National Membership Options

[Scott Szabo]

Not sure if they have a "national membership" per se but Ballyneal has a membership from all over, is reasonably affordable, and is a great getaway for you and your friends a few times a year.

Ballyneal does have a national membership option, but currently there is a wait list as membership is full.

[Garland Bayley]

I have had 2 national memberships in my life so this is something near and dear to my heart.  It is a great thing BUT I would strongly suggest that you find a club/course you love in a destination that you either really enjoy or you frequent for business/pleasure.


I lived in SF and went to Portland frequently.  I joined Pumpkin Ridge and absolutely LOVED that place.  I was there on business and would usually stay over the weekend, etc. so the company paid for my flights and I covered the weekend expenses. 


Now, I live in Austin and moved my Cal Club membership to National.  That place is Heaven on Earth to me and I can justify getting to SF frequently for business & pleasure so it works.


I would also look at your travel options.  If you cannot get there on a direct flight, then I wouldn't do it. 


For top tier clubs, you can expect to pay about $30K initiation and the monthlies are about $400-500.   So like I said, you will want to get your $$ worth.

I know Bill McBride had a national membership at Columbia Edgewater in Portland. I can’t understand why anyone would join Pumpkin Ridge when Columbia Edgewater would be available.

Well, I guess John Kirk has an excuse as he has a home near Pumpkin Ridge, but I still question his choice.

Perhaps he was just trying to avoid Bill.

[Mike_Young]

Brunswick Country Club, a Ross in Brunswick , Ga has a good national membership and is a very good golf course.

[Jason Topp]

If you are looking to escape heat, Northland Country Club in Duluth, MN is a good option.  The breeze off Lake Superior means it can be chilly at the height of summer. I have an out of town membership in part to escape the heat in Minneapolis. https://nolayingup.com/videos/crash-course/crash-course2/nlu-crash-course-northland-country-club.  Big downside is that any commercial flights would almost certainly require a stop. 


Otherwise, I would look for a place at elevation. Not sure I have a recommendation but I really enjoyed Clear Creek.

[Brad Tufts]

If you are looking to escape heat, Northland Country Club in Duluth, MN is a good option.  The breeze off Lake Superior means it can be chilly at the height of summer. I have an out of town membership in part to escape the heat in Minneapolis. https://nolayingup.com/videos/crash-course/crash-course2/nlu-crash-course-northland-country-club.  Big downside is that any commercial flights would almost certainly require a stop. 


Otherwise, I would look for a place at elevation. Not sure I have a recommendation but I really enjoyed Clear Creek.

I very much enjoyed Clear Creek...one of the coolest driving ranges I've ever seen too!

[JohnVDB]

I know Bill McBride had a national membership at Columbia Edgewater in Portland. I can’t understand why anyone would join Pumpkin Ridge when Columbia Edgewater would be available.

Well, I guess John Kirk has an excuse as he has a home near Pumpkin Ridge, but I still question his choice.

Perhaps he was just trying to avoid Bill.

I have to take the blame for getting John to join Pumpkin Ridge.  He came up there with his dad and his wife who is one of my best friends and wanted to move back to Portland from the Bay Area.  She got me to take him to PR the year it opened, it was an easy sell.


for what it’s worth, probably a third of PRs initial membership had been members ar Columbia Edgewater before joining, I like CE, but it would probably be behind a few others in the area for me.


I considered converting my membership at PR to national when I left, but I knew I wouldn’t be getting there from Pittsburgh enough to justify the cost given I was changing careers and taking a big pay cut.


These days, I’d rather be a member at Dornoch than have a national membership in the US. A friend approached me about getting one at CC of North Carolina, but the annual cost was about 5 times the cost of Dornoch so, again, it didn’t make financial sense to me.  I can use that money to go to lots of places I haven’t been to instead.

[Ben Sims]

I was a member at Palmetto as a young officer with not a ton of expendable income and even less sense. I resigned after three years because I didn’t go as much as I wanted. What a stupid I am. I miss Aiken, randomly running into Jeff Warne, and the simple fun that the course offered.


As for where I’ll be spending my money when I join somewhere again, I know exactly where it is and how to get there and a lot of members. I think that’s a key to this. Know the place well before you make that national-type derivation commitment.

[Mike Sweeney]

I was a member at Palmetto as a young officer with not a ton of expendable income and even less sense. I resigned after three years because I didn’t go as much as I wanted. What a stupid I am. I miss Aiken, randomly running into Jeff Warne, and the simple fun that the course offered.

My one and only visit to Palmetto, I played with an Army Veteran, and a Wall Street Veteran in the "Dogfight". I loved that place, people, and course, but I have a wife from Connecticut

[Michael Whitaker]

Champion Hills is offering an interesting National Membership. I just received this info in an email from the club:

Champion Hills’ newly enhanced National Membership is for those who don’t own property in Henderson County but want to enjoy all the privileges, social activities and friendly competition that come with belonging to a premier private golf club. The initiation fee is $7,500 and monthly dues are $275 with 30 rounds of golf included before incurring a guest fee.

[Jeff Schley]

These days, I’d rather be a member at Dornoch than have a national membership in the US. A friend approached me about getting one at CC of North Carolina, but the annual cost was about 5 times the cost of Dornoch so, again, it didn’t make financial sense to me.  I can use that money to go to lots of places I haven’t been to instead.

John they are reciprocal club partners. So you have access vice versa either way, the only US club in the fold with RDGC.

https://www.golfpunkhq.com/news/article/royal-dornoch-adds-10th-reciprocal-club