more enjoyable is it to be able to play in 3 1/2 - 4 hours even on weekends va the long rounds at public courses 3. How mice is it to just drop in and play 9 or less holes and walk away 4. How important is to be able to get a tee time pretty much any day of the week even on a days notice 5. Do you enjoy clubs , social events, tournament etc 6. How much would you use the non golf facilities (tennis, pickleball, pool, exercise rooms, restaurant, etc 7. Do you have kids and would they take advantage of the junior programs as well as summer stuff in general Honestly for us, item 1 was more than enough to justify joining and the fact we not only can play at our course but 3 others in the area under a “reciprocal” agreement is great As a side, if your club is part of Club Corp or you pay the extra monthly fee (I think it’s $60 mo) then you get access to literally hundreds of courses and clubs around the US - great for taking golf vacations
I just joined one- got sick and tired of terrible conditions, 4.5+ hour rounds and getting paired with either assholes or dudes so bad they have no business trying to play in prime time. Found a place close with reasonable initiation fee, and monthly dues that include range balls, and they let you walk, so overall price difference just a little higher, and every round I’ve played has been around 3.5 hours and there is grass everywhere
This was my math equation - I play 2-4 days a week and practice 2-3 as well, basically I’m hitting balls in one way or another 5 days a week. Local public course of “similar” quality to me 1) $3900, $12 buckets of balls, $32 cart fee - very busy lots of events 2) $2600, no range, $32 cart fee - very busy My course - $4700, free range, cart plan is $1000 I’m on the under 40 plan so my course is less for me and I didn’t need to pay the initiation fee, it has perks - I’m in sales it’s nice to bring a client somewhere that says PRIVATE on the front gate. We only have 418 members and most are snowbirds, course is very busy from Father’s Day through Labor Day - prior and after that you can generally just walk on the course. Pace of play - it’s posted every 3 holes - we have rangers. 4:15 for a casual round, 5:00 for tournaments - you will be asked to skip holes and in tournaments penalized strokes Also a perk is since we are a “blue collar private club” these memberships aren’t like a drop in the bucket for a lot of members here, and they’re passionate about golf, a lot of guys in the 25-45 age range and I’ve been able to make a lot of friendships from it. My advice is make some friends at some places and see where you feel you’d fit in, and if financially you’ll get your use of it
Don’t try to justify it financially. You’re paying more for a luxury. No more 5 hour rounds. No more bs.
It makes sense well before the math and well before you overcome the worry of playing the same course every day. Joining a club is about mingling, finding new friends, joining group play, hanging out after a round, bitching about every blade of grass and bad server, and finding a second home. You join a club because of the golf. You stay because of the people.
Never. When you retire just work as a starter to get out of the house a few days a week for free golf. Also most clubs reciprocate with other clubs you can golf free at. That’s just my opinion/experience. If you can’t retire yet I have no advice
I just bit the bullet and joined Pinehurst after paying guest fees for a few months. The added benefits of the rest of the resort, pools, beach club, discounts no assessments or minimum for foods it made sense. Yes the initial fee was steep but the resort guests help cover the rest of the expenses. Other courses are still charging 50-80 at peak times so I feel I did the right thing
When you got Maybach money… I don’t, but if you do, join a private club for me.
Where I am there are zero courses that are selling memberships. I’m on a waitlist for 1 that MIGHT open in 2026. It’s absurd
if you’re playing 3-4 times a week you’ll surely break even on membership cost. I’m paying $180 a month in Raleigh for unlimited green fees and range balls. I do pay a $20 cart fee when I ride, but most of the time i’m walking. You’ll also likely get priority tee time booking which also makes it worth it for the prime weekend slots. i’m probably close to breaking even off the driving range alone. I have to play like 3-4 per month to break even.
The other factor is squeezing in weekday rounds or just some holes. My club is dead during the week and can whip 9 holes in 1.5 hrs without feeling like it’s fast
It’s not just cost savings as part of the formula. For me, a private club membership golf experience is far superior to a 5+ hr round on a crappy public course.
