Country club membership update

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest question, what is the appeal of these country clubs? I am not a yuppy and a normal person, but I am house searching and I see some nice homes in these country clubs. But I know nothing about them. Not trying to sound mean, just trying to understand.

Not OP, but we looked into it when we first moved here and found out the pools had 7+ year wait lists. At that time we could get a membership at our closest CC immediately. We were not that serious about golf and couldn’t justify the cost just for the pool. We know many families who did join but had someone who also loved golf and tennis.

You don’t see homes “in” any country clubs around here. This isn’t Florida.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest question, what is the appeal of these country clubs? I am not a yuppy and a normal person, but I am house searching and I see some nice homes in these country clubs. But I know nothing about them. Not trying to sound mean, just trying to understand.

Not OP, but we looked into it when we first moved here and found out the pools had 7+ year wait lists. At that time we could get a membership at our closest CC immediately. We were not that serious about golf and couldn’t justify the cost just for the pool. We know many families who did join but had someone who also loved golf and tennis.

You don’t see homes “in” any country clubs around here. This isn’t Florida.

The Manor in Rockville/ Olneybis surrounded by homes - my friend gets balls in their yard and occasional window rather often … very nice community vibe though …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you aren't looking to plop down 100k at Chevy or Congressional, Kenwood is a good option. Fun course (short) and very down to earth. We really enjoy it and
KCC reminds us of my in-laws club back in Chicago. Not as stuffy or corporate feeling as Chevy/CCC.

Congressional is by far the best for golf, then Columbia. Chevy is nice but also short and their rules re: carts, caddies, etc are quirky.

How much is the Kenwood initiation fee these days?

over 40 is around 70k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest question, what is the appeal of these country clubs? I am not a yuppy and a normal person, but I am house searching and I see some nice homes in these country clubs. But I know nothing about them. Not trying to sound mean, just trying to understand.

They are great if you enjoy golf or tennis and for the kids activities (pool, etc). If you’re friends with a lot of other members, then it becomes like the bar in Cheers, where “everybody knows your name” when you walk in. It makes a large city smaller. Plus, they’re nice to take guests, network, etc. Each of the mentioned clubs is different in terms of amenities, and some offer reduced memberships (eg, “tennis only”).

I’ll leave to others to point out the lack of racial, religious and economic diversity, etc.

We only joined because of the pandemic. My kids play tennis almost everyday. We use the pool. Dh takes kids golfing. We attend some events like brunch with Santa, princess afternoon tea, Easter brunch, etc.

I don’t think I would join if I was about to become an empty nester. That just me. If Dh wants to join, so be it.

This is our family too. My husband golfs all the time, and we love the pool in the summer. It was a lifesaver during Covid. I 100% resisted joining (I don't golf, thought it was a stupid waste of money) but so glad we did. Our club is only a 5 minute drive, and much less formal than the ones listed by the OP. I love that my kids (12, 9, 6) can grow up there, and feel comfortable dropping them off to swim/play golf/play tennis on their own. We joined just as the pandemic was beginning, and only had to wait a month or so (plus we got the under 40 entrance fee). Now, I understand that the wait list is 5 years plus, they've raised the initiation fees, and done away with the under 40 rate entirely. Covid has definitely been good for business in that sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest question, what is the appeal of these country clubs? I am not a yuppy and a normal person, but I am house searching and I see some nice homes in these country clubs. But I know nothing about them. Not trying to sound mean, just trying to understand.

They are great if you enjoy golf or tennis and for the kids activities (pool, etc). If you’re friends with a lot of other members, then it becomes like the bar in Cheers, where “everybody knows your name” when you walk in. It makes a large city smaller. Plus, they’re nice to take guests, network, etc. Each of the mentioned clubs is different in terms of amenities, and some offer reduced memberships (eg, “tennis only”).

I’ll leave to others to point out the lack of racial, religious and economic diversity, etc.

We only joined because of the pandemic. My kids play tennis almost everyday. We use the pool. Dh takes kids golfing. We attend some events like brunch with Santa, princess afternoon tea, Easter brunch, etc.

I don’t think I would join if I was about to become an empty nester. That just me. If Dh wants to join, so be it.

This is our family too. My husband golfs all the time, and we love the pool in the summer. It was a lifesaver during Covid. I 100% resisted joining (I don't golf, thought it was a stupid waste of money) but so glad we did. Our club is only a 5 minute drive, and much less formal than the ones listed by the OP. I love that my kids (12, 9, 6) can grow up there, and feel comfortable dropping them off to swim/play golf/play tennis on their own. We joined just as the pandemic was beginning, and only had to wait a month or so (plus we got the under 40 entrance fee). Now, I understand that the wait list is 5 years plus, they've raised the initiation fees, and done away with the under 40 rate entirely. Covid has definitely been good for business in that sense.

This was us in a nutshell.. we joined peak COVID and many clubs had attractive under 40 (or under 35) offers

[Anonymous]

The real outrage with country clubs is the huge tax advantage they enjoy. Almost all real estate is taxed at value if best use. There are laws written to allow golf courses to be taxed at actual revenue. Total scam, people who write laws play golf and want to keep the club operating expenses down

[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.

The OP order it awkwardly. She wrote. “ DH is looking for full membership at each. ”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest question, what is the appeal of these country clubs? I am not a yuppy and a normal person, but I am house searching and I see some nice homes in these country clubs. But I know nothing about them. Not trying to sound mean, just trying to understand.

They are great if you enjoy golf or tennis and for the kids activities (pool, etc). If you’re friends with a lot of other members, then it becomes like the bar in Cheers, where “everybody knows your name” when you walk in. It makes a large city smaller. Plus, they’re nice to take guests, network, etc. Each of the mentioned clubs is different in terms of amenities, and some offer reduced memberships (eg, “tennis only”).

I’ll leave to others to point out the lack of racial, religious and economic diversity, etc.

We only joined because of the pandemic. My kids play tennis almost everyday. We use the pool. Dh takes kids golfing. We attend some events like brunch with Santa, princess afternoon tea, Easter brunch, etc.

I don’t think I would join if I was about to become an empty nester. That just me. If Dh wants to join, so be it.

This is our family too. My husband golfs all the time, and we love the pool in the summer. It was a lifesaver during Covid. I 100% resisted joining (I don't golf, thought it was a stupid waste of money) but so glad we did. Our club is only a 5 minute drive, and much less formal than the ones listed by the OP. I love that my kids (12, 9, 6) can grow up there, and feel comfortable dropping them off to swim/play golf/play tennis on their own. We joined just as the pandemic was beginning, and only had to wait a month or so (plus we got the under 40 entrance fee). Now, I understand that the wait list is 5 years plus, they've raised the initiation fees, and done away with the under 40 rate entirely. Covid has definitely been good for business in that sense.

This was us in a nutshell.. we joined peak COVID and many clubs had attractive under 40 (or under 35) offers

Give actual numbers so that we can compare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The real outrage with country clubs is the huge tax advantage they enjoy. Almost all real estate is taxed at value if best use. There are laws written to allow golf courses to be taxed at actual revenue. Total scam, people who write laws play golf and want to keep the club operating expenses down

You bumped this tread for this point, but it’s not that simple. Sure they get a tax break on property taxes. But they pay a lot in sales and income taxes. Plus they employ many people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The real outrage with country clubs is the huge tax advantage they enjoy. Almost all real estate is taxