The Top 25 Most Exclusive Golf And Country Clubs

[MCirba]

I took all of the clickbait.


I feel dirty and need a shower.

A perfect lead-in for a thread titled “The Top 25 Most Exclusive Golf and Country Clubs With The Best Showers”

[John Kavanaugh]

I would borrow money to join 14 of the 25. It would be interesting to find out how many members made sacrifices in other areas of their lives to join. If you call not buying a boat a sacrifice and such.

[Jim Hoak]

I'm glad that Tom Doak clarified the writer of this trashy article.  I also was dumbfounded that Jim Dodson, a great and responsible golf writer, could write something like this.  It is so full of errors that it's not worth even reading.  Glad to hear that it was written a few years ago by some lifestyle writer for Forbes with a similar name.
Not worthy of being bought up on this site.

[Kalen Braley]

With all the shit that's been on the Internet and Social media for years now, if not decades...

My only surprise is that people are still surprised at finding stuff like this on the World Wide Web.   

[Tim Gavrich]

FWIW, I did a piece back in 2015 (for the NLE Golf Vacation Insider, then Golf Advisor, now GolfPass) called "10 insanely private golf courses you will never get to play" and my list was:


Cherokee Plantation
Due Process
The Institute
Morefar
Porcupine Creek (probably no longer belongs as Larry Ellison is turning it into a resort)
Wolf Point
Domaine Laforest
Ellerston
"Prince de Provence"/Vidauban
Royal Palace Agadir

[Jeff Schley]

FWIW, I did a piece back in 2015 (for the NLE Golf Vacation Insider, then Golf Advisor, now GolfPass) called "10 insanely private golf courses you will never get to play" and my list was:


Cherokee Plantation
Due Process
The Institute
Morefar
Porcupine Creek (probably no longer belongs as Larry Ellison is turning it into a resort)
Wolf Point
Domaine Laforest
Ellerston
"Prince de Provence"/Vidauban
Royal Palace Agadir

Wow I had to look up Morefar and Domaine Laforest.  No Sunnylands or only 18 hole courses?

[Tim Gavrich]

Wow I had to look up Morefar and Domaine Laforest.  No Sunnylands or only 18 hole courses?

Definitely not an exhaustive list. Sunnylands would be a good candidate, as would Congaree, which of course was not yet open when I did that initial list. Sanctuary in CO would probably be a candidate, too, but I understand it does get some play via outings.

[Jeff Schley]

Wow I had to look up Morefar and Domaine Laforest.  No Sunnylands or only 18 hole courses?

Definitely not an exhaustive list. Sunnylands would be a good candidate, as would Congaree, which of course was not yet open when I did that initial list. Sanctuary in CO would probably be a candidate, too, but I understand it does get some play via outings.

Nice insights, your a good writer Tim. Should do some In My Opinion or Course write up for GCA here (maybe you have already).

[John Connolly]

Everything that is wrong with golf and humanity.

Well, not everything.

[Tim Martin]

FWIW, I did a piece back in 2015 (for the NLE Golf Vacation Insider, then Golf Advisor, now GolfPass) called "10 insanely private golf courses you will never get to play" and my list was:


Cherokee Plantation
Due Process
The Institute
Morefar
Porcupine Creek (probably no longer belongs as Larry Ellison is turning it into a resort)
Wolf Point
Domaine Laforest
Ellerston
"Prince de Provence"/Vidauban
Royal Palace Agadir

I’ve got a friend who is a retired executive from AIG and despite being gone for a number of years is still reticent to talk about Morefar. He said that even though Hank Greenberg Sr. was not a golfer he was intimately involved in the operation of the club and that anyone caught talking about same would get banished. He remains incredibly loyal to Greenberg to this day.

[Mike_Trenham]

Jupiter Island Club seems to meet the test.


Also per the click bait I particularly liked the Oakmont picture of 18 with at least seven trees in the shot.

[Mike Hendren]

I have a better shot at six clubs on the list than I do at nearby Belle Meade Country Club.


Bogey

[Jim Franklin]

I took all of the clickbait.


I feel dirty and need a shower.

A perfect lead-in for a thread titled “The Top 25 Most Exclusive Golf and Country Clubs With The Best Showers”

Nanea with its outside showers would then make the list.

[Gib_Papazian]

Oh, what a line of click-bait twaddle.


Look, that list does not strike me as particularly "exclusive to play" because some random Armenian nobody from Nutville, USA has teed it up at most of them - and the ones I haven't is lack of time, not access.



How about Burlingame Country Club? I live around the corner (grew up there as a Caddy) and it was once voted onto a GD list of "Top 10 Snobbiest Clubs."


BTW, Winged Foot is really not much more "exclusive" than Olympic used to be.


Kind of surprised SFGC did not make the cut - the social tension there is 5 octaves above Mariah Carey.


I'd definitely add Pedernales GC to the list - I'd much rather play barefoot with Trigger's owner than endure 18 holes at Shinnecock, listening to Rutherford C. Hamilton III pontificate about his investment banking fortune.


In fact, I'd even let Willie hit my tweaked out driver if he'd let me strum a song on his axe. ;-)














 


   

[Daryl David]

An acquaintance of mine sent this article link to me yesterday with the comment that the article was bullshit. He said it can’t be a list of the most exclusive clubs since he belongs to 3 of them and has played 19!

[Jeff Schley]

An acquaintance of mine sent this article link to me yesterday with the comment that the article was bullshit. He said it can’t be a list of the most exclusive clubs since he belongs to 3 of them and has played 19!

Daryl that is funny. I can imagine that combination from the list and wouldn't complain about any of them.

[John Foley]

Does anyone actually play Domaine LaForest?