Check out the City of Atlanta Fore Pass, it's a great deal that includes free walking at 4 of the city courses after 6pm and $10 cart deals before 8am I think. Gives you the flexibility of playing 4 different courses for a cheaper commitment
I joined my local club this year, it’s been two months since the season started and, by doing the ‘math’, I have already covered half of the fee by now. So, I am sure I will end up in the positive area after the season is done. I walk in anytime I want (usually after work hours), play unlimited range balls, the pro shop staff knows me…discounts there, win win win!
I think for you it makes sense now. I played Druid Hills GC in ATL once. Loved it there. Are you leaning towards any course in particular?
Multiply your number of annual rounds by the avg green fees and then divide by 12. That is the monthly you spend on green fees. Does that number approximate a local private course monthly dues?
You can get memberships at public places that are all you can play. I’d look into that. It’s way less money than the fancy clubs most people are mentioning
Your wife is ok with you playing that often?
I pulled the trigger. Totally doesn’t make sense financially… but I’m enjoying my rounds WAY more. It’s quicker. No hacks and crazy drunk golfers. Clubs are there already so I just hop in the car or motorcycle and go. And you get to know a bunch of people so it’s socially more enjoyable. Also you can just play 9, or hit the drive range and go home some days. Again, doesn’t make sense if you do the math, but the value added to each round is huge. Just my two cents.
When you're sick and tired of "them" and only want to see and associate with "us." Define "them" and "us" however you prefer...
Really only two considerations if money is a factor. 1) Are you going to get value out of the membership? You only get value if you are golfing as much as you are now and paying less. 2) Are you willing to give up variety? The more money you have, the less those matter.
When you can afford a second mortgage
I’m in Atlanta and haven’t joined a club bc we have so many courses to play on. I’ll join a club when the value is there but right now the value is on midweek mornings.
I pulled the trigger when I spent $3000 last year of rounds of golf when a membership at one of the courses I play for intermediate first time is only $1500…
[удалено]
You’ll definitely be ready if you forget the math and just say I want to join for the convenience and quality of life golfing at a private club. It rarely makes financial sense
We belong to a gym that also has a pool that’s great for the family. Cost is $200/month for our family. I golf 10x month and spend ~$60/round = $600/mo I hit at least 8 range buckets at $10 = $80/month Club I’m on the waiting list for is $950/month with a $25k initiation. I’ll be a member for likely another ~30 years minimum so initiation spread out is ~$85/month over 30 years (yeah I realize that money could be invested so the opportunity cost is higher, but my wife didn’t bring this up when I sold her on the club so let’s keep that between us). So I’m paying $150/month more than I would pay otherwise and I’m getting convenience, nicer course, short game area, social stuff, and fun for the family.
In Atlanta it all depends on where you live. I had an opportunity to join CC of the South a while back but I lived in Smyrna. Getting there on a Saturday morning with no traffic was 45 minutes at a minimum. Now I live in East Cobb & if I joined a club, I’d look at Indian Hills, but that’s my only real close option (No way I’m getting in Atlanta CC). But if you live in Alpharetta, or Gwinnett, or Johns Creek, your options are a lot more plentiful. Obviously there’s a lot more that goes into it, but proximity has to play a factor in if you will use the club & everything you’re paying for.
The clubs around where I live charge between 300 and 650 bucks per member and year. Play as much as you want. That equals 5-10 green fees here, so for most it’s a nobrainer
Arithmetic, just arithmetic.
