Golf is for the rich.............

[MadAdey]

I nearly had a heart attack today. I made an online inquiry to a local private golf club/country club near me. I was really happy when I got invited to go for a complimentary game on Friday lunchtime. I turned up to find out that they had a roll up and I was going to join in with it partnering the Head Pro.

Well I had an fantastic round of golf, although it is not the most spectacular course I have played, it was challenging with fantastic greens. The players I was with where good golfers so it was a really enjoyable round.

After the game we sorted out the usual exchange of money and I headed to the office of the membership co-coordinator. I got shown round the rest of the club and like the course it was impressive. Now the bad part.......... we spoke about membership packages available to me, the cheapest one having a $17,000 joining fee with $790 a month fees to pay :mmm:

This is absolutely ludicrous and apparently is the norm around Southern California. I now realize why people are in shock when they find out I was a a golfer playing at a private members club. Who on this forum could afford to play at somewhere like that.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I'm not really shocked by this Adey, I've spoken to people when I've been over in the States and they have told me that initiation fees (as they call them) can often be 6 figures! The USA is great for public courses but you have to be a rich man to play private golf over there.

 

[MadAdey]

I'm not really shocked by this Adey, I've spoken to people when I've been over in the States and they have told me that initiation fees (as they call them) can often be 6 figures! The USA is great for public courses but you have to be a rich man to play private golf over there.

Nomadic golf is not really my thing though. I want to be part of a swindle, I want to be able to turn up at the club see a friendly face and go for a game. It wasn't so much the price, it was the standard of the course compared to the price that shocked me. Either way I can't afford it

I know some UK courses can cost a lot, like the lads at Bearwood Lakes, but then again that is a fantastic course and feels worth what ever it is they are paying.

 

[Oddsocks]

At that money you'd find me at the local crazy golf,

 

[Deleted member 1740]

Nomadic golf is not really my thing though. I want to be part of a swindle, I want to be able to turn up at the club see a friendly face and go for a game. It wasn't so much the price, it was the standard of the course compared to the price that shocked me. Either way I can't afford it

I know some UK courses can cost a lot, like the lads at Bearwood Lakes, but then again that is a fantastic course and feels worth what ever it is they are paying.

Ouch, that sounds mad.

On those figures you could be a member at Royal Birkdale and Hillside and still have change!!

Have you made enquiries yo see if there's any clubs based at a municipal course you could join in?

 

[matt71]

Wow that's crazy money! What's the golf club called?

 

[Duckster]

A guy at ours is also a member at Lake Nona. Now he's not said about how much the fees and membership are, but I heard that one of their "roll ups" last year (apparently Paul Casey won it) had a pot of close to $16k.

Bit more than the £6 we normally do....

 

[MadAdey]

Ouch, that sounds mad.

On those figures you could be a member at Royal Birkdale and Hillside and still have change!!

Have you made enquiries yo see if there's any clubs based at a municipal course you could join in?

Most of the Muni courses have a men's club also, normally around $200 a year levy for that. But then you have to put up with the 5 hour rounds....

 

[MadAdey]

Wow that's crazy money! What's the golf club called?

Old Ranch Country Club

 

[MadAdey]

A guy at ours is also a member at Lake Nona. Now he's not said about how much the fees and membership are, but I heard that one of their "roll ups" last year (apparently Paul Casey won it) had a pot of close to $16k.

Bit more than the £6 we normally do....

a couple of days ago they had the annual Pro shoot out where the head Pro, 2 assistants and head coach all play skins. The members all throw money in the pot and go out to watch it, having lots of little side bets between themself. The skins where $1000 each, the head pro sunk a monster on the 10th to win the first skin of $10,000

I picked up $100 in the swindle today......:whoo:

 

[Pin-seeker]

I picked up $100 in the swindle today......:whoo:

Don't go spending all your winnings pal,Arsenal look like finishing above the Scousers
How much was it???

 

[Foxholer]

It is, indeed, a different attitude to Golf over there!

I made 1 or 2 equivalent blunders when I came over here! Turned down an invite to join a 'rather good' Tennis Club (associated with a wonderful Golf Club!) simply because we were moving a bit further away. And, a few years later, rang up a 'rather good' private Golf Club to enquire about membership - to be told 'Sir. You have to be invited to join!'!

And Scotland had its quirks too - cost at the other end of the scale, but waiting list of 9 years at 1 place!

The difference (USP even) with Private Golf Clubs in US is that it's likely that a major part of your social or business calendar will be based around it. If that's the sort of thing you are after, then it's possibly 'reasonable value'! But if, as seems the case, all you want is to roll up, play some Golf and get back to the Wife and Family, then it's probably not your thing! Finding this sort of thing out is one of the 'interesting' parts of moving to a new country! On the positive side, the availability and cost of some very good (top is different) red wine is a bonus! Developed a taste for (young-ish) Zinfandel yet?