Popular Post edingc Posted September 11, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted September 11, 2023 My season is not quite over (and down south you can play all winter), but for the first time ever I tracked both rounds and number of range buckets trying to figure out an average cost to my golf. I have a playing membership at one course and a range membership at another. My playing membership this season was $725 for unlimited walking rounds, while my range membership was $440 for $32/day in range balls. My playing totals (not quite finished with my year yet): 26 weekday walking 18s - $24/each = $624 rack rate 1 weekday riding 18 (+$10 additional cart fee) = $32 rack rate 11 weekend walking 18s - $28/each = $308 rack rate 1 weekend riding 9 (+$5 additional cart fee) = $27 rack rate 37 weekday walking 9s - $16/each = $592 rack rate 26 weekend walking 9s - $18/each = $468 rack rate Total Rack Rate: $2,051 Membership + Cart Fees: $740 My range totals (hoping for another month on and off): 77 large buckets - $16/each = $1,232 rack rate 28 medium buckets - $8/each =$224 rack rate 20 small buckets - $4/each =$80 rack rate Total Rack Rate: $1,536 Membership: $440 So, overall, my memberships worked out well in my favor, giving me $3,587 rack rate worth of golf for $1,180. I should note that throughout the year I only paid to play two other courses away from my membership and also got two range buckets at another range before I filled in on a few leagues. How does this stack up with everyone else? Shapotomous, GolfSpy_KFT, GolfSpy_APH and 9 others 11 1 Quote Unofficial WHS Handicap: 3.6 / Anti-Cap: 9.9 (Last Updated Sept. 1, 2024) Driver: Callaway Paradym TD (10.5°), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X | Fitting Post 3 Wood: Cobra RadSpeed Big Tour (14.5°), 43", Fujikura Motore X F1 7X 20° Hybrid: PXG 0211 (2020 Model), 40.25", Mitsubishi Tensei AV RAW White 90X 4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", Aerotech SteelFiber i110cw Stiff 5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff | Club Champion Fitting 50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge| Official Review Thread Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3° | Unofficial Review Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow Tracked By: Shot Scope H4 Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync Riding On: Bag Boy Nitron | Official Review Thread WITB? | 2022 Reviewer Edel SMS Wedges | 2021 Reviewer Maxfli Tour and Tour X Balls | 2020 Participant #CobraConnect Challenge | 2019 Reviewer Callaway Epic Flash Driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GolfSpy_APH Posted September 11, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted September 11, 2023 I don't have the same breakdown you have, but can assure you I have gotten my moneys worth without question! The membership is 1800 CHF and the membership card is 300 CHF. The card allows some cheaper rates at other member courses and my membership is weekday only. No worries for me as weekends are for family and work more often then not. Range balls aren't free, but are offered at a 1 CHF cheaper rate per 20 balls. Rounds at the course are 100 CHF weekdays 90 CHF with the card only and as I don't play weekends they don't really matter... but they are more expensive. Bottom line I needed to play 21 rounds to make my money back and I do believe I did that in April. I kinda rushed through and played a lot to make sure I got the rounds in and with the baby being born in June I wanted to make sure I got as many rounds as possible prior to then. I honestly don't know how many rounds I have played, I don't use Arccos anymore and I haven't kept track as there have been rounds I have stopped after 9 or 15 due to weather or time. However I am close to 50 or there abouts on the season as I usually get at worst 8-10 in per month. The season also goes right till December so I hope to get another 30 in before then meaning if I get to the 80 mark on the year I am down to 27 ish CHF per round which is freaking amazing! I definitely did this season and hope to next year as well! edingc, Fred Mitchell, Shapotomous and 7 others 10 Quote as of Nov 6, 2023 (Past WITB) Driver: Paradym TD w/ GD ADDI 6X Driver Shootout! Wood: F7 3 wood 14.5* w/ Motore F1 Shaft Irons: T Series - T200 5 Iron T150 6-9 Iron T100 PW/GW Wedge: Toura Golf - A Spec 53,37,61 degree Putter: Mezz Max! Balls: Vice Pro Plus Drip (Blue/Orange) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xOldBenKenobiX Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 1 hour ago, edingc said: My season is not quite over (and down south you can play all winter), but for the first time ever I tracked both rounds and number of range buckets trying to figure out an average cost to my golf. I have a playing membership at one course and a range membership at another. My playing membership this season was $725 for unlimited walking rounds, while my range membership was $440 for $32/day in range balls. My playing totals (not quite finished with my year yet): 26 weekday walking 18s - $24/each = $624 rack rate 1 weekday riding 18 (+$10 additional cart fee) = $32 rack rate 11 weekend walking 18s - $28/each = $308 rack rate 1 weekend riding 9 (+$5 additional cart fee) = $27 rack rate 37 weekday walking 9s - $16/each = $592 rack rate 26 weekend walking 9s - $18/each = $468 rack rate Total Rack Rate: $2,051 Membership + Cart Fees: $740 My range totals (hoping for another month on and off): 77 large buckets - $16/each = $1,232 rack rate 28 medium buckets - $8/each =$224 rack rate 20 small buckets - $4/each =$80 rack rate Total Rack Rate: $1,536 Membership: $440 So, overall, my memberships worked out well in my favor, giving me $3,587 rack rate worth of golf for $1,180. I should note that throughout the year I only paid to play two other courses away from my membership and also got two range buckets at another range before I filled in on a few leagues. How does this stack up with everyone else? Oh wow that's is an awesome breakdown of your year and costs, that makes a good case for a membership. Josh Parker, edingc, GolfSpy_KFT and 2 others 5 Quote My Reviews: 2023 Official review - Rapsodo MLM2Pro! 2022 Official Review - Edel SMS Wedges 2021 Official Review - Tommy Armour Impact 3 Putter 2020 Official Member Review - BagBoy Chiller Cart Bag Cobra SpeedZone Xtreme - Unofficial Review by xOldBenKenobiX Honma TR21 4 Wood - Unofficial Review by xOldBenKenobiX Driver - Cobra SpeedZone Xtreme 10.5, UST helium 5 Wood - . TR21 4 Wood, Vizard 20-60 and TW GS 5 Wood Vixard FD 55 301 Combo 301CB and 301MB . SMS 48*, 56*, 60* Putter: Lucky golf putter. Ball: : ProV1, :: Smart Sensors. Shoes: a couple :: A couple of A couple of Adidas , Yeah I have a shoe addiction.:: Started at 79mph, finished 1st stage at 91mph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Parker Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 This is an interesting topic as I have been looking at the memberships around me trying to determine if I want to join or if I would play enough to justify prices. The 2 courses that are super close are on the cheaper side for the area at around $2800-3200 a year with a cart. (Walking the courses is out of the question with the hills) One is a 9 hole course in great shape and about 10 min away. It runs about $45 a round. It gets backed up on weekends and is a short course even from the back tees. The other one is less than 5 min away and is the one I currently have the driving range pass at. (Well worth the $50/mth - $300/yr) This course runs about the same price but is a full 18. The issue with this course is the greens and condition of the course is terrible right now. They are waiting on November for a vote for a bond in order to redo the greens and irrigation. There are about 4 greens currently that you can actually putt on and the others are it's a 2 putt max in my book. I would need to play around 70 plus rounds to break even and currently think that is achievable but you never know what pops up. The positives are I could go play a quick 9 anytime I wanted and it's conveniently close to the house. (Self-employed) The negatives are condition and pace of play. If the one closest to the house doesn't get the bonds it's going to most likely go under. I have been playing twice a week for the last month or so but have met a few folks that work there and have been getting my rounds thru golfnow at around $20. Decisions decisions.... Shapotomous, cksurfdude, edingc and 1 other 4 Quote Titleist GT3 11* Tensei 1k blue Titleist TSR2 4w 16* Titleist TSR2 5w 18.75* MKII ZX 5's (4-6) w/ KBS Tour V MKII ZX 7's (7-PW) w/ KBS Tour V Vokey SM9 Wedges 50* 54* 58* DF2.1 Putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryB Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 I bought the weekday pass (M-TH) at my local course for $378. We put in more than 60 nine hole rounds this year which are usually $16, so roughly $1000. I'm actually happy to have calculated this as I'd been thinking about going with the unlimited pass next year at $740. Now it looks like it'll be a no-brainer to pull the trigger! Shapotomous, GolfSpy_APH, edingc and 3 others 6 Quote Cobra Aerojet Max driver Cobra Aerojet Max 3 wood and 7 wood Cobra Aerojet 4/5/6 hybrids Cobra Aerojet 7-PW, GW Cobra Snakebite 52° and 58° wedges Cobra King Stingray 20 putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfSpy_KFT Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 I should have tracked mine but didn’t. I am going to be very close to breaking even but may not quite get there. With a 6 and 3 year old and busy weekends, hard to get regular 18s in (also don’t blame my wife for not wanting to be saddled EVERY weekend for 4 hours