Overseas clubs that offer good priced memberships?

[Jack Marr]

I think if you join any of the west coast links on the www.westcoastlinks.com site, you get to play the others for half price.

These courses are Ballyliffin, Rossapenna, Rosses Point, Murvagh, Enniscrone, Carne and Connemara.

[David Graves]

Forgive me if this is covered in the thread ( I have only seen the topic line and not read the responses as I am late leaving already) but does anyone know about overseas memberships around London (Sunningdale, Wentworth, and any others).
Thanks

[Bill (Guest)]

Jimmy, one thing to keep in mind in selecting an overseas membership is travel and time. If you want a club in Ireland or Scotland that you can get to from the east coast for a long weekend you need to select a course reasonably close to the major airport you will be flying into. If your plan is to go for a week or more once or twice a year then I wouldn't worry so much about dedicating a day for travel to and from the airport. Carne, Enniscrone, and Rosses Point are all great courses but they are not particularily convenient to airports that have direct flights from the U.S. (Shannon and Dublin).

[Jimmy Muratt]

Bill,

You make a very good point.  If I joined a club, I would definitely like to go a few times throughout the year for long weekends and get in a few rounds.  Carne, Enniscrone, and Ballyliffin all offer great deals for membership but are kind of remote so travel time would be more extensive.  

Any suggestions for a good course closer to one of the airports in Shannon or Dublin?

[Tim Weiman]

JimmyVA:

You could always join Doonbeg. It is really pretty close to Shannon.

But, honestly you shouldn't join anywhere based on the golf course alone. First make local friends and be sure the place is somewhere you want to go even if you don't play golf.

I make my way to Ballybunion for a few long weekends every year and usually try to go at least once in the winter. But, the more I go, the less I worry about playing golf. If I only get out for a few holes, it is no big deal. I still have just as much fun.

To make a life long association, you need to find something you truly love beyond just the golf course. Do that first and then think about joining.

[Bill (Guest)]

Jimmy,
Doonbeg, Tralee, and Waterville are convenient to Shannon and offer overseas membership. However, the cost is considerably more than the remote courses. The last time I heard, Tralee was looking for around $10,000 and the other two courses are more. I agree with the idea of getting to know the region/town before joining. If you want a links course that might be less expensive you might inquire of a course such as Dooks to see if they offer an overseas option.

Maybe someone else knows of other options by Dublin or in Scotland within a couple hours of an airport served from the East Coast.

[Jack Marr]

I don't know that people on this site would think of Arklow, but it's a links course about an hour from Dublin, near the European Club. I think it's a great little course, very friendly. It's a beautiful, gently rolling links in Wicklow that is rarely talked about. I know there are a few holes there that GCAers would hate, but...

Also, I don't know about membership, but Baltray would be a good option if they take overseas membership. near Dublin and a great course. Right beside it is Seapoint, but it's not nearly as good.

I would deffinately go to visit the places I was considering before joining.

By the way, there is not direct flights to America, but Knock Airport is near Enniscrone. I also think the driving is half the fun.

[D. Kilfara]

To answer Chipoat's half-question, Machrihanish has no waiting list - you need two members to propose you for membership, but that's pretty easily done if you hang around the clubhouse for a couple of days - and dues are currently around £190/year, with a one-time £50 joining fee. It's also not at all difficult to get to Machrihanish if you're willing to pay for the (beautiful) 25-minute flight from Glasgow to Machrihanish. Hard to beat that, especially if the direct Newark-to-Glasgow flight on Continental is handy for you...

...of course, if you're just after the golf and not worried about the bonhomie of a golf club as such, there's always the season ticket at the St. Andrews Links Trust - unlimited play on 99 superb holes of golf, including the Old Course, for something in the neighborhood of £450/year (I don't know the actual price off the top of my head, but that's about right). And there's no waiting list or need to know any members - you just go to the Links Trust office, fill out a form and get your picture taken for an ID card, and you're all set!

Cheers,
Darren