Posted: 4/24/2025 11:10:29 PM EDT
[Last Edit: spanky99l][Edited]
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Anyone a member at a private club/country club? |
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We have such good public golf out in Utah that it doesn't make sense to become a member of any of the CCs here. They all want 6 figure initiation fees for courses that usually aren't that spectacular as far as layout goes. I've played 2 of them around here and they were kinda meh (but in really good condition). Up in Park City there are some really nice private clubs but now you're talking $500,000+ membership dues and owning a $3M+ on the property and its just not feasible. My buddy in Oregon has a nice club he's a member of and I think he said it cost him like $8000 initially and then its like $150 a month. I'd love for something like that but in the meantime, I'll enjoy my $35 walking and $60 riding rounds at some of our nicer courses. Utah CC golf isn't about the golf. Its about money and exclusivity and the golf comes secondary. |
Please remember to tell your kids and grandchildren about the cool Bro know as @fastblueR6!!
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Originally Posted By Fushaw: We have such good public golf out in Utah that it doesn't make sense to become a member of any of the CCs here. They all want 6 figure initiation fees for courses that usually aren't that spectacular as far as layout goes. I've played 2 of them around here and they were kinda meh (but in really good condition). Up in Park City there are some really nice private clubs but now you're talking $500,000+ membership dues and owning a $3M+ on the property and its just not feasible. My buddy in Oregon has a nice club he's a member of and I think he said it cost him like $8000 initially and then its like $150 a month. I'd love for something like that but in the meantime, I'll enjoy my $35 walking and $60 riding rounds at some of our nicer courses. Utah CC golf isn't about the golf. Its about money and exclusivity and the golf comes secondary. Its funny, we have a tower on it and provide most of its members with internet service. Every time I happen to be at one's place, I ask them, So how often do you get to play Golf? Not a one of them even plays. They just like this ""Status"" of it... |
LARUEMINATI
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NRA Endowment Life Member
Originally Posted By Boom_Stick:
""AKs are for villagers you have to tell not to shit in their water supply.""
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Two of the clubs close to me recently went "semi private" which seems to be a meaningless term? I can still book tee times. I'm looking at joining one of them soon. I'd like the better conditions and hopefully less people, but I'm not sure if I play enough to justify the cost. |
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Originally Posted By SturmgeschutzIII: Two of the clubs close to me recently went "semi private" which seems to be a meaningless term? I can still book tee times. I'm looking at joining one of them soon. I'd like the better conditions and hopefully less people, but I'm not sure if I play enough to justify the cost. Ahhhh we talk about this a lot on the muni when stuck behind a sllooooow group 
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Originally Posted By BigPolska: Ahhhh we talk about this a lot on the muni when stuck behind a sllooooow group The thing is, they've doubled greens fees at these courses and gone semi private and still seem packed. I'm playing at one of them tomorrow and playing/touring the renovated one in a couple weeks. |
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I worked at an extremely private club as an assistant pro back in the 70s. I don't think there was even a sign at the entrance. The place was really nice and had it all. Great course, pool, tennis, bag storage at the club, caddy program, full service locker room with showers, massuese, shoe shine, barber, card rooms and restaurants that had some of the best food I've ever had. It even had chefs for specific foods. Back then it was about $75K up front and around $500 a month not including carts, caddies or range balls. They also had some mandatory food charges each month even if you didn't eat. Fifty years ago that was a lot of money. Tipping was forbidden but a few of the members always gave us the 50 dollar handshake at Christmas time. The club did not permit women on the course on weekends until 1 PM and membership was of a specific demographic. Some of the better women players had a tough time with that but they stayed in their lane. Members were quite wealthy with about 300 millionaires on the roster. It was interesting getting to know some of those guys and how they made their money. Many were owners and CEOs of companies that people would recognize and they treated the help well. It was a great experience. |
My Dad: with respect to your chosen profession son, do what you want to do, who you want to do it for and where you want to do it.