with the kids alone on top of Tuesday night leagues). My membership dues include my fee for league plus three member events, which the fee for the member/guest I played in was $275. So just between league and the tournament, that accounted for $725 of the $2,000 fee. 18 and a cart runs $89, 9 and cart $49. I’ve played only a handful of 18 hole rounds but more to come, and have played a lot of 9 hole rounds with my oldest. Even if I don’t break even this year, the convenience of being able to jump on with living on the course is worth it. Also includes unlimited range and I have been going twice a week and hitting 2 bags of balls at a time which would run me $16 a time. Josh Parker, KC Golf, tdroma98 and 4 others 7 Quote Driver: GT3 9|Tour AD-UB 6S (testing in progress) Fairways: GT2 15 & 18|Tour AD-UB 7S (testing in progress) | Aerojet Max 7|Kai'Li White 70X Hybrid: King TEC 3H|MCA MMT 85g Stiff Irons: Aerojet 6-GW|KBS $-taper Lite Stiff Wedges: Vokey SM10 52.12F|56.12D|True Temper Vokey Wedge Flex Putter: Super Select Newport 2.0 Ball: Tour & ProV1 #LeftyGang Titleist GT Long Game Test (Link Here) Cobra 50th Anniversary Member Special Challenge (link here) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbeast87 Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 I have to do 120 hours of marshall duties across the year, and £50 for the society at the driving range. Since I got approved for my membership I have played about ten times. Definitely getting my worth from it and happy to exchange sweat for play time Shapotomous, cksurfdude, edingc and 1 other 4 Quote Ryan Gardiner Driver: Wilson Deep Red Maxx Woods: 3W Cobra speedzone Hybrid: 4H Cobra Speedzone Irons: Cobra King F8 5-9, PW, GW Wedges: Rife RX7 60:8 & 56:12 Putter: Odyssey White Hot Pro Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanoito Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 I used to have a $1800 membership, 27 hole championship golf course, all you can play (no carts), 7 days a week. Handicap-relevant rounds cost $10 each. They are part of a group with other 7-8 courses in the vicinity and you can play those for 50% the green free during weekdays. It was worth it when I was willing to wake up at 5am to play quick 18 holes and be home by 10am to spend the day with the kids... but I've gotten lazier and also prefer to be home for the kids, make them breakfast, watch Saturday cartoon together, etc... So I quit my membership and got a green fee membership for about $600, 10 green fees included and they'll manage my handicap. So I split those 10 green fees into 20 x 9 holes and get to play with the kids when they want to. Right now, I don't play enough to justify a membership. GolfSpy_APH, Josh Parker, tdroma98 and 4 others 7 Quote SpeedZone 9* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 60 S X2 Hot 3 Deep 14.5* w/ Aldila Tour Green 75 S JetSpeed 5W 19* w/ Matrix Velox T 69 S OR Super LS 3H 19* w/ Kuro Kage Black 80 S JPX919 Forged 4-PW w/ Modus3 105 S Vokey SM7 50/08F, 54/14F & 58/08M w/ Modus3 115 Wedge ER1 34" w/ SuperStroke Fatso 2.0 Pro / H2NO Lite Cart Bag / 3.0 / NX7 Pro LRF My reviews: MLA Putter // Titleist SM7 // PING i500 // PuttOUT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattF Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 Mine was easy. My 2 year unlimited golf membership was $400. $48 per round on the weekends and it takes 8.5 rounds to pay for itself. I've been playing for "free" for the last couple of months and will play every round at my home course next year for "free". cksurfdude, Shapotomous, Josh Parker and 5 others 8 Quote In the bag: Driver: Darkspeed X 9° UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X Blue 7F4 Fairway: Apex UW 19° & 21° Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX Black 5.5 Irons: JPX 923 HMP 5-PW UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4 Wedges: T-22 Denim Copper 48°, 52° & 56° UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4 Putter Sycamore 005 Wide Blade Bag: Fairway 14 stand bag Balls: Chrome Tour X Cart: CaddyLite ONE Ver. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscipleofPenick Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 I have the same membership as @MattF though I'm a little behind him. I've played enough that this year I've got my money worth. I need 2-3 more rounds this season and that will make all of 2024 gravy as well. MattF, edingc, ParFore74x and 2 others 5 Quote Take Dead Aim Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15* Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18* Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58 Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar Ball: Srixon Z-Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revkev Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 This has been an interesting and difficult read for me. Clearly the cost of golf is much different where I live than it is elsewhere in the world. Many of the season long rates sighted here are between monthly to quarterly at the private clubs in my area. All of them are above $500 a month and to the best of my knowledge mine is the only one in the county without a significant 5K plus buy in. We do have two nice "semi private" clubs in our area that run about half that amount. Each feature solid golf courses that have hosted either PGA tour silly season or a regular LPGA tour event. Each also feature rounds over 5 hours year round - I almost pulled the trigger on one last year and said, "No thanks." The difficult part of this assessment for me is that my membership is not solely about the golf. We (particularly my wife and daughter) use the amenities at the club frequently 2-3 times a month. I've been able to move two or three large events from my congregation or for my family there a year at a large savings. The food/beverage prices are much less than a comparable restaurant and there is a pool that is often private when my wife uses it. It's hard to quantify. In regards to golf I'm figuring that I'm at about 80 usd a round. That's about what the going rate is for a course like mine - Fazio, often in tip top shape, under 4 hour round, two ranges, 3 practice greens, practice traps - very nice facility. Gol fhas boomed in Florida since COVID. We've gone from closing courses to building new ones and the private ones have full memberships, raised their buy ins, upgrading their courses and facilities and of course raising their monthly dues. The public courses have all raised their rates significantly. The muni that my league plays on goes for $45 in the summer and $65 in season - it's tee sheet is always packed. That would be the cheapest golf around. I will say that it is always in incredible shape. But it's also going to be an all day affair if you play there - even off season. KC Golf, Josh Parker, Kanoito and 2 others 5 Quote Driver: Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60 R flex - 44.25 Fairways: Ping G410 5, 7, 9 wood Alta CB red 65 R flex Hybrid: Ping G410 26 degree Alta CB Red 70 R flex Irons: Ping G430 7-PW, 45, 50 Alta CB black 65 soft R flex Wedges: Ping 195 S54, E58 Wedges and irons are - 1/2” and one degree flat Putter: Sacks Parente Duke 32.5” Ball: Titleist Pro VI or Callaway Chrome Soft X ls While not at the same time I was fit for every club in my bag as well as the Pro VI ball. I use the chrome soft x ls on my league course. It has much softer softer greens than the club that I belong to. I’m on a mission to shoot my age - lifetime lowest round is 66 and I’m currently 67. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC Golf Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 18 minutes ago, revkev said: This has been an interesting and difficult read for me. Clearly the cost of golf is much different where I live than it is elsewhere in the world. Many of the season long rates sighted here are between monthly to quarterly at the private clubs in my area. All of them are above $500 a month and to the best of my knowledge mine is the only one in the county without a significant 5K plus buy in. We do have two nice "semi private" clubs in our area that run about half that amount. Each feature solid golf courses that have hosted either PGA tour silly season or a regular LPGA tour event. Each also feature rounds over 5 hours year round - I almost pulled the trigger on one last year and said, "No thanks." The difficult part of this assessment for me is that my membership is not solely about the golf. We (particularly my wife and daughter) use the amenities at the club frequently 2-3 times a month. I've been able to move two or three large events from my congregation or for my family there a year at a large savings. The food/beverage prices are much less than a comparable restaurant and there is a pool that is often private when my wife uses it. It's hard to quantify. In regards to golf I'm figuring that I'm at about 80 usd a round. That's about what the going rate is for a course like mine - Fazio, often in tip top shape, under 4 hour round, two ranges, 3 practice greens, practice traps - very nice facility. Gol fhas boomed in Florida since COVID. We've gone from closing courses to building new ones and the private ones have full memberships, raised their buy ins, upgrading their courses and facilities and of course raising their monthly dues. The public courses have all raised their rates significantly. The muni that my league plays on goes for $45 in the summer and $65 in season - it's tee sheet is always packed. That would be the cheapest golf around. I will say that it is always in incredible shape. But it's also going to be an all day affair if you play there - even off season. I don’t think I have gotten there, but it’s been a fun Summer so it was