Country Club Questions

[Anonymous]

Good god, outside of Wimbledon (they actually have a rule) I did not think that anyone wore "tennis whites" anymore. Do the local country club require "whites" to play on their courts?

[Anonymous]

Yes, many do require tennis whites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, many do require tennis whites.

Another reason I will not be joining a CC - can't give up my tennis "colors".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one has mentioned it yet, but, it's not like you can just call up and send them your $100K + check and you're in. There are wait lists, you have to be nominated/sponsored by a member at a few of these mentioned .... and there has been in the past a very Skull-n-Bones secrecy surrounding who is allowed in and who is not.

From the people I know who are members, they are either legacies or they work for a corporation where a lot of their colleagues are members. It's just a matter of knowing the right people and having the cash.

[Anonymous]

I am a recent member at Congressional, and don't really agree. Yes, you need to know enough members to put as references on your application (and I know that isn't always easy; we found a couple of people who asked some of their friends), so in that sense you need to know people. But once you have your application in, you sit on the waiting list until there are openings (first in/first out system generally). The bylaws say only XX members are allowed, so you basically have to wait for members to leave/die (sorry, morbid, I know). I think that there are about 30 or so openings each year (I think legacies have preference, but am not really sure how that works).

I know a number of CEO of major corporations in the area that had to wait as long as I did (I know, b/c they are clients).

That said, I am sure that if someone knows one of the Board members, they may jump higher on the waiting list. The club denies this happens, but you know how the old boy network works . . . But no different than other circumstances. Just making the point that the it is not a systematic issue.

Maybe others will disagree . . . .

And I can hear the anti-club people out there gagging . . . .

[Anonymous]

So do you (the applicant) ask your references to write letters for you or does your sponsor take care of that? What exactly does the sponsor do? (I've heard it's a lot of work, but I have no idea what's involved.)

Also, to the PP who said you would NOT consider Kenwood in the top 3, is it significantly inferior? I thought they were doing a lot of renovations, etc. (like the new fitness center). Could it be a real up-and-comer?

[Anonymous]

Sponsors (I can only speak for Congressional) must sign that they will be financially responsible for the prospective member's bills if they go unpaid. So, it is not just a formality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a recent member at Congressional, and don't really agree. Yes, you need to know enough members to put as references on your application (and I know that isn't always easy; we found a couple of people who asked some of their friends), so in that sense you need to know people. But once you have your application in, you sit on the waiting list until there are openings (first in/first out system generally). The bylaws say only XX members are allowed, so you basically have to wait for members to leave/die (sorry, morbid, I know). I think that there are about 30 or so openings each year (I think legacies have preference, but am not really sure how that works).

I know a number of CEO of major corporations in the area that had to wait as long as I did (I know, b/c they are clients).

That said, I am sure that if someone knows one of the Board members, they may jump higher on the waiting list. The club denies this happens, but you know how the old boy network works . . . But no different than other circumstances. Just making the point that the it is not a systematic issue.

Maybe others will disagree . . . .

And I can hear the anti-club people out there gagging . . . .

My 33 year old DH is a Jr Member at Congressional. His father is/was a member so he did not wait.

[Anonymous]

Poster 19:58 - I said I thought Kenwood was NOT in the top 3 - renovations are nice....golf course is not good though...can't compare to the others. it is not a bad place - just not in the top 3 and can't really compare to chevy chase, columbia or congressional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Chevy Chase is 150k to join.

Chevy Chase is currently $80,000 to join.

[Anonymous]

Is the initiation price tax deductible if you are planning to "use it for business entertaining"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the initiation price tax deductible if you are planning to "use it for business entertaining"?

I can tell you as a lawyer with tax experience, that no, your initiation fee is not tax deductible because a CC membership is personal in nature and can be used personally, even if you only use it for business entertaining. You may have an accountant tell you otherwise, you may claim it as a business expense on your taxes, and since the audit rate is generally less than 1%, you may even get away with it. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people did. However, if the IRS challenged you, you would lose. You'd have to pay the taxes, plus interest and penalties. Depending on the situation, the IRS could even try to go after you criminally (ok, so that's a long shot, but still a remote possibility that's not worth the risk). No matter what an accountant tells you, I would never claim this expense.

[Anonymous]

I know non-white members at Columbia, but Chevy Chase is lily white. No diversity at all.

[Anonymous]

I know non-white members at Columbia, but Chevy Chase is lily white. No diversity at all.

And, they have a long history of excluding Jews as well, starting with land covenants and then less overtly and formally over the years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I know non-white members at Columbia, but Chevy Chase is lily white. No diversity at all.

And, they have a long history of excluding Jews as well, starting with land covenants and then less overtly and formally over the years.

And I know a family that was rejected many years ago because they had a non-white adopted child.