[Eric Smith]

My national club has begun offering the following membership special:

Join before opening day and pay a $5000 initiation fee with dues of $3600. The offer mentions that prospects must be introduced by a member. No shortage of those here on GCA.

Email Chris Johnston cj@dismalriver.com for more information.

[Mac Plumart]

I'm thinking of starting a club with a national membership...scratch that...international membership.  Here is what it is...

$10,000 upfront initiation...$2,500 per year in dues

There is no club or home course, but I invite members of the "club" to play with me at each and every venue wherever I end up playing for the year.

Any interest?

 

[Matthew Sander]

I'm thinking of starting a club with a national membership...scratch that...international membership.  Here is what it is...

$10,000 upfront initiation...$2,500 per year in dues

There is no club or home course, but I invite members of the "club" to play with me at each and every venue wherever I end up playing for the year.

Any interest?

 

Excellent! The GCA version of the J. Peterman Reality Tour. Will members have access to THE Mac Plumart, or just a two-bit imposter hosting us at Monster Mini-Golf in Marietta??

[Tim Martin]

I'm thinking of starting a club with a national membership...scratch that...international membership.  Here is what it is...

$10,000 upfront initiation...$2,500 per year in dues

There is no club or home course, but I invite members of the "club" to play with me at each and every venue wherever I end up playing for the year.

Any interest?

 

Mac-If past performance is any indication of future results you will have plenty of takers. That`s a pretty cheap price including international play. Who the hell needs the Outpost or Eden Club. That`s how Mac rolls baby!

[Howard Riefs]

...

[Howard Riefs]

Deleted as duplicative of prior post.

[Brad Isaacs]

If $15k is no big deal, then join Holston AND Pete Dye.  PD is $12k initiation. 

Wasn't Pete Dye just bought by a new entity called Pacific Golf.......I don't know what they are doing to the membership, but I think they are buying a number of golf properties.

[Jim Colton]

Wow! This just came across my inbox:

Ballyneal

Initiation: $10,000
Dues: $4,000/yr regional member (within 300 miles); $2,500/yr national member (outside of 300 miles)

They also instituted some incentives if you and your friends join:
2 Golfers = $1,000 club usage credit per each new member
3 Golfers = $1,500 club usage credit per each new member
4 Golfers = $2,000 club usage credit per each new member
5 Golfers =$2,500 club usage credit per each new member

[Greg Tallman]

If $15k is no big deal, then join Holston AND Pete Dye.  PD is $12k initiation. 

Wasn't Pete Dye just bought by a new entity called Pacific Golf.......I don't know what they are doing to the membership, but I think they are buying a number of golf properties.

I believe the new ownership group is Canadian... got to the game late but I had a small group interested. $4.5 was a workable number.

[Matt Bosela]

Wow! This just came across my inbox:

Ballyneal

Initiation: $10,000
Dues: $4,000/yr regional member (within 300 miles); $2,500/yr national member (outside of 300 miles)

They also instituted some incentives if you and your friends join:
2 Golfers = $1,000 club usage credit per each new member
3 Golfers = $1,500 club usage credit per each new member
4 Golfers = $2,000 club usage credit per each new member
5 Golfers =$2,500 club usage credit per each new member

I certainly don't mean to offend but after seeing this post, the thing that immediately pops into my mind, for some reason, is a quote from the great scholar himself, George Costanza:

"I think it just moved!"

[Michael George]

I'm thinking of starting a club with a national membership...scratch that...international membership.  Here is what it is...

$10,000 upfront initiation...$2,500 per year in dues

There is no club or home course, but I invite members of the "club" to play with me at each and every venue wherever I end up playing for the year.

Any interest?

 

I knew that Golf Digest article would go to his head  

[Mark Chaplin]

For $10k you can join Deal and never pay another cent for life!

[Don_Mahaffey]

Wow! This just came across my inbox:

Ballyneal

Initiation: $10,000
Dues: $4,000/yr regional member (within 300 miles); $2,500/yr national member (outside of 300 miles)

They also instituted some incentives if you and your friends join:
2 Golfers = $1,000 club usage credit per each new member
3 Golfers = $1,500 club usage credit per each new member
4 Golfers = $2,000 club usage credit per each new member
5 Golfers =$2,500 club usage credit per each new member

Hopefully you and your friends will send a thank you card to the founders.

[Jim Colton]

Don,

  That's a great idea. I hold anybody who supported their home club early in their life in high esteem. If waiting around for the third owner is the only way to be successful, how will golf courses ever get built?

  Let's start a thank-you letter campaign. Anybody who has benefited from the vision and investment of others, often at great personal expense, needs to offer up praise. It's a long list, I'm sure. Do you have a template we can use?

  Jim

[Don_Mahaffey]

Don,

  That's a great idea. I hold anybody who supported their home club early in their life in high esteem. If waiting around for the third owner is the only way to be successful, how will golf courses ever get built?

  Let's start a thank-you letter campaign. Anybody who has benefited from the vision and investment of others, often at great personal expense, needs to offer up praise. It's a long list, I'm sure. Do you have a template we can use?