worth it. I played other courses more this year, so that obviously doesn’t count towards getting your moneys worth per se, but the weather has been great, so I am still pretty happy about that. Also I did get to play inter clubs and club tournaments, so that was a bonus. The great lessons I got paid dividends too. The dollar per round metric would not be that favourable. I prefer not to calculate that one! cksurfdude, revkev, edingc and 1 other 3 1 Quote TSR 3 9.0 Autoflex 405x - Official Tester 2024 TSi 3 15.0 GD Tour AD - DI 6S Stiff Utility 2 Iron 18.0 - Nippon NS Pro 650GH Stiff / TS3 21 Hybrid Tensei AV Blue 65 HY Stiff 4 - 9 101T Irons - KBS Tour Lite Stiff - Official Tester 2023 Vokey SM9 46 F - 10 BV105 Stiff Vokey SM9 52 F - 12 Nippon NS Pro 950 Stiff Vokey Forged (Japan) 56 M - 10 DG S200 MG3 60 - 12 - Nippon NS Modus3 Tour 105 Stiff Champions Choice Newport 2+ Button Back - 35” / Pistolini Plus Z-Star Diamond Players 4 bag Official Tester - 2021 & Current Club Sensor User Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edingc Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 2 hours ago, revkev said: Clearly the cost of golf is much different where I live than it is elsewhere in the world. We've not been immune to the COVID bump as well. It's getting exceedingly difficult to find "affordable" places to golf in Michigan. I have a very advantageous situation (no kids, more than average vacation time, flexible course ownership and proximity to course/range) that allows me to maximize my time on the course. Even then, yes, these rates have more than doubled since before COVID. In 2019 I paid $175 for basically the same range membership and less than $500 for the golf membership. A lot of our affordable courses have called it quits and are being replaced by housing developments, which is making tee times tough to come by as well. If you start looking at clubs with membership value beyond golf, you're looking at $5k+ for a year membership for the accessible ones. The truly private "country clubs" are $10k-$15k with some crazy initiation fees as well. cksurfdude and KC Golf 2 Quote Unofficial WHS Handicap: 3.6 / Anti-Cap: 9.9 (Last Updated Sept. 1, 2024) Driver: Callaway Paradym TD (10.5°), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X | Fitting Post 3 Wood: Cobra RadSpeed Big Tour (14.5°), 43", Fujikura Motore X F1 7X 20° Hybrid: PXG 0211 (2020 Model), 40.25", Mitsubishi Tensei AV RAW White 90X 4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", Aerotech SteelFiber i110cw Stiff 5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff | Club Champion Fitting 50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge| Official Review Thread Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3° | Unofficial Review Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow Tracked By: Shot Scope H4 Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync Riding On: Bag Boy Nitron | Official Review Thread WITB? | 2022 Reviewer Edel SMS Wedges | 2021 Reviewer Maxfli Tour and Tour X Balls | 2020 Participant #CobraConnect Challenge | 2019 Reviewer Callaway Epic Flash Driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParFore74x Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 Cool topic @edingc So my membership includes 3 munis with unlimited walking rounds for $900/year. The three courses are all well cared for and have three completely different styles which provides plenty of challenges to keep the golf game fresh. Rates are $25 for an 18 hole round and $18 for a 9 hole round. A cart would add an additional $16 per 18 holes and is not included with the annual membership. I generally walk so this doesn’t come into play for me. I am usually able to play at least through October and sometimes into November or maybe December depending on if the snow falls so these numbers will increase. So far in 2023 I have played: 11 walking 9s x $18 = $162 39 walking 18s x $25 = $975 Total as of 9/12/23 = $1137 So I would definitely say that I’ve gotten my money’s worth so far and fully intend to add to it. The goal is for 50 rounds of 18 holes before putting the clubs away for winter. Truth be told, having the membership has several benefits for me. First off, I feel that I almost need to go play golf to make sure that I get enough rounds in to justify the cost of the membership. It doesn’t take a lot of convincing for me to go play so that comes easy. Second, if something comes up while I’m playing and I need to leave, I do not feel like I wasted time or money playing however many holes that I did that day. Lastly, having three courses to choose from helps keep the rounds fresh which in turn makes it easy to play the minimum number of rounds to break even for the season. MattF and cksurfdude 2 Quote TSi3 10° w/ Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 65g TS2 15° 3W w/ Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 