Benefits of joining a Private Club

[tony@CIC]

I belong to a private club but our men's group also plays a different public course every week so a little bit of experience on both venues. I've found our members are just as friendly as the people I meet on public courses. But maybe it's just Midwest friendliness.

 

We joined the club because it makes sense from both a travel and cost standpoint. We live about 500 yds from the course with travel by golf cart to it. We also play a minimum of 100 rds a year including many times just running out in the evening for a quick 9. Obviously joining a club is not for everyone especially if you're raising a young family and are time constrained.

 

Other benefits: both my wife and I got to meet other golfers quickly through social/golfing events.

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[Shankster]

The thing that pisses me off about it is that I am a serious golfer, and these hidden private gems sit there with their 200 members and get little play. I grew up around a bunch of them. I got a few invites, but the a-holes that ran them and on the course I wouldn't ever want to be a part of.

 

I plan on joining a club when I move, but it has to meet all of my needs. And none of them are meeting people to hang out with. Has to have a short game area, no buying crap in the pro shop as part of the deal.

 

I just want to be able to call and make a tee time and not worry about getting ran into. Probably too much to ask.

 

Edit: I found one if I lived back “home” it's $1600 for the summer and it checks all of my boxes. There is another for $2200 that would work to. But when you get up above 5k per year... it better be perfect 99.9% of the time.

 

Edit 2: the college course here charges $1200 plus carts, that's ridiculous since it's always slammed and in crap shape. For 3 months of golf.

[tony@CIC]

One of the other benefits of private or semi private courses (at least in our area) is that you can play other private or semi private courses for nominal fees. For instance I can play at a private course 25 min away for just $25. Cart included. This reciprocity extends to several clubs throughout northwest Ohio - although the fees differ.

 

 

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[NiftyNiblick]

I loved to play, but I was never skilled enough to be a "serious golfer." 

I never even used the term, "golfer." 

I came up with "linkster" out of desperation.

 

I was told at an early age to never use golf as a verb. 

We played golf, we didn't golf. 

And for the love of God, we certainly didn't "go golfing."

 

The example I was given was tennis.

Since there are no tennisers, I was uncomfortable with the perfectly good word, "golfer,"

which is, of course, a noun, not a verb. 

Never mind that "bowlers" abound.

 

Thanks for screwing me up with that one, Unc.

 

OK, that tangent has run its course.

 

What I liked about belonging to a club was that a proletarian like myself could actually belong to a nice, little club,

even if he had to wait until retirement to do it, and play, in a club setting, with other questionable characters like himself while the younger, thinner wives were playing tennis or canasta at the club's more respectable areas. 

 

The real club people were at Andover and Indian Ridge and Vesper where I probably couldn't even get a job. 

 

But the rubber workers union had their annual outing at Andover and they would invite me to play because they'd skin me alive in the poker game after dinner.  The board members knew me from general AFL-CIO inter-union activities.

 

I'll bet the regular members looked forward to that day.

 

It's not even a member owned club  (ours, not Andover which is;  we're back on track again.) 

 

It's one of our many "legitimate businessman-owned" money laundering clubs. 

And while I can't imagine it making a dime, 

the property value goes steadily up for the owner until he eventually unloads it.

 

And since I've yapped this much about it, you understand why I can't name it.

 

Hey this has been quite a meandering post, I must admit. 

Even for me.

And all I've had is one glass of wine with the dinner that I didn't feel like cooking but my wife wouldn't let me go out for takeout.

Damn, I'm doing it again.

[Big money]

I've always been curious on what happens if the membership doesn't turn or to be ideal? For example, I've had a few golf buddies that joined a big private club and always played alone . No one would let them match up since they already had a weekend foursome. He said the open men's club new member socials were beyond slow golf. Do they have a clause in private clubs memberships that let you vest out of it? Or are you stuck for the duration ?

[tony@CIC]

I've always been curious on what happens if the membership doesn't turn or to be ideal? For example, I've had a few golf buddies that joined a big private club and always played alone . No one would let them match up since they already had a weekend foursome. He said the open men's club new member socials were beyond slow golf. Do they have a clause in private clubs memberships that let you vest out of it? Or are you stuck for the duration ?

It all depends on the club. Some are member (equity) owned and others corporate. There are probably dozens or hundreds of variations of club contracts

 

I found the easiest way to integrate yourself is either through social events or leagues. On the latter I played as a sub for a couple of years before I found a permanent partner. Now I get calls all the time to golf.

 

 

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[NiftyNiblick]

If you've already made a big initiation equity buy-in,  I can't imagine what you could do about that.

 

There are far too many places to play before I'd join a club just for the course without already having friends there.

Hell, I even want to know the kind of bands that they hire for the dinner dances.

[Mr. 82]

I've always been curious on what happens if the membership doesn't turn or to be ideal? For example, I've had a few golf buddies that joined a big private club and always played alone . No one would let them match up since they already had a weekend foursome. He said the open men's club new member socials were beyond slow golf. Do they have a clause in private clubs memberships that let you vest out of it? Or are you stuck for the duration ?

Every club is different, as is every agreement with a new member. Some allow you to provide just 30 days notice to cancel a membership, and others have you sign a contract for a specific length time period, such as 12 months or 24 months. When you factor in initiation fees it can become more complicated. Some private clubs are owned by a single person, and others are owned by corporations, such as Club Corp.

 

It is wise when considering membership to read whatever membership agreement you are signing very thoroughly. Also, as a prospective member, I wouldn't sign anything that didn't allow for a 90 day trial period or something like that. That way you can try it out and see if it's a good fit for you before you buy.