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Yes. No tee times. Show up whenever you want but there are established games you have to respect and work around. Course is well maintained. Dress code. All the other amenities. My only complaints are there is very little marshaling going on and lots of fivesomes. It is not crowded at all at certain times though. If you go during an Alabama or auburn game or during sketchy weather it will be a glorious ghost town. Another bonus is if you find a ball it is very likely to be a prov1. |
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Since this one has been resurrected, I will throw my two pennies into the thread. I joined a private club a couple years ago. $6,000-ish initiation and $600 per month to walk in the door. Cart fees were $21 per round. No charge for range balls. $150 per quarter food and bev minimum. Alcohol didn't count towards the minimum. First month, the The course was really nice. Closed on Monday for general maintenance. Clean up from the weekend; broken tees, trash, etc. You could walk after 2pm. Tuesday and Thursday mornings had standing blocks of tee times. From open until about 10am, it was the Seniors. Not too bad in May. August was a different ball game. Wednesdays were hit or miss. Sometimes you wouldn't see anyone on the course. Other times, you're waiting or being pushed. No real rhyme or reason. During the week, we were relegated to the mats on the range. Got to save the grass for the weekend players. Well, that didn't do me any good since I work weekends. We had no reciprocal privileges with any other clubs even though we allowed the prestigious, pompous cunts to come out when their greens were being aerated. They repaid the kindness by allowing the pro to recommend 16 players to come out during off hours on off days and treated them like dirt. My club had that arrangement for one year. They got enough pissing and moaning that the look-down-their-nose crowd was politely told to go fornicate with themselves. This was one of the two times I heard the head pro use foul language when describing people. The other time was about a city councilman that is just a raging piece of shit. For Saturday and Sunday, tee times were required, and you better book them as far out as the system will allow if you want to get a good tee time. And, between the pool, restaurant and golf course, good luck parking in the summer. You better carpool or Uber The course was nice. The greens were quick and true. But, playing the same course over and over can get a little old. If the word, "budget", is one you use, skip a private membership unless there are reciprocal privileges with MANY other clubs. Not one, not 5. Look at Invited (formerly ClubCorp) as an example. Also, be leary of a club that allows people from those membership-sharing sites to play. We had a few of their "distuinguished" guests. There were many unhappy members as a result. I mentioned a budget because if your dues are your golf budget for the month, you're married to the course. I did the math and came to the conclusion that I could play as much as I did as a member but play at a different course each time I played and have the money to play Tobacco Road, TPC Myrtle Beach, or one other great course, each month, for what I paid in dues. Having Titleist range balls doesn't undo the fact that you're hitting the same tee shot and approach shot every time you play. It gets boring. At a private club, you get great staff (typically). There's no Fat Mary at the snack bar that sucks her teeth when you show up because you interrupted her time watching Real Housewhores of New Jersey. The people are usually pleasant and professional. The grounds crew are very good. The head greenskeeper probably still doesn't want to talk to you but, whatever. The facilities are nice. The food is good. But, that's what you're paying for each month. If I were to join another club (I've been looking around), my criteria would be as follows (in no particular order, but all important) - Very good conditions (not amazing, just very good) - Reciprocity with a LOT of other clubs, with no bullshit hoops to jump through - Reasonably-priced food and beer - Reasonable initiation fee (If I'm paying $100k, I better have Victoria's Secret Angels (like the ones from the 90s) giving me happy-ending massages at the turn and after the round) Otherwise, you're just renting supposed prestige with a huge down payment. - No standing block tee times. I don't give a shit how old you are or how long you've been a member. Book your shit like the rest of us. You aren't special because you have grey hair and a bad back. - No pretentious bullshit. If you want to visit my home to make sure I'm of suitable pedigree for your membership, I'm out. You're not Augusta. Get over yourself and stop smelling your own farts. (This is a real requirement of a club here) If you're serious about joining, the club should have no problem with allowing you to play a round. Ask yourself if you're good with playing just that course 99% of the time (unless great reciprocity). If you have even the slightest of doubts, don't commit. My theory is you have five types of members. One is the person who just wants to be a member of something for whatever reason, prestige, belonging, anything. The second is you have the die-hard golfer who just wants to play golf a LOT. He doesn't care of it's the same course 4 days per week because he's out of the house and playing golf. Third, the occasional member. He shows up once in a while. He bought the membership because he was told this is what you're supposed to do. He might play once per month. Four is the guy who buys the membership so his wife can lay by the pool and eventually screw the golf pro/tennis pro/cart boy. The fifth guy is like me. He thought it would be a good deal. Get to play a lot of golf on a good course and maybe come out a little cheaper in the end. (I was wrong as hell, lol) Then he drops the membership because it isn't worth it, financially or as far a variety goes. He essentially donates his initiation to the club and goes along his merry way, hoping he learned something from the experience. If you play a round before joining, SERIOUSLY consider how okay you are with being married to that course. Looking back, I had some concerns about the way I play and how it worked with some of the holes. I knew there would be frustration. I ignored it, looking only at the positives. I learned from the experience and think I'm a little wiser for it. I wouldn't go back and change a thing. One of the things I learned is I like variety in where I play. I also learned how hard it can be to get in with a group to play. I'm an outgoing person and I never really found that "fit." I didn't really click with the seniors and I was nowhere near good enough to play with the guys who played PGA Tour Latin America or PGA Canada (we had 2 or 3 of them and they were REALLY good). The guys my age tended play weekends so with my schedule, I never met them. If you can afford to be guy number 3 from above, go for it. No harm, no foul. If you are okay with the same course 30 times per year, go for it. If you've complained about the price of eggs or beef in the past 2 years, don't join a private club. It's disturbing how fast the bill gets run up when you like the Old Fashions and your wife likes the mango mojitos.
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| $6600 just to get started is the equivalent of 60 rounds at one of the more expensive semi-private courses nearby. |
For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
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"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige
Thomas Jefferson
"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige