Hypothetical: Membership at Tobacco Road and other great publics

[Jim Nugent]

Jay, I'm surprised you didn't know the membership fees at Caledonia/True Blue!!

2014 Golf Membership Fees

Single $1,875
Couple $2,500
Young Adult (18-25 years old) $1,275
Super Senior (78 years+) $1,275
Add junior(s) 17 and under to any membership $150.00

Cart fee of $25 per round additional.

I would find these a little high if I lived in the area, but primarily due to the inconvenience of heavy daily fee play and crowded conditions (5+ hour average rounds).  Certainly a bargain, though, if one considers only the  quality of the courses.

Jamey

Jamey, in the early 1990s, Pelican Hill in Newport Beach CA offered a season pass.  The price was around $1200 to $1500 as I recall.  That got you one year of use... of the driving range. 

[Joe_Tucholski]

Pine Needles/Mid Pines as of 2012 $2520 if local, $1470 if living in NC but over 50 miles, $945 national, $265 overseas (each category also has initiation fees

Pinehurst #1-#6 $4500 and add about a grand if you want #7-#9 (must own property in the village and pay initiation)

...
The initiation fee for new property owners is less (but considerable) as long as the previous property owner was a member and agrees to transfer the membership. The dues structure has 3 levels - access to 1-6; 1-6 plus 8 plus free walking on 1-6, 8 and 2 sometimes; and all previous plus access to 7 and 9. Access to 7 and 9 requires an additional initiation fee. At the top end, that is a lot of available golf - more than I could handle.

Since the Pinehurst Country Club posts their membership fees online for all categories (something I'm a fan of ) I should have initially posted the information directly from the source.
http://cdn1.pinehurst.com/content/uploads/2014/07/PCC-Legendary-Categories.pdf

[ChipRoyce]

Chipper,

Wouldn't you get tired of playing in the dew and chasing the grounds crew every day?

There are worse condemnations in life, I'll admit.

Can TR be played in reverse?

Hmmmm.
No, I'd be pretty cool with that dealing with Dew and grounds crew.
I'm thinking just with my pocketbook, the difference between $2K and my annual spend is pretty steep.
There are certainly drawbacks:
- 40 min drive each way, no playing 9 in the evenings
- kids would lose access to the fantastic junior program and practice facilities across the street from my house (Prestonwood)
- 1 course vs. the 3 I can play now.

[Andrew Buck]

Chipper,

Wouldn't you get tired of playing in the dew and chasing the grounds crew every day?

There are worse condemnations in life, I'll admit.

Can TR be played in reverse?

I play 90% of my golf this way.  Both my country club, and the semi-private I belong to allow me and one other to tee off at dawn (5:00 to 5:30 for summer months) so we're out before greens are mowed often and talk regularly with the supers and grounds crews.  Walk 18 holes and still in office by 8:00 AM.  When I worked grounds as the son of a superintendent growing up we always had a few guys that did that as we'll.  Thankfully there are also enough publics in the Chicago suburbs near my second office that also allow 5:30 tee-off in the summer when I work out of that office.

Would I prefer to play at 8:00 on freshly mown greens, sure, but between work and family, it's just not happening until kids are older (youngest is 2).

In fact, if we move to NC that is my biggest fear.  We will join the club that is best for my family, but I highly doubt they'll allow me to tee off before 7:00, even if I could get the super to agree.  I'll have to scour the publics to see if at least someone will allow it to get the occasional 9 in.

[ChipRoyce]

Chipper,

Wouldn't you get tired of playing in the dew and chasing the grounds crew every day?

There are worse condemnations in life, I'll admit.

Can TR be played in reverse?

I play 90% of my golf this way.  Both my country club, and the semi-private I belong to allow me and one other to tee off at dawn (5:00 to 5:30 for summer months) so we're out before greens are mowed often and talk regularly with the supers and grounds crews.  Walk 18 holes and still in office by 8:00 AM.  When I worked grounds as the son of a superintendent growing up we always had a few guys that did that as we'll.  Thankfully there are also enough publics in the Chicago suburbs near my second office that also allow 5:30 tee-off in the summer when I work out of that office.

Would I prefer to play at 8:00 on freshly mown greens, sure, but between work and family, it's just not happening until kids are older (youngest is 2).

In fact, if we move to NC that is my biggest fear.  We will join the club that is best for my family, but I highly doubt they'll allow me to tee off before 7:00, even if I could get the super to agree.  I'll have to scour the publics to see if at least someone will allow it to get the occasional 9 in.

Yeah - Andrew, I don't know of any places that allow play that early. Part of the issue is that NC is a bit farther west in the time zone and at the Summer Solstice, the sun still isn't up until 6:15a or so. The grounds crews get a later start than other parts of the country, even if they start in the dark. Due to efficiency, our club holds off play until 7:30a and even then you'll catch the crew by the 8-9th hole.

[Andrew Buck]

Yeah - Andrew, I don't know of any places that allow play that early. Part of the issue is that NC is a bit farther west in the time zone and at the Summer Solstice, the sun still isn't up until 6:15a or so. The grounds crews get a later start than other parts of the country, even if they start in the dark. Due to efficiency, our club holds off play until 7:30a and even then you'll catch the crew by the 8-9th hole.

Chip,

That's what I suspected, at least at clubs.  I know the mentality is a little different up north where we have such a short season and earlier mornings.  I fully understand the days of 18 would be long gone, and even nine isn't likely.  I would still love to find a course somewhere that would be willing to let me out on occassion (maybe on the back prior to the grounds crew getting there). 

[ChipRoyce]

Chip,

That's what I suspected, at least at clubs.  I know the mentality is a little different up north where we have such a short season and earlier mornings.  I fully understand the days of 18 would be long gone, and even nine isn't likely.  I would still love to find a course somewhere that would be willing to let me out on occassion (maybe on the back prior to the grounds crew getting there). 

Wouldn't surprise me if there's one or two out there. Just seems to be a cultural difference. For example, at the few private clubs I was a member in NY and MA, few members hustled out for the early tee times on Sat & Sun and there seemed at a minimum an informal preference at those times for members with young families so they could play quickly and then get right home to their kids. Down south (TX and NC); seems that the early tee times are desired by all, in part to get out before the heat.