Private or Public Club ?

Where we live there are no private courses within an hour of my house so I belong to a semi-private course although most 18 hole facilities are structured that way. 9 hole courses are really the only “public” non-membership courses.

Although very little amenities other than practice facility, club storage & restaurant, I enjoy all the social events (Ryder Cup, CC, etc.) , great course conditions, ability to just come out on a quiet afternoon and maybe just play 5-6 holes hitting multiple balls, etc. I also play a lot (>100 rounds/year in 6 months) so I get my money’s worth.
 
where I live, it cost about 90K about initiation fee, 10k annual membership, and about 10K/year for food/drink. While I can afford this but I don't see any reasons to join one because I am not in senior management or in sales. Therefore, it doesn't make sense for me to join one. Furthermore, there are so many good public golf courses here in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) areas at affordable price.
 
So, I am considering joining a Club this year and looking at the different private vs public.

Of course, the private clubs are more expensive and have nicer amenities, but trying to figure out if we would actually use those amenities.

For those that are in Private, do you use and go to the club often? Dinner, social, pool, etc?

For those that are in Public, do you generally go just for golf or do you also go to the restaurant as well on non-golf days?
Wish there were some good private courses near us. Just about everything under half an hr drive is public. I would probably opt for private if it were in the cards
 
where I live, it cost about 90K about initiation fee, 10k annual membership, and about 10K/year for food/drink. While I can afford this but I don't see any reasons to join one because I am not in senior management or in sales. Therefore, it doesn't make sense for me to join one. Furthermore, there are so many good public golf courses here in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) areas at affordable price.

I got around that by seeking a corporate or family owned club rather than a member equity club.
Then it's not much different (other than cost) from joining a gym; no initiation, no assessments, but still the social aspects of a club.
If you're only interested in the golf and not the latter, that's a differnt story. The green fee courses are probably pretty good.
 
I've heard pace of play a lot - I can play in my public club (not always) but 9 holes in just over an hour, solo. Often times it goes to 1.5 hours if I'm doing a live round. My FIL's private club is slow when it's even moderately busy, they host events and the people do as much talking as they do playing. Of course it's empty more often than not so pace is whatever we make it.
 
Thinking about joining what would be considered semi private this season. There are 2 options nearby and they are very different.

One is has a pool and restaurant bar typical of a semi private club. they offer golf only memberships or both. They have three 9’s and the course is decent.

The other has a decent fee to join and you still have to pay to play but at a discounted rate. Not sure what else comes with that if anything but it has 2 18 hole courses which are top notch and really close to home.
 
I joined a club at the end of last year, but it's not a traditional club. The key difference is that the company owns a whole bunch of clubs (20 courses within driving distance plus more in other areas), and depending on what level your "home" club is, you get to play some/all of the others). I only played about 25% of my rounds at my home club. Because there are so many courses in the stable, you don't get the traditional "club feel" where you get to know most of the folks on the course.

That said, I couldn't care less about amenities, clubhouses, dining, etc. I can't ever see myself joining a traditional club because I would get really bored playing the same course over and over. Just personal preference...

The only things that I care about are the courses and practice facilities. My primary reasons for joining were that the cost of public golf has risen significantly, and pace of play was getting really slow. The golf experience is just so much better. There are far less newbs (not that newbs are a bad thing, just not when I want to finish in a reasonable time), and since most folks are avid golfers and know the etiquette, average rounds are 4 hours or less, even on weekend afternoons.
 
Thinking about joining what would be considered semi private this season. There are 2 options nearby and they are very different.

One is has a pool and restaurant bar typical of a semi private club. they offer golf only memberships or both. They have three 9’s and the course is decent.

The other has a decent fee to join and you still have to pay to play but at a discounted rate. Not sure what else comes with that if anything but it has 2 18 hole courses which are top notch and really close to home.

Does either have a more social aspect?

Right now, that is playing heavy on my decision between two locations I am looking at versus not even joining.
 
Does either have a more social aspect?

