Undoubtedly, joining a country club can be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable moments in a person’s life. Membership at a great country club can provide opportunities for fellowship with friendly and engaging people in your community and provide you with access to wonderful sporting facilities.
But choosing the right country club also requires much thought and patience. Here are just a few things to know before signing off on that country club membership, and why choosing the right country club can provide individuals with years of great experiences and great memories.
1. What Will Your Monthly and Yearly Costs Actually Look Like?
While a baseline monthly membership fee will give you a good idea of what you’ll be paying on a yearly basis at a particular club, you’ll also want to factor in other amenities. It is definitely convenient to eat at club restaurants and cafes after a round of golf, but such costs can add up quickly. Having a realistic outlook on your yearly club budget can allow you to determine if a particular club is right for you.
2. How Far Will You Have to Travel to Visit Your Club?
While joining a country club can be an extremely rewarding decision, it is important for would-be country club members to look realistically at how long it will take them to get to and from their club. There is nothing wrong with joining a club that is some distance from your home, but it’s important to ask whether you’ll actually use your club on a regular basis if getting there requires a lengthy commute. To get a sense for the distance involved in getting to a particular club, try visiting on weekends to see if you’ll want to make the drive on your days off.
3. Will Membership Enable You to Save Money on Golf Outings?
For people who are passionate about sports like golf, the benefits of purchasing a country club membership can be enormous. In the long run, regular golfers will probably save a great deal of time and money that would otherwise be spent on visits to public courses. At premier clubs like Stone Creek golf in Ocala, most members will also be able to avoid the lengthy tee-times and crowded fairways that plague most public golf courses in spring and summer. Indeed, a country club membership is often a great way to actually save money on golfing in the long-term.
4. What Facilities Will You Use?
Depending on the country club you join, there may be a wide variety of facilities for members to use, and how you’ll choose a particular club will often come down to what you want out of that club in the long run. For example, some individuals may only want to join a particular country club for its squash facilities. Others may be solely interested in golfing. When considering membership at a particular country club, try checking out which facilities on the club’s grounds are of high quality. Do these facilities match your interests?
5. How is the Club Managed?
There can be little doubt that different country clubs are often run in vastly different ways. Old-school social clubs will often be run almost solely by established members, while larger, corporate country clubs will be run more like businesses. How much you’ll pay in membership costs and what kind of experience you’ll have as a member of a particular club will often depend on what kind of club you’ve joined.
6. How Do Staff Behave?
To evaluate the merits of a particular club, try observing how the club’s staff treats members. If staff are surly or rude, there may be deeper management issues within the club. If service is consistently poor on your visit, it might be time for you to look elsewhere. If things are bad on your first few visits, they’ll probably only get worse with time.
7. What Vibe Do You Get From Your Visits?
Many country clubs are truly wonderful places to relax and make new friends. But old-school country clubs where social snobbery is the norm are still plentiful in most sizable cities. Membership at these places can provide great opportunities for networking, but such environments can wreak havoc on a person’s self-esteem.
Depending on your own social interests, you’ll probably want to get a feel for the social vibe at the club you’re considering before settling on a membership plan. If you’re treated with contempt for not being from the “right” background on your visit, for example, you might want to give a membership opportunity at a snooty club a pass. Feeling awful every time you step off the links is no way to enjoy your time at a particular club.
