Country club membership update

[Anonymous]

The pandemic has had a weird affect on clubs. Ours has never been busier, particularly last summer, since there was little else to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This question is so tone deaf.

+1 WTH.
You also need to be sponsored so that might solve everything since you don't know how it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you spend the money for initiation and dues for all three? (Assuming you could even bypass the wait list) How many times a week is your H possibly going to play golf or have lunch out with a client?

Pick one club. Three is a total waste.

Surely you cannot be this dense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This question is so tone deaf.

You’re going to need to clarify. OP isn’t talking about this in a soup kitchen or unemployment line.

[Anonymous]

If your husband is interested in golf, he should check out the facilities for each of the clubs. Congressional is obviously known for their course, but even clubs like Bethesda recently completely a renovation that golfers love. If you're not as interested in using the facilities, he could put Burning Tree on his list too (assuming he has the connections to get in).

Honestly, I don't think the initiation and dues matter that much. If you're thinking about joining a country club, $75K or $125K plus another $15-20K/year shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things. If you're weighing this cost against, say, sending your children to college or making sure you have enough money to retire when you want, that's a different issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea about the dues at these clubs but why do you care if you are on the outs with the women if you are joining for your dh? I live in another city and we joined a club solely bc my dh loves golf. I don’t golf. I play tennis poorly but our club only has paddle and the women are very serious players and I don’t play any sport that seriously. I go to the pool occasionally in the summer and eat there a few times a year but the food is so so. Dh golfs constantly in the good weather. The club is his place - not mine. I could care less whether other women in the community know if I’m a member. I have a job and other obligations and I’m not going to hang out at the club for face time.

Good to know! I was under the impression from some friends that the clubs really do care if the entire family participates in club life. I like to understand the expectations going in.

Like one of the pp’s said, I think they asked at the interview how the whole family would use the club. Dh said I had played golf years ago and might be interested in joining the ladies league (ha ha). I still get the mailings but they get thrown in the trash. He said we would go to the pool (true and more so when kids were younger but we were never regulars). He said kids would take golf lessons (they had no interest). They haven’t kicked us out. Even though the food is so so, it a reliable carry out place from time to time. The most important thing is that your dh feels comfortable golfing there and with the people. My dh usually goes over to play 9 and will run into someone he knows to chat with. He will play 18 when entertaining clients (pre-pandemic) or when he plays with another member friend. Where we live, it is much cheaper to join than the DC area and there are fewer options but knowing people helps a lot.

[Anonymous]

Consider the monthly minimum food and beverage spend as you may feel inclined to eat at the club a few times a week.

Also find out waht you can on the state of membership. An acquaintance of mine was on the board of one of the clubs on your list, and they were having big problems recruiting new younger members, since golf isn't as popular as it used to be among younger families, and there are also more social outlets so a club isn't a necessity for that. In short, their members were mostly older and dying off. That was about 10 years ago, so maybe things have improved.

[Anonymous]

We belong to Congressional and I have never seen any indication that anyone cares how often our family members use the facilities. I eat there and that’s about it. We joined in the last five years and were social members within a few months, with golfing privileges about two years later.

[Anonymous]

Any of these clubs would consider you an ideal member if you don't golf - saves time and space on the course for others.

I believe there is a way to bypass the waitlist at Congressional - each board member is allowed a couple automatic sponsorees if your husband knows anyone there. Otherwise waitlist at all of them is about 10 years give or take so might as well get the clock running. Start by lining up sponsors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you spend the money for initiation and dues for all three? (Assuming you could even bypass the wait list) How many times a week is your H possibly going to play golf or have lunch out with a client?

Pick one club. Three is a total waste.

Surely you cannot be this dense.

Let’s pretend for a minute I am this dense. Humor me.

Explain why, please. Do something besides try and come up a haggardly quip.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the responses!

Nope, we are not interested in joining all 3 clubs. These are the ones where friends have offered to sponsor us in the past, where we've been guests, where we like the facilities. We will choose one.

The range of initiation fees is fine, and no, we do not need to sacrifice the kids' college funds to pay them. I was asking because I was curious to know how the pandemic had affected them.

To the poster who says I'm tone deaf, are you talking about the fact that I was up front about this being my husband's choice? If not, what are you saying? Please give me the benefit of the doubt that I know what not to say in the interview and to wear tennis whites if I do stumble onto a court. Thanks to the other posters who reassure me that it's fine not to "fully participate."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We belong to Congressional and I have never seen any indication that anyone cares how often our family members use the facilities. I eat there and that’s about it. We joined in the last five years and were social members within a few months, with golfing privileges about two years later.

Terrific -- thanks for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This question is so tone deaf.

OP here. How so?

OP, don't forget that you can use your stimulus payment to pay part of the dues!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Consider the monthly minimum food and beverage spend as you may feel inclined to eat at the club a few times a week.

Also find out waht you can on the state of membership. An acquaintance of mine was on the board of one of the clubs on your list, and they were having big problems recruiting new younger members, since golf isn't as popular as it used to be among younger families, and there are also more social outlets so a club isn't a necessity for that. In short, their members were mostly older and dying off. That was about 10 years ago, so maybe things have improved.

Thanks. We do know board members at two of these, so we'll show our interest and see if they offer. Don't know that we qualify as younger members any more, but one of our children will most certainly be an enthusiastic participant in tennis and golf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This question is so tone deaf.

OP here. How so?

OP, don't forget that you can use your stimulus payment to pay part of the dues!

Ah, now I see. You're being a snob. Try to be a kinder person, PP. The world is ugly enough.