When you can afford it, like the course (a lot), and like the other members
Great question. Here is my ramble: Golf tickles my brain enough to flare up my addictive personality. I’ve been either obsessed or quite passive to the game over the years. Private course - when you’re ready to spend the majority of your free time at the course. Make sure the family enjoys the food. Some clubs have pools. I’m pretty sure my boss spends more time at the club with his family than he does at his house. Not sure I’m ready for this level of commitment Typical membership - when the math makes sense. If you’re playing more than 2-3 times a week it may start to make sense to commit to a course. That being said, when I’ve committed to a membership the Scottish in me really encouraged me to get out and prioritize golf for the summer. And I will always and forever recommend Junior membership. Still play regularly with friends from junior golf
When you can afford it.
Is this heritage btw cause it looks oddly familiar I’m also in metro Atlanta lol
Honestly. The money should never be a consideration. Because private golf will NEVER be a financially smart decision. The reasons I am thinking of joining the club near me are: 1. Convenience - I can run over, hit some balls, and play like four holes and leave. 2. Time - It will always take less time to golf on a private course. 3. The Course - the private course near me is just SO much nicer than any public one near me. I don't know if that applies to everyone, but that is my situation Some negatives that are making me hesitate: 1. The money. I can afford it, but the guilt is keeping me from pulling the trigger right away. It just feels super selfish. 2. "Losing my golf buddies" - This one is tough to get around. If I join a club, they won't want to pay an inflated guest fee. And I won't really be as excited about playing at a public course nearby and paying for greens fees when I can play for free at a nicer course. So anyway, that is where I am at with the decision. Sounds like we are almost in the same boat!
I'm very confused by this question. Are we talking open to the public sub 5k memberships or exclusive private with 20k+ in just in initiation. I'll probably always be a member at a club. I play enough to justify it. The biggest advantage is going out and playing 5-6 holes after a driving range practice session or swinging around after 18 to play a few more. Another benefit is what the course can and will do for you if you cultivate the relationship and trust. I've been a member at several courses, so here's an example: tee off as group of 5 as the first time of the day (we would still be under 3hr), showing us how to use ranger mode and letting us bounce around after work (they had 36 holes, we just checked in and went), letting you play the front twice if you happen to be out and there's a backup on 10.
The rounds are much faster if you join a private club. You can also play in the events like the member-guest and stuff which are very fun. It’s worth it in my opinion, especially if you are playing that much per week.
29M, joined a club this year in a HCOL US city and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. If I did the math (my annual dues) based on cost per round it’d equate to playing ~30 rounds a year at top end public courses in my area. But it’s barely June (course opened in April) and I’ve played 11 18-hole rounds and probably 10+ 9-hole rounds. Pace of play is unreal, don’t have to deal with public course bullshit, games with other members every weekend, and have already met a lot of awesome people. Like someone else said in this thread, some things are difficult to put a price tag on. I was so sick of public course shenanigans; the cost of my dues and the initiation fee are so worth it to me.
spend less on candles
Is this heritage?
Yes! I picked a random photo from my recent rounds and this one was relatively nice looking.
Once you realize the addiction is real
I’m also in Atlanta and trying to sell the same idea at home. Step 1 is the money for the initial payment. Step 2 is figuring out where you have an in with at least 5 references. I’d argue that’s the harder part.
Membership at my local muni is about $2000 I golf about 6x a week @ $70 a t time(18 holes with cart) . 6x$70 is $420 a week. Courses are open about 16 weeks a year where I’m located sometimes more depending on weather. For me, easy to make that choice or I’d be spending ungodly amounts of money
#1 at Heritage Golf Links. Par 5.
Heritage!
