No BS — how the hell do people actually become members at private golf clubs?
Are most people grandfathered in through family connections, or is it basically like job hunting where you network like fucking crazy until you know the right members?
I’ve heard stories directly from members at a few clubs about how new people get in, but I’m curious about the majority of private clubs. If you don’t come from a family that’s already connected, how does someone realistically go from knowing nobody to actually getting sponsored and becoming a member?
Get rich.
If you have to ask…
Private golf has gotten insane since COVID. It didn’t used to be this hard.
Why on earth would you think we'd tell you? It'd defeat the entire purpose.
🙂
Very, very difficult to get into a top 100 club post COVID with limited connections. Pre-COVID many of these clubs were begging for younger members. Best bet, aside from marrying in, is to have one or two strong advocates who will rally folks around you. If you are young enough to do a junior membership, you can network through that summer period and give yourself a chance. If you literally know nobody, impossible.
If you asked this question a few years ago, I'd say its door #2: know the right people. That's because initiation fees were low enough that clubs selected for the right crowd.
But since around Covid, or I'd say a bit before that, there's been a push for higher initiation fees which leads to a smaller pool of eligible people. That has reduced the selectivity, beyond the wealth/income factor.
We're still in a place where connections are big. The process at one exclusive club I know is to get a sponsor, and then do a bunch of "casual" (i.e. not so casual) dinners with members who know the sponsor to assess fit. But it's moving quickly in the direction of, if you have the $ then you're in.
You know someone and they recommend you, just like most things in life.
True but 14 recommendations from members even if you know 1 person how on earth do u get 14 recs?!
By knowing 14 members, if that's the requirement for the specific club you're looking at. These clubs are designed to be exclusionary places for people already in the same social circle. They aren't set up for social climbers.
Presumably you would do something like work with 5 members, have kids in the same private school as 5 members, and live on the same street as 5 members or something. Boom, now you have 15 people who can vouch for you. You grab beers already, golf already, your wives all hang out, etc. They aren't places to meet new people.
Besides, they are usually only worth it for very specific people. Otherwise, you're usually throwing money away.
If you need to ask...
It is pretty easy. Meet someone at the club. Have them sponsor you for a summer/guest/junior membership; most clubs have them. Go to the club and meet more people. Try not to be an asshole, so that more people will like you and second/support your application for full membership.
Then, pay your initiation fees and dues. It's really, really, really simple.
Assuming you mean country clubs, I don’t understand the point of those. It’s like paying for whores but just one whore for years on end instead of a multitude/variety of all whores.
Found the guy who has never been to a country club!
I sense a brokie in the force
Live on the same street, have your kids go to the same schools or play the same sports, charity events, overlapping professional circles. That's how you meet people who'll bring you in.
It's probably not worth it. I like golf, but I'd rather pay to play a variety of courses instead of forking over tons of money to only play 1 course. The social aspect is cool I guess but I can do all that without paying ridiculous membership fees and being fake AF while I'm there just to fit in with that crowd.
Country clubs tend to have bundled deals with golf, tennis, pools, access to private lounges etc. where all together, it's not that bad of a deal vs. paying for these separately at different places.
The mandatory monthly food spend will get you. Only so many times you can eat the same slightly above average meals versus going to actually good restaurants. (Although these days, most restaurants suck, so maybe it doesn’t matters.)
If the meals are only slightly above average, hate to be the bearer of bad news but you're probably a member of a suboptimal country club. Not much alpha to be generated.
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