 

 

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[revkev]

The thing that pisses me off about it is that I am a serious golfer, and these hidden private gems sit there with their 200 members and get little play. I grew up around a bunch of them. I got a few invites, but the a-holes that ran them and on the course I wouldn't ever want to be a part of.

 

I plan on joining a club when I move, but it has to meet all of my needs. And none of them are meeting people to hang out with. Has to have a short game area, no buying crap in the pro shop as part of the deal.

 

I just want to be able to call and make a tee time and not worry about getting ran into. Probably too much to ask.

 

Edit: I found one if I lived back “home” it's $1600 for the summer and it checks all of my boxes. There is another for $2200 that would work to. But when you get up above 5k per year... it better be perfect 99.9% of the time.

 

Edit 2: the college course here charges $1200 plus carts, that's ridiculous since it's always slammed and in crap shape. For 3 months of golf.

You and anyone else here have standing invitations at my club.

 

Thank you, as always, for your service.

 

 

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[Big money]

Good comments. It may look great on the outside. But once you experience a club, it might not be a good fit for you. Another buddy of mine was a train conductor and very financially sound. Just because of his blue collar background. He had a heck of a time getting in a group at the country club he belonged with. And if financial background or job status at a club doesn't matter . Than you are joking yourself. These places can be extremely cliquey. Paying member dues is only half the battle . And this can be smaller clubs all the way big high dollar facilities

[NiftyNiblick]

Until Moe passed, the other three guys in my regular, non-league foursome were a mortician / bookmaker (Digger), a pipe fitter (nickname not for this forum), and a sub shop owner (Moe).   Pipe fitter was low handicap. 

 

Again, this was a private club.

Now i can imagine exactly what Augusta National is like.

[Charli]

Yeah lucky for me my club is a bunch of drunks that like to golf and gamble. My kind of people. But the club down the street that I tried seemed a little to uppity for me. I think anyone on this forum would really like my club.

[NiftyNiblick]

Actually, Chuck, I'm good with uppity--

 

But the converse isn't necessarily true!

[GB13]

Good comments. It may look great on the outside. But once you experience a club, it might not be a good fit for you. Another buddy of mine was a train conductor and very financially sound. Just because of his blue collar background. He had a heck of a time getting in a group at the country club he belonged with. And if financial background or job status at a club doesn't matter . Than you are joking yourself. These places can be extremely cliquey. Paying member dues is only half the battle . And this can be smaller clubs all the way big high dollar facilities

Yeah, there is one club in my town that is 30K+ a year to join. There are some of the nicest people you will ever meet there. They are great people who would give you the shirt off their back.

Conversely the one club in a tiny town of 5,000 with 2K member dues. This is one of the most pretentious clubs you will ever be in. It is open to the public but the owner and members treats outsiders like garbage. They feel like there club is Augusta. I played there once and never went back.

[KevinE]

The biggest benefit is a less crowded course. We've recently joined a private club and there is much less play than on a public course so rounds are much quicker for me. Plus, we live right next to the course so the convenience is a big plus for me and my family. We can take the cart up to the pool, the gym, or the range.

 

Now, there is a fair amount of riff-raft at public courses that make a round less enjoyable, but at the same time there are plenty of narcissistic blowhards at private courses that don't fix ball marks, sand divots, and are generally a-holes that I don't want to play with either.

 

I've seen kids at our club pool, probably the kids of the guys mentioned above, leave their garbage and towels strewn all over the place because they expect the staff to clean up after them. I told my kids that if they ever do that they are finished at the club. You clean up after yourself and you treat the club and the staff with respect.

 

Well said, availibility and pace of play are a plus.

 

 

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[MattF]

Well, I'm not a country club type of person but if I was I would probably join Bayou (then I'd have to more to Florida, bummer!) because I've played there with Rev and it's a nice course.

 

As far as the 'riff raff" comment, pull your head out of your arse. I guarantee there are more honest, hardworking and upstanding individuals hacking around a muni or public course than at the majority of country clubs.

[Charli]

Ehhhh I don't agree with that Mattf. I would say there are some definitely not more

[TheWahoo]

Over my professional life, I have been a member of three private clubs.  In each case, the memberships were company perks, I just had to pay income tax on the cost of membership and other non business charges.    When the wife asked, how was work, did you play golf today, I would answer, yes we had a business meeting where the walls don't have ears.   Whenever, someone came to sell us a product or service, at some point we would ask-do you play golf and if so where.   My wife's niece recently graduated with a business degree and she asked me for some professional advice.   I told her to learn to play golf, more deals are formulated at the 19th hole over most board rooms.  

 

Frankly, if my memberships had not been business related, I most likely would not have been a member of a private club.   If one is considering membership at a private club, I see two significant considerations.  One, its a good idea to really like the course,  because if you are paying for the membership, that is probably where you will play most of your golf.   Two, private clubs tend to have a personality.  Make sure that its personality fits with yours.   

[MattF]

Ehhhh I don't agree with that Mattf. I would say there are some definitely not more

 

Fair enough.

[Goinlow6565]

It's a great way of keeping ‘rift raft' out.My parents raised me in a private golf setting.And I do all I can avoiding public golf atmospheres.Many public and municipal courses are closing their doors.And the private clubs are really striving.Which gives many the impression that golf is turning elitist again.That is fine by me, all this complaining about golf being over priced is driving me nuts.If you can't afford it, than don't blame others.Blame yourself

 

 

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