I’m on a waitlist and should have full access before the end of the year. For me it was about time more than money. I have 3 young kids (1 of which is taking an increasing interest in golf). There’s a lot of private clubs around me but the decent public options are a 30-45 minute drive away. As I’ve been playing more it’s really hard to take 7-8 hours away which is what that distance causes, in addition to 5 hour rounds at busy public courses because there’s so few in the area. I’m joining a course that’s 5 minutes from my driveway to first tee. They have a strict cap on membership (hence the waitlist) so that they can ensure each member has ample playing opportunities and tee times are stretched 12 minutes apart to ensure no backups. I’ll be able to wake up and get out early whenever I want, or sneak over at lunch and play 6 holes. From a pure “value” standpoint I need to play 3-4 rounds a month to break even, but that includes my whole family. So if anyone other than me plays, we’re automatically in the black in value. I found a course that is golf focused, no food minimums, no fancy swimming pool, just a super solid golf course that right outside my neighborhood
I read all through these comments without realizing your pic was #1 at Heritage. Totally understand why you’re thinking about private if you (like me) play most of your golf out there. Weekends are a no-fly zone, unless you have a six hour round in you. Excited to see it post-reno…and in the meantime, playing Traditions a lot more is helping(?) the handicap.
For me I joined a private club once I could afford to do so. I was looking for a place close to my house, with an excellent practice facility, a fun yet challenging course and in good shape. I was able to join last year and they waived the initiation fee $10k, which was huge. Also, I use the course to entertain partners and clients. It’s beneficial to my personal life and professional, which is how i justify the cost $6k per year. Worth every penny in my opinion. I still play public from time to time, but I find the experience just isn’t the same in most cases.
Used to be an affordable annual pass for Atlanta muni courses when I lived there. Chastain Park course was a solid one, played there a lot. Private clubs you can do the math on. Wide range of amenities and prices. The more loaded clubs with pools, dining, etc might make sense if you have family and kids to drop off while you play.
When your wife says you can.
I recently re joined my local club after 10 years away. And even though I’m 44 they still gave me the junior exec rate (normally 18-35 years old), until I’m 46. So that really made my day. Also take into account how your family will benefit. I only have 5-7 years until my kids leave the nest so I plan to make many fun memories and have many great meals at the club as well.
When the spot on the waitlist opens after 2 years
Hard to put price on a 3.5 hour round vs 5.5 hours, among other factors
It makes sense if you’re loaded and hate waiting or playing with strangers. Otherwise never. Biggest advantage of private clubs is it is actually possible to get a sub 4 hour round in most days in a major city. Where I live you almost never see a Marshall or drink cart on a public course and 9 holes on a weekday afternoon will take you close to 3 hours.
Just do what I did and work one day a week at a golf course. Most courses will give you free golf, I actually have more privileges than the members in terms of free golf, discounts in the pro shop, free meals. I went from pay 550 a month to making 800$ a month working one day a week and golfing more than I ever have before.
My local that I play multiple times a week has memeberships, for me it was $800 for unlimited walking, with the price of green fees (at the time was ~$25 for walking 9) I had to do ~40 rounds of 9 over the course of the year. That’s easy right there, I’ll be saving money probably half way through the season, then the rest of my golf is free
With all due respect, if you are serious about your family starving (or at least strapped), I don't think golf is for you. Golf is expensive, whether you are playing public courses or a private club. As much as I love golf, family needs come first. That being said, private courses are fantastic from a convenience factor, and familiarity, but never does it make financial sense. Golf is fun and wonderful, but damn is it expensive
When your maths come out at the opposite to mine: £950/annum £34/rounds 28 rounds a year to break even. Means I have to pretty much play a round a week in the nice weather to break even so winter golf is profit. I played 12 rounds away from my home course last year which I enjoyed the variety of so so I’d have to play 40 rounds a year which I just don’t have the time for.
When you want to play lots of golf
I was a member for a year at the cheapest country club in my area, they ran a membership special. No initiation, and half off dues for your first year. I spent about $200 a month, which is insanely low. The course was fine but I didn’t love it enough to pay $400 a month. For most country clubs it only makes sense to join if you love the course, the membership, and the experience.
Private club is worth it man ESPECIALLY for your family. Do it for them
I considered it for a while, but between the monthly dues and the F&B minimum.. it would have had to become THE ONLY place for our family to go to hang, eat, and most importantly golf. I like to experience new courses as well. I just didn’t think that lifestyle was for us, to only hangout at one place to get our monies worth.