Hi all, Jeff Ober, Dave's son, here. Thanks very much to everyone for your thoughts. Quick update: My fiancee and I toured Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, MD on Saturday and I've played golf there twice. It's certainly an option, but both of us want to explore others before committing. Pros include a very reasonable initiation fee for people under 35, a couple of very good friends there, and tennis and swimming for my fiancee. Cons include the fact that it's not too convenient to either home or the office, the course is largely uninspired in my opinion (Rees Jones renovation, would get old playing it repeatedly due to soggy conditions year-round and lack of interesting holes), and somewhat outdated facilities.
As I see it, there are three main criteria I'm trying to balance:
(1) Accessibility: Can I even get in, and will I need to take out a second mortgage to pay the initiation?
(2) Playability: Is this a course that I'm going to want to play (hopefully) 4-8 times per month indefinitely, and do they have good practice facilities for when I can't play?
(3) Convenience: Is it close enough to home/work that I can use it during the week without getting up too early or getting home too late?
Would also love to have amenities for my fiancee, who wants to play more golf but is currently a beginner and looking for other things to do at the club, but we both agree this is largely about me and my golf for the time being.
Those are obviously difficult to balance. I hear great things (both in this thread and elsewhere) about the course and facilities at River Bend, but it's 30 minutes from home and work even without traffic and I don't currently know anyone there. The Bethesda clubs (Bethesda, Congo, Chevy Chase, Columbia) would be incredibly convenient, but now price is getting to be a significant issue, and aside from Congo, I haven't heard much of note about those courses. And some of the most convenient, like Westwood Country Club and Country Club of Fairfax, seem pretty uninspired, though I'd love to hear otherwise.
So my top candidates at this point are:
(1) Congo: Seems like the only one that would possibly justify Bethesda-area prices, given the courses, amenities, prestige, and convenience. I know a couple members and will be talking to one tomorrow to see just how difficult the membership process is for someone under 35.
(2) Washington Golf and Country Club: Would love to hear more from others about the course/membership, or to be put in touch with any members. A partner at my firm is a member there and I will also reach out to him. From what I've heard, this may be a bit aspirational given our budget and relative lack of connections, but if it's a Doak renovation, at least the course would be interesting and it's convenient to home. I'm sure even at 6400 it would be fun to play, but fair to wonder how fun it would be a couple years from now.
(3) TPC Potomac: Happens to be directly between work and home, interesting enough course to host a tour event, and the best practice facilities I've ever been on. Would love to know if anyone has joined or considered joining there. Only downside is that it appears to be golf-only, which isn't ideal for my fiancee.
Based on your feedback here, I'm also reaching out to River Bend. It may not be as convenient as the others, but if it's a good course and good facilities, could be worth the drive.
Thanks again for your thoughts and would welcome any feedback on the above. Really appreciate the community support. And if anyone has an in at Burning Tree, let me know (lol). [size=78%] [/size]