6.0 70g 818 H1 21° Hybrid w/ Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue 70g MP-18 MMC 2 iron w/ KBS Tour C-Taper S 120g JPX 921 HM 5-GW w/ Project X LZ 5.5 115g JB Forged 54° & 58° w/ Project X LZ 6.0 120g EV5.3 Black Official Tester Review Nitron push cart Unofficial review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cksurfdude Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 Fun topic but also a bit different and depressing for me, vs apparently so many other parts of the country and the rest of the world. I live on the north shore of Long Island - not too far from NY City - where everything has always been more expensive and life has gotten a little more crowded and a little more crazy each year. I didn't think I'd join a private club while we lived here - i.e. $$$$$ - but starting a few years back .. even before the COVID craze .. as my wife and I were getting more and more into golf we found ourselves driving further and further from home to places where we could get a tee time. So I looked around my area and last year we took the plunge at a private club, about 15-20 minutes from our house. But now if I had to really try to calculate the per round cost it would be pretty sad..... OTOH there are many perks included in the membership such as, of course, unlimited range balls, two putting greens that you can chip (not lob) onto, bag storage, locker, pool, tennis and pickleball, a pretty well equipped fitness room, a few different spots to sit and have a cold one after your round and no extra capital assessments (after initiation). Walking is allowed (one of the main reasons I picked this place) tho we do pay an extra fee to store our push carts there (worth the convenience). Most of the members I've run across seem nice and are friendly. There are competitions and leagues (entry fees not included in membership) but I haven't joined in any of these (yet? ..maybe next season?). One of the downsides is it seems to have gotten a bit oversold this year .. there are a lot of new golf members vs last year, but even so a slow round is still about 4:15. They have added starters and marshalls to keep things moving. Other "soft" pluses... the pro staff are good and are helpful, the cart / bag guys are great (and apparently a few are pretty good golfers, too!) and the kitchen is excellent! So: cost per round = vs. overall ease and convenience of getting a tee time, of getting to the course and warming up; of having a place to go and practice whenever I want; of having basically a full gym membership included; etc = Josh Parker, ParFore74x, Shlax and 1 other 4 Quote WITB of an "aspiring" play-ah ... Driver...Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max (Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue 45/A) 3H...Cobra King Tec (MMT 70/R) 7W...Tour Edge Exotics EXS (Tensei CK Blue 50/R) 4H...Callaway Epic Super Hybrid (Recoil ZT9 F3) 5H...Callaway Big Bertha '19 (Recoil 460 ESX F3) 6i-GW...Sub 70 699 V2 (Recoil 660 F3) SW, LW...Mizuno ES21 54-08, 60-06 (KBS Hi Rev 2.0) Putter...MLA Tour XDream or EvnRoll ER5 ...all in a Bag Boy hybrid bag on an MGI Zip Navigator. ..ball often, not always, MaxFli Tour. Or "found" Pro V1. Forum Member tester for the Paradym X driver (2023) Forum Member tester for the ExPutt Putting Simulator (2020) Other tests: MLA putter; Cleveland Hi Bore driver; Ben Hogan hybrids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom the Golf Nut Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 Easily paid for itself. Rack rate $38.00. Monthly membership $110 for first year. $150 after that. All the golf, swimming and tennis you can play. Adder is a cart. $20.00 for a cart, walking is free. Range is $9.00 a bag. I’m not a range rat. I walk between two to three rounds a week. So let’s say 10 rounds a month. That’s $11.00 a round versus $38.00. Even next year when it goes up to $150 I’m only looking at $15.00 a round. But There was no initiation fee and the club is member owned. ParFore74x, MattF and cksurfdude 3 Quote Driver, TSi 1 S Flex 3 wood, Aerojet Max UST Helium Nanocore R Flex 5 wood, Aerojet Max UST Helium Nanocore R Flex 7 Wood, Aerojet Max UST Helium Nanocore R Flex 5 Hybrid King Tec MMT R Flex Irons, Vice VGI01 Mitsubishi Wiz 60-gram regular flex (6 - PW) VGW01, 50 Degree. Mitsubishi Wiz 60-gram regular flex, Wedges, Snakebite KBS Hi- Rev2.0 54* & 60* Putter, Sacks Parente Drac Center Shafted 35" Ultralight 14-way Cart Bag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Person Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 I bought the RTJ trail card this year for roughly $60. it allows me deep discounts and access to all the RTJ courses with advanced tee time scheduling. I have played several courses on the trail this year and after the 3rd round it has paid for itself. average price per round per course is 108-150$ without it. with the card is average of $60 per round. range ball token is discounted as well. I also earn member point perks on all purchases too. cksurfdude 1 Quote WITB- Driver -Titleist 910D, 3w- Titleist 910F, 5hy/7hy- Titleist 910H, 6-PW - Stix , 52⁰, 56⁰, 60⁰ - Stix , Putter- AI-ONE DB / Lombardi Tour 34 custom Just an old newbie golfer, trying to learn and improve 1 club at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTH1 Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 Easily, using the annual fee vs. book rate, but many years to go to balance out the initiation fee. cksurfdude 1 Quote TSR2 driver 10 Cobra ltd fairways 3 and 7 Cobra forged tec irons 5-P Callaway wedges 54 and 58 TaylorMade del monte 7 face balanced putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTH1 Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 33 minutes ago, Rob Person said: I bought the RTJ trail card this year for roughly $60. it allows me deep discounts and access to all the RTJ courses with advanced tee time scheduling. I have played several courses on the trail this year and after the 3rd round it has paid for itself. average price per round per course is 108-150$ without it. with the card is average of $60 per round. range ball token is discounted as well. I also earn member point perks on all purchases too. Always been curious about how the RTJ trail investment works out for the state of Alabama, always thought it was an interesting approach. cksurfdude 1 Quote TSR2 driver 10 Cobra ltd fairways 3 and 7 Cobra forged tec irons 5-P Callaway wedges 54 and 58 TaylorMade del monte 7 face balanced putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shapotomous Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 We have a couples membership that works out for us. Not only for the # of rounds but also the free range balls for me. It is also nice to go in the evening and get as many holes as sunlight and crowds allow without paying. cksurfdude 1 Quote Modern Bag: G410 LST 10.5*, Hzrdus Smoke RDX 6.5 Flex; 915F 3w, Diamana S+ 70 S flex; Mavrik 18* 5w; JPX 919 HM Pro 4i; JPX 900 Forged 5 - PW, PX LZ 6.0; Edison 2.0 49*, 53*, 57* KBS Tour 120 S; Heppler Fetch; Ball - MTB-X; Bag - Jones MyGolfSpy Edition! Shot Scope H4, MG600 Rangefinder Classic Bag: Driver - Persimmon; 3w - Speed Slot; 5w - Tour Block; 3 - pw - Dynapower; sw - Ram Tom Watson; putter - bullseye standard or flange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parshooter36 Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 My Tuesday night mens league and our Thursday night couples league covers 85% of our couples membership. I'll probably be right around the break even point as I have not played a lot of weekend rounds at this course this year. cksurfdude, Josh Parker and edingc 3 Quote Driver: QI10 Max Fairway: Sim2 Max 3HL Fairway: G425 Max 9 Wood Hybrid: 2020 CLK 5 Hybrid Irons: Zipcore XL 6-PW Wedges: CBX Zipcore 46° 50° 54° & 58° Putter: Array F-3 Ball: Q-Star Tour Yellow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrismFlopper Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 Some of these are actually very useful. Wife can’t argue with stats. As someone without a membership the biggest savings seem worth it when the price to play is getting somewhat out of hand on some courses and with the popularity of golf seeming to explode, range prices are creeping up too. Has anyone seem to get bored of playing the same course or is it just as good every time you play? cksurfdude and Josh Parker 2 Quote Been playing for about 2 years in total. Winter breaks and a 6month period when I got sick. Starting to feel like myself again and recently played a “okay” round. I currently have custom fit Cobra LTDx irons/wedges, a Vokey 60(cause my short game has been the best part of my game, and a Maverick 9 deg. Driver. Driving is the worst part of my game so My 4 iron usually takes alot of the long game abuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cksurfdude Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 8 hours ago, PrismFlopper said: Has anyone seem to get bored of playing the same course or is it just as good every time you play? Good question. I was concerned about that at first, but over time I've come to look at it differently - and believe there can be some advantages that have helped me in my game. Now I love the challenge of trying to "read" a new to me course; e.g. studying the design and layout, and figuring out where to try to hit my shots towards vs away from, where I may be able to go for it vs playing it safe, etc. But after playing the same course (and notwithstanding that environmental conditions change every day, and that the way your body feels and your energy level changes every day, etc) .. but after getting "used to" my home course I'm less nervous and tense about the where of the where I'm going to try to send my shot .. and more able to focus on the how of the execution of the shot at hand. Quote WITB of an "aspiring" play-ah ... Driver...Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max (Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue 45/A) 3H...Cobra King Tec (MMT 70/R) 7W...Tour Edge Exotics EXS (Tensei CK Blue 50/R) 4H...Callaway Epic Super Hybrid (Recoil ZT9 F3) 5H...Callaway Big Bertha '19 (Recoil 460 ESX F3) 6i-GW...Sub 70 699 V2 (Recoil 660 F3) SW, LW...Mizuno ES21 54-08, 60-06 (KBS Hi Rev 2.0) Putter...MLA Tour XDream or EvnRoll ER5 ...all in a Bag Boy hybrid bag on an MGI Zip Navigator. ..ball often, not always, MaxFli Tour. Or "found" Pro V1. Forum Member tester for the Paradym X driver (2023) Forum Member tester for the ExPutt Putting Simulator (2020) Other tests: MLA putter; Cleveland Hi Bore driver; Ben Hogan hybrids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryB Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 9 hours ago, PrismFlopper said: Has anyone seem to get bored of playing the same course or is it just as good every time you play? This question is why I went with the weekday pass rather than the unlimited one. The plan was to go elsewhere most weekends. Turned out to be a nearly 50/50 split instead. I've come to really enjoy the familiarity and therefore comfort of my local course. For me there's also a time factor: a five minute drive to this one versus 25+ minutes to any other course cksurfdude 1 Quote Cobra Aerojet Max driver Cobra Aerojet Max 3 wood and 7 wood Cobra Aerojet 4/5/6 hybrids Cobra Aerojet 7-PW, GW Cobra Snakebite 52° and 58° wedges Cobra King Stingray 20 putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revkev Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/12/2023 at 10:34 AM, edingc said: We've not been immune to the COVID bump as well. It's getting exceedingly difficult to find "affordable" places to golf in Michigan. I have a very advantageous situation (no kids, more than average vacation time, flexible course ownership and proximity to course/range) that allows me to maximize my time on the course. Even then, yes, these rates have more than doubled since before COVID. In 2019 I paid $175 for basically the same range membership and less than $500 for the golf membership. A lot of our affordable courses have called it quits and are being replaced by housing developments, which is making tee times tough to come by as well. If you start looking at clubs with membership value beyond golf, you're looking at $5k+ for a year membership for the accessible ones. The truly private "country clubs" are $10k-$15k with some crazy initiation fees as well. Thanks for that further insure. I always enjoyed playing in Michigan because it had a really great set of high quality upscale courses along with affordable mini types. Northern Indiana, where I lived, was like that as well. Michigan also had the pricey country clubs while Indiana did not. Many parts of Florida are all or nothing although if you are away from the east coast there are very few of those old school country clubs - not that I’m in that category just that I’m into all the available options. The Orlando area has a nice range of courses but those “upscale” courses that used to be affordable as a special opportunity for folks are now all north of $100 per round. The cost of golf is getting outrageous again. And that’s coming from someone who while not wealthy can still comfortably afford 5-8k a year. Good thing - if I couldn’t I wouldn’t be able to play where I live. edingc, Josh Parker and cksurfdude 3 Quote Driver: Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60 R flex - 44.25 Fairways: Ping G410 5, 7, 9 wood Alta CB red 65 R flex Hybrid: Ping G410 26 degree Alta CB Red 70 R flex Irons: Ping G430 7-PW, 45, 50 Alta CB black 65 soft R flex Wedges: Ping 195 S54, E58 Wedges and irons are - 1/2” and one degree flat Putter: Sacks Parente Duke 32.5” Ball: Titleist Pro VI or Callaway Chrome Soft X ls While not at the same time I was fit for every club in my bag as well as the Pro VI ball. I use the chrome soft x ls on my league course. It has much softer softer greens than the club that I belong to. I’m on a mission to shoot my age - lifetime lowest round is 66 and I’m currently 67. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 I live in a small community 20 minutes out of the city. We have a beautiful 9 hole course. The membership is $600/season or $660 with the range pass, lol. So ya got my moneys worth a few times over haha. Perfect for 9 holes after work. cksurfdude, MattF, Josh Parker and 1 other 4 Quote Paradym 9 degree Driver DYNAPWR 3 wood Apex 21 PW-4 Iron CBX 50 degree CBX 54 degree CBX2 58 degree SM6 62 Degree ER2 Putter CURRENTLY TESTING T-Squared TS-912 putter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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