For those that have joined clubs in the last couple of years....

[David Stamm]

...are you happy with your decision to do so? If you had to do it over again, what would you differently, if at all? What are some of things that you found out only after joining a club, good and bad?

[Adam Clayman]

Since it was my first club, I can unequivocally state I'm ecstatic. Coming from the public side, the relief from all those little hassles, is greater than I imagined. The freedom to come and go as I choose, when I choose, is worth every penny. I'll admit mine is not the typical situation but you did ask. Since I do still play a lot of public golf too I'm very appreciative of the differences.

[Sean Leary]

Once you go from being a public golfer to a private club golfer, it is hard to go back.

[Dave_Miller]

...are you happy with your decision to do so? If you had to do it over again, what would you differently, if at all? What are some of things that you found out only after joining a club, good and bad?

David:
Haven't joined one recently but do belong to more than one and have been happy with these decisions.  There is good and bad at all places. Just like life.
Best
Dave

[Bart Bradley]

David:

Best decision of my life so far(outside of marriage and children)!  It has been great for me and for my family.  I have met more wonderful people and enjoyed life more since I joined 2 years ago.  It even led to my becoming a gca.com member...I joined our "golf course architecture" committee and I wanted to learn more, found this site, emailed Ran and presto...

Wouldn't change a thing,

Bart

[Anthony Gray]

David:

Best decision of my life so far(outside of marriage and children)!  It has been great for me and for my family.  I have met more wonderful people and enjoyed life more since I joined 2 years ago.  It even led to my becoming a gca.com member...I joined our "golf course architecture" committee and I wanted to learn more, found this site, emailed Ran and presto...

Wouldn't change a thing,

Bart

  Doc,

  Is your club centered around a neighborhood?

  Anthony

[Mike Sweeney]

If anyone wants to bet the cost of a membership that my wife has a different opinion than me, I will take that bet from all 1500 !

[Jeff Spittel]

Nicely played, Mike. I learned that your monthly bill is almost always higher than you expect it to be.

[Lou_Duran]

Once you go from being a public golfer to a private club golfer, it is hard to go back.

Truer words could not be spoken.  After resigning from my club of nearly 30 years, my rounds and interest in playing have declined greatly.  But in today's economic and political environment, I am not sure that paying even a modest initiation fee makes sense.

[Will MacEwen]

When I moved to the boonies three years ago, one of the first things I did was join a local club.  It is a semi-private, but the private model is not sustainable anywhere in the area.

Even without the exclusivity of the private, it has been a great decision.  I play more golf, in part because additional and partial rounds have no cost factor - I see them as ammortizing my dues. 

Little things like knowing the staff, playing club events, and having my daughter in the junior program are significant benefits that I wouldn't have without membership.

No regrets, wouldn't change a thing.  My options are limited here, and joining was the smart move.

[Dan Herrmann]

Yes, it's fantastic.  It's wonderful.

If you do join, volunteer.  Give something back to YOUR club.

I was on the BOD for several years.  Very hard work (I had to rewrite all the bylaws), but it's worth it.  Now I'm just cruising on the green committee - easy because our head greenkeeper is world class.

[Mike Sweeney]

  But in today's economic and political environment, I am not sure that paying even a modest initiation fee makes sense.

Lou,

National, Augusta and Cypress suddenly decide they need a Cuban American as a member, and you are their guy. It is a bidding war for Lou. You can either:

1. Eat lobsters for lunch;
2. Wear a geeky Green Jacket; or
3. Look at the sunset over the Pacific for the rest of your life,

Are you telling me you could not figure out a way to work it out in a Socialistic government? 

[Bill_McBride]

  But in today's economic and political environment, I am not sure that paying even a modest initiation fee makes sense.

Lou,

National, Augusta and Cypress suddenly decide they need a Cuban American as a member, and you are their guy. It is a bidding war for Lou. You can either:

1. Eat lobsters for lunch;
2. Wear a geeky Green Jacket; or
3. Look at the sunset over the Pacific for the rest of your life,

Are you telling me you could not figure out a way to work it out in a Socialistic government? 

Lou dangled the political bait out on the water, and even I didn't bite.  Way to go, Sweeney!

[Mike Sweeney]

Bill,

If he doesn't cave on that hypothetical, he should be tossed off this board!

[J_ Crisham]

...are you happy with your decision to do so? If you had to do it over again, what would you differently, if at all? What are some of things that you found out only after joining a club, good and bad?

David:
Haven't joined one recently but do belong to more than one and have been happy with these decisions.  There is good and bad at all places. Just like life.
Best
Dave

Dave, Of your 3 clubs,how could you possibly make a bad decision? I must say your Philly club is not only damn impressive but the view of the pool and it's users is priceless even for an old married fart such as me!          Wish you well,  Jack

[Bart Bradley]

David:

Best decision of my life so far(outside of marriage and children)!  It has been great for me and for my family.  I have met more wonderful people and enjoyed life more since I joined 2 years ago.  It even led to my becoming a gca.com member...I joined our "golf course architecture" committee and I wanted to learn more, found this site, emailed Ran and presto...

Wouldn't change a thing,

Bart

  Doc,

  Is your club centered around a neighborhood?

  Anthony

Anthony,

Both of my clubs are residential...one is fully mature and has fabulously protected the golf course...the other (I joined it 11 years ago) has been desecrated by the real estate development (Fazio course).

Bart

[Tommy Williamsen]

The only negative is that the initiation fee was cut in half this year.

[Ed Oden]

I joined a second club as a national member about a year and a half ago.  It is a golf only club.  There has not been one second that I regretted that decision.  It has been far better than I could ever have imagined.  Family excluded, I can't think of anything that I enjoy more.  So I would not change a thing.  And I am thankful that I joined when times were good since I am confident that I would not have the guts to pull the trigger in the current environment.

Ed

[C. Squier]

The only negative is that the initiation fee was cut in half this year.

Point taken, but after seeing home values at 80% of what they were a year ago (on average) and 401k's at 60% of what they were last year, I think you can argue that the person writing the check for half the initiation cost this year is making just as considerable an investment as those did in years past. 

Even though I probably only play 50% of my rounds at my 2 clubs, I'm very happy to be a member of both.  My wife is totally on board now too.  When we joined my local club, she was skeptical and thought we were too young.  She's a teacher and though she doesn't golf (yet) she gets to spend a good amount of time enjoying the pool during the summer.  It's great having a place to go out to eat that serves great food and is very reasonably priced.  The staff knows her by name and treats us like members who have been there for decades.  As for me, they could treat me like a leper and I wouldn't care.....see you on the golf course(s)!  As for the club were I'm a national member, it doesn't come up often in conversation 

[K. Krahenbuhl]

Joining my club has been one of the best moves that I have made.  I would be more likely to add a second membership than to give up the one that I have.  No regrets at all.

[Matt Day]

first post for me, another Aussie based in Perth, Western Australia. 

I see both sides of the case as I manage a very busy public facility, but rejoined a golf club that I was a junior member of  from 1985-1991.

Noticeable changes for me in rejoining were that some of the original design features had not been kept, some of the vegetation growth has begun to creep into play lines and a lot of areas had severe encroachment of fine fescue that makes finding your ball and then playing it very difficult.

On the plus side the members are still a great group of people and nothing beats being able to play nine holes in the late afternoon with no one in sight.