Right now, that is playing heavy on my decision between two locations I am looking at versus not even joining.
Pretty sure the first one would fit that bill but it’s not really why I want to join right now. I just want a decent course, maybe some events and a good practice area
 
I wish I could afford to join the private club that is in the next neighborhoods over from me. I could walk there from my house. But I can play a hell of a lot of golf elsewhere for 675$/month!
 
I play public 90% of the time. With the option of joining a private club, I would do that in a minute. The pace of play would be one of the biggest reasons. In my opinion, your time is worth money. Then the conditions are better than most public courses and the use of quality driving range with a short game area. I would also like the sense of community and the networking you could do. My biggest issue going private in the Metro-NY area the clubs are very costly and going through a divorce doesn't help.
 
I wish I could afford to join the private club that is in the next neighborhoods over from me. I could walk there from my house. But I can play a hell of a lot of golf elsewhere for 675$/month!

I just can not justify of letting go 92K of initiation fee, 10K/year in membership and 10K/year in food/drink. Now that I plan on living in Florida during the winter, I am glad I did not join a CC here in Virginia.

I play public 90% of the time. With the option of joining a private club, I would do that in a minute. The pace of play would be one of the biggest reasons. In my opinion, your time is worth money. Then the conditions are better than most public courses and the use of quality driving range with a short game area. I would also like the sense of community and the networking you could do. My biggest issue going private in the Metro-NY area the clubs are very costly and going through a divorce doesn't help.

Fortunately, there are many public golf courses here in Virginia and Maryland that are just as good a private CC (with the exception of River Bend, Congressional and Chevy Chase). I really like the grass driving range at Blue Mash and Needwood in Montgomery Maryland. I don't need to join a CC for that. Most of my neighbors are members at Riverbend, Congressional so my daughter and nephews can play as guests there. I prefer to stay away from those places because I have nothing in common with those members.
 
10K a year minimum for food and beverage is steep. Most clubs around here are 100-200 a month. My club is $800 a year. If you use the club have lunch after your round a few times a month and maybe go to dinner you can use those minimums without a ton of problems.

Joining a private club in Massachusetts for the most part isn’t a financial decision. You can’t possibly make a business case that it is less expensive (or even close in cost) to playing public golf. The trade off is generally quality of the golf course, access, pace of play, club tournaments and the camaraderie of the membership. I have friends that have a membership at a public course on the cape where they have a good group of guys to play with and pretty good access. Those situations are more rare off cape though.

You need to decide if the benefits are worth the costs. For me it is but it is definitely a luxury not financially less expensive than playing public.
 
I’m in a semi-private club. Memberships available but public play tee times available as well. Currently my membership includes use of pool, small gym, range, and a reciprocal arrangement to use the fitness facilities at a local small university. We almost never use the pool or gym, and we have never used the university facilities. Dues are going up 20% in the spring, so we are likely going to “downgrade” our membership to one thats just unlimited golf and range for my wife and me, plus trail fee for our cart. That will still result in an increase but only $10/month. We don’t have bar and restaurant minimums. In fact we get member discounts. We use the restaurant on occasion but not much during Covid.
 
10k per year for food and bev is higher than I have ever heard of. Are you sure about that? Even at top level courses on the west coast that would be well out of the norm.
If you can afford it, why would it matter if you were in SR Mgt or in sales to join? What if you were in mid level mgt, would that make a difference, low level mgt? Why would it matter if you were in sales or not?


where I live, it cost about 90K about initiation fee, 10k annual membership, and about 10K/year for food/drink. While I can afford this but I don't see any reasons to join one because I am not in senior management or in sales. Therefore, it doesn't make sense for me to join one. Furthermore, there are so many good public golf courses here in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) areas at affordable price.
 
10k per year for food and bev is higher than I have ever heard of. Are you sure about that? Even at top level courses on the west coast that would be well out of the norm.
Because it’s nonsense. With each post some make it’s becoming more and more nonsense. Knowing one of the clubs that was mentioned rather well, the F&B is nowhere near that.
 
