Membership Costs Washington DC (Northern Virginia) Golf Courses

[Jus2Good]

The list isn't comprehensive, because it doesn't have every course in the area.  With that being said, this will save others a lot of time, because I had to e-mail and call a lot of clubs to get this info.  I hope this helps others!

Lastly, If you'd like to add any other prices, corrections, or info feel free to DM me or comment and I will update the table.

 

A FEW NOTES:

Army Navy's Initiation Fee is the civilian price:

If you're a former service member or government employee GS-12 over higher than the initiation fee is $37,350 for anyone over 35. 

Belle Haven's Junior Initiation Price has a few tiers:

21 - 29 = $35K

30 - 35 = $50K

36 - 40 = $60K

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2020 by Jus2Good

[DaveP043]

I'm not sure where you got your information, but the yearly dues for Stoneleigh are substantially higher than $975, which works out to be about $82/month

[RickyBobby_PR]

Same with Belle Haven. They have been over $90k and we’re close to 100k for initiation fees for the last 5-6 years and about 6 years ago were only a few members short of having a waiting list.

[Jbmullin]

Holy hell, that is steep. Wow I thought 2100 a year was pricey


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

[Jus2Good]

Thanks for the comments folks!

@DaveP043 - Thanks for responding.  I double checked, it looks like I forgot to multiply one of the inputs by 12 months.  I've now corrected the mistake.

@RickyBobby_PR - These numbers are all correct as of 2019.  I got all of my numbers from each club directly via email, phone call, or in-person.  I double checked my correspondence with Belle Haven and the original $82K number is correct.

 

[DaveP043]

On 5/30/2020 at 11:20 PM, Jbmullin said:

Holy hell, that is steep. Wow I thought 2100 a year was pricey

Yeah, private golf around here isn't cheap.  Chantilly is a ClubCorp property, along with 2 or 3 others that aren't listed.  Stoneleigh, where I belong, is the "furthest out there" of all of these (except maybe Creighton Farms), which explains why its among the most affordable.

[sixcat]

What, if I may ask, is the positive to living in NOVA?  I have been offered countless positions in NOVA through the years and it has never made sense to me.  I make 80% of the salary offered to me in NOVA while having only 20% of the cost of living in SWVA.

Serious question.  Not trying to incite a debate.

[DaveP043]

I can think of a few positives, including:

Cultural offerings.  Museums, theater, concert venues large and small, historical sites from first European settlements in the country through Revolutionary and Civil War eras

Food.  There is a vast variety in the styles of food available, at a wide range of prices

Climate.  OK, it gets pretty hot and humid here at times, and we get a bit of snow most winters, but we usually can play golf most of the year.

Surrounding areas.  We are just a few hours drive to either beaches or mountains (what pass for mountains along the east coast).

Accessibility.  Major interstate highways, 3 international airports.

Recreation.  Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, the Appalachian Trail, both public and private golf, many established bike and walking/running trails

On the other hand, things are expensive.  Housing prices are high, and traffic can be ugly.  As with many larger cities, there are poor areas, and there are areas with higher crime rates.  For those of us who have been here a while, all of these things are part of our lives.  Especially the housing costs, once I got the money together to buy my first home, values have appreciated significantly over time.  But for someone coming from a "lower cost" area, it can be quite a shock.

[sixcat]

5 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I can think of a few positives, including:

Cultural offerings.  Museums, theater, concert venues large and small, historical sites from first European settlements in the country through Revolutionary and Civil War eras

Food.  There is a vast variety in the styles of food available, at a wide range of prices

Climate.  OK, it gets pretty hot and humid here at times, and we get a bit of snow most winters, but we usually can play golf most of the year.

Surrounding areas.  We are just a few hours drive to either beaches or mountains (what pass for mountains along the east coast).

Accessibility.  Major interstate highways, 3 international airports.

Recreation.  Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, the Appalachian Trail, both public and private golf, many established bike and walking/running trails

On the other hand, things are expensive.  Housing prices are high, and traffic can be ugly.  As with many larger cities, there are poor areas, and there are areas with higher crime rates.  For those of us who have been here a while, all of these things are part of our lives.  Especially the housing costs, once I got the money together to buy my first home, values have appreciated significantly over time.  But for someone coming from a "lower cost" area, it can be quite a shock.

All of those things are readily available in SWVA for a fraction of the cost and our highways don't double as parking lots.

 

[joshuac3]

Yikes, this is pricey. It's a little further out, but what are the memberships at Potomac Shores and Montclair like? That's a little closer to where I live.

 

@sixcat, I used to live in SWVA, but moved to NOVA because I didn't have any job prospects down there and I could more easily find a job up here that pays well enough to support my family. If I could make a similar standard of living and know that I would have consistent employment, I'd gladly move back.

[DaveP043]

52 minutes ago, sixcat said:

All of those things are readily available in SWVA for a fraction of the cost and our highways don't double as parking lots.

I'd be a little surprised if that were really true.  This area has the Smithsonian museums, 19 different facilities, and that doesn't include a significant number of independently owned museums.  There is live theater in a half-dozen or more venues, pre- and post-Broadway musicals, opera.  There are dozens of live music venues, from a few dozen seats to 12,000 or so, from symphony orchestra to national and international rock to a local guy with guitar.  Within a few miles of my home I can eat good barbecue, french, italian, pizza, spanish (including tapas), ethiopian, indian, thai, chinese, japanese, greek, irish, mexican, afghani, and I'm sure a bunch more different cuisines.  We have access to live major league baseball, hockey, basketball, football, and soccer, as well as some high-level college sports.  Maybe none of that matters to people, but I have a hard time believing that you have all of that in SWVA.  And I don't mean that SWVA is inferior to Northern VA, its just different.  There are some things we have that you don't, just as there are advantages to being there.  

2 minutes ago, joshuac3 said:

Yikes, this is pricey. It's a little further out, but what are the memberships at Potomac Shores and Montclair like? That's a little closer to where I live.

I just looked at their website, Montclair is $99 a month with no initiation.  My wife plays in an interclub league where Montclair is a member, and I know they've had issues with maintenance of their course over the last couple of years.  Potomac Shores is open to the public, but they do appear to have annual golf packages.  I've not played either course myself, so I can't comment on any of that.

[sixcat]

1 hour ago, DaveP043 said:

I'd be a little surprised if that were really true.  This area has the Smithsonian museums, 19 different facilities, and that doesn't include a significant number of independently owned museums.  There is live theater in a half-dozen or more venues, pre- and post-Broadway musicals, opera.  There are dozens of live music venues, from a few dozen seats to 12,000 or so, from symphony orchestra to national and international rock to a local guy with guitar.  Within a few miles of my home I can eat good barbecue, french, italian, pizza, spanish (including tapas), ethiopian, indian, thai, chinese, japanese, greek, irish, mexican, afghani, and I'm sure a bunch more different cuisines.  We have access to live major league baseball, hockey, basketball, football, and soccer, as well as some high-level college sports.  Maybe none of that matters to people, but I have a hard time believing that you have all of that in SWVA.  And I don't mean that SWVA is inferior to Northern VA, its just different.  There are some things we have that you don't, just as there are advantages to being there.  

I didn't mean to imply all of this was located within SWVA but it is within a comparable amount of time from my house as anything in NOVA/DC would be to you.  Concert venues, amphitheaters, college sports, PGA, NFL, NBA, MLS, NASCAR, Symphony Orchestra's, Off-Broadway, cuisine..............................  Shoot, I live in a town of 8,000.  We have a live music pavilion that seats 12,000, an authentic Italian restaurant, BBQ joint I would put up against anything in the world, Irish pub and mom & pop burger place within walking distance of my office.  Interstates 74, 77 and 81 are within a few miles.

None of that includes, Ballyhack, Primland, Sedgefield, Old Town Club, The Old Farm, The Virginian, Roaring Gap, High Meadows, Cross Creek, Old Mill, Pete Dye's River Course at VT, and Draper being well inside an hour of my house.

To each there own I suppose.  My wife and I tried it for a while.  It's not for us!

[sixcat]

1 hour ago, joshuac3 said:

I used to live in SWVA, but moved to NOVA because I didn't have any job prospects down there and I could more easily find a job up here that pays well enough to support my family. If I could make a similar standard of living and know that I would have consistent employment, I'd gladly move back.

Certain careers lend themselves to being able to remain in SWVA versus other careers.  That's almost certainly true for all of rural America.  I could make a bit more money in NOVA but the cost of living would far exceed the wage increase.  For my particular career field, I do far better here than I could in NOVA. 

It would be a little more linear in Charlotte, Winston Salem or Greensboro but why deal with the congestion if I don't have to?

[moar golf]

 

On 5/30/2020 at 12:33 AM, Jus2Good said:

The list isn't comprehensive, because it doesn't have every course in the area.  With that being said, this will save others a lot of time, because I had to e-mail and call a lot of clubs to get this info.  I hope this helps others!

Lastly, If you'd like to add any other prices, corrections, or info feel free to DM me or comment and I will update the table.

 

A FEW NOTES:

Army Navy's Initiation Fee is the civilian price:

If you're a former service member or government employee GS-12 over higher than the initiation fee is $37,350 for anyone over 35. 

Belle Haven's Junior Initiation Price has a few tiers:

21 - 29 = $35K

30 - 35 = $50K

36 - 40 = $60K

 

 

 

 

This is super helpful, thanks for sharing! Any info on RTJ as well?

I'm moving back to DC later this year, still deciding on whether to live in DC/MD/VA.

It seems like the big golf decision I have is between one of these clubs and some of the great public courses: Raspberry Falls, Westfields, etc. Probably mostly depends on where we end up living.

Seems like for the golf TPC Potomac and Trump National are great if you're nearby based on what I've seen, but haven't played either.

Can anyone speak to how to rate these courses in strict golf terms?