  Jim

Template? No, but let me think about it and maybe we can start a case study to learn which one we want to use.

[JC Jones]

Wow! This just came across my inbox:

Ballyneal

Initiation: $10,000
Dues: $4,000/yr regional member (within 300 miles); $2,500/yr national member (outside of 300 miles)

They also instituted some incentives if you and your friends join:
2 Golfers = $1,000 club usage credit per each new member
3 Golfers = $1,500 club usage credit per each new member
4 Golfers = $2,000 club usage credit per each new member
5 Golfers =$2,500 club usage credit per each new member

Wow is right.  $10k initiation in this market considering all the other options out there is quite surprising. 

Jud, what is Kingsley offering right now?

[Jim Colton]

JC,

Time will tell. You're right there are a lot of great opportunities out there, as Eric, Howard and others have shared. Kingsley is something that I took a very close look at it. I don't know if it makes much sense to be a national member at two clubs, but I could see myself stepping up and supporting that club down the road.

[Jud_T]

I'd rather not air it publicly,  let's just say that in a lot of respects Kingsley compares quite favorably to Dismal and Ballyneal.

[Mike Sweeney]

For $10k you can join Deal and never pay another cent for life!

Mark,

All the cool guys are overseas members. 

Enniscrone is roughly $5300 for a lifetime membership now:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_38/b4001089.htm

[Jud_T]

Westward Ho!- 180 Pounds per annum Overseas
Askernish- 100 Pounds per annum International

[JC Jones]

I'd rather not air it publicly,  let's just say that in a lot of respects Kingsley compares quite favorably to Dismal and Ballyneal.

I agree.  Kingsley likely wins out on cost, certainly wins out on turf conditions and arguably wins out on architecture.  It is also a helluva lot easier to get to as Delta flies multiple times a day into Traverse City and the place is 20 mins from the airport.  On top of that, you can have world class food and fantastic local beer and wine in TC.  That is if, of course, you don't have a great steak and Diabolical IPA on the back porch over looking the 9th hole.

[Mac Plumart]

I'll re-iterate for maybe the millionth time, I truly believe now is the time to join a club if you have any interest.

And in my opinion, it ain't about runnin' numbers and calculating your cost per round...it is about joining a club you want to be a member of.  The numbers are most likely as low as they ever will be and IF YOU WANT TO BE A MEMBER of a certain club, my personal opinion is that now is a very good time to pull that trigger.

[Don_Mahaffey]

JC,
I like Kingsley a lot, as I think you know, and Dan does a great job with the turf, but those clubs out in the sand hills are in the same league. Its not the slam dunk on the turf & architecture like it would be with many other US national clubs. With DR, the Doak/Nicklaus 36 combo will be very strong with both turf conditions and architecture. Ballyneal has outstanding turf and the architecture is obviously some of the best in the country.
All three clubs offer outstanding golfing experiences.

Now, I will grade TC a bit higher then Mullen or Holyoke

And Kingsley wins on the ease of travel as well, but getting out to the Sand Hills is worth the hassle.  

[Mac Plumart]

Don't forget all the other clubs with National Memberships.  The availability and variety is staggering.

[Chris_Hufnagel]

JC,
I like Kingsley a lot, as I think you know, and Dan does a great job with the turf, but those clubs out in the sand hills are in the same league. Its not the slam dunk on the turf & architecture like it would be with many other US national clubs. With DR, the Doak/Nicklaus 36 combo will be very strong with both turf conditions and architecture. Ballyneal has outstanding turf and the architecture is obviously some of the best in the country.
All three clubs offer outstanding golfing experiences.

Now, I will grade TC a bit higher then Mullen or Holyoke

And Kingsley wins on the ease of travel as well, but getting out to the Sand Hills is worth the hassle.  

I couldn't agree more with the sentiment around the Kingsley Club – I considered joining as national member first when I lived in San Francisco (my wife wasn't as enthusiastic as I was), then again when I moved to Baltimore (slightly more enthusiasm from my wife as we were closer and she thought I would be able to get there more frequently, but not all the way there yet), and finally pulled the trigger when I moved to Michigan three years ago!

I consider it an investment in my happiness and spend almost no time (other then when the topic comes up on the board) thinking about the cost per round.  Some of my favorite golfing memories are from the Club and this is just my third season there...

I make 5-7 trips up per year - probably split 50/50 between one day trip, 36 hole trips and the others are either overnights or long weekends.  I have had the pleasure of introducing several close friends to the course and I love the multitude of expressions/emotions they go through over the course of their experience - first seeing the 'clubhouse', the look from the porch out at nine green, the view from the first tee, when they first see the "south 40" from the second tee, the option of the south or west tee at nine, the tee box on 12, the 13th green, the 15th green, and finally their look of satisfaction as we shake hands on 18.

I agree with all the "other" benefits of the club as well - conditions, proximity to TC, relative ease of getting there - one thing that hasn't been mentioned is the great staff they have.  I am sure Ballyneal and Dismal River are equally as good, but I can't imagine them being any better - if they are - great for them and great for those members.

I am making my first trip up the first weekend in May - can't wait!

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