I think it depends more on what courses are in your area and your budget that should determine it. If the public courses are outstanding, I’d take public and enjoy the savings.

If your public selections are tired looking and too much of a gamble condition/pace of play wise, look into private!
 
So, I am considering joining a Club this year and looking at the different private vs public.

Of course, the private clubs are more expensive and have nicer amenities, but trying to figure out if we would actually use those amenities.

For those that are in Private, do you use and go to the club often? Dinner, social, pool, etc?

For those that are in Public, do you generally go just for golf or do you also go to the restaurant as well on non-golf days?

I would join a private club in a heartbeat but it would be for the golf more than anything. As long as the fees were reasonable, I could justify the cost and probably budget money. Golf is a big part of my life right now and I could do without other hobbies if that would make the difference.

As far as amenities... pace of play is honestly the biggest benefit, but having never played a private course, there are probably other things I'd love??? The only way the food would be a factor is if my wife wanted to eat there on a regular basis. A good practice area would be nice, and a well-kept course is always a bonus. I don't care even a little about the social aspects of a private club so that's not a factor. I'm not sure the private courses in this area have pools and tennis courts, but those might be beneficial.

I'll be retiring in a few years at which point I'll get to experience playing golf during less crowded times at the public courses in my area. That should determine if the extra cost is of value.
 
I have been a Member of Private, semi and public in my life and i prefer the semi currently. I mean the food is basically a snack bar, but i can afford to play other courses if i want. Its a "group" so i can also get privileges at other courses, discount and early tee times and such.
 
I think it depends more on what courses are in your area and your budget that should determine it. If the public courses are outstanding, I’d take public and enjoy the savings.

If your public selections are tired looking and too much of a gamble condition/pace of play wise, look into private!

Actually, the public courses expense is one of the reasons I was considering moving to private. I am going to have a tour of the two possible locations I would consider. My thoughts are more about do you really use the amenities and the social aspect. Those are going to be the most important to me.
 
Actually, the public courses expense is one of the reasons I was considering moving to private. I am going to have a tour of the two possible locations I would consider. My thoughts are more about do you really use the amenities and the social aspect. Those are going to be the most important to me.
I was in your shoes a year ago. I had a great offer to join a nice private club, with excellent practice facilities, that would've saved me real money if I played 1/3 of my rounds or more up there. Kids are long gone, wife has other interests, so I wasn't going to use the amenities much, but the cost of the golf and was so good. Ultimately I passed because of a real bad omen and the 50 min drive up versus 25 min to the courses on my current plan, (I played 74 of 133 rounds at those in 2021). But I would've come out ahead dollars wise had I joined that private club and played half those 74 rounds up at the nicer private club.
 
Private and its not even close. Being able to play pretty much whenever or how many holes I want, pace of play, and have games available almost every day is great. My course is very walkable and many members walk, so that's nice as well.
 
When I belonged to a club, I did not really care about amenities. I just wanted a nice course with a nice practice facility and a tolerable pace of play. Had I knew more people at the club I probably would have cared a little more about the restaurant. Pool and tennis courts don’t really matter to me
 
I would like to join a private club but the 2 around me are not close enough to entice. I would like the option to practice everyday and they are not close enough to do that. Talking to some guys in the know about some of the better private clubs in PHX the initiation costs are super high right now and there is a years long waiting list.
 
Because it’s nonsense. With each post some make it’s becoming more and more nonsense. Knowing one of the clubs that was mentioned rather well, the F&B is nowhere near that.

Completely agree with this! You peel the onion on some of these and they don’t make much sense.
IMO, amenities are rarely an issue unless you are really battling a spouse on joining. While my wife and kids like using the pool, if they blew the thing up, we still would not be dropping the membership, so long as they were providing the right value for the $$
Depending on the cost and how you are wired, I would expect a certain level of clubhouse, service and amenities but as long as that stuff is up to snuff, if the course is killer and they create a great golf experience, that’s what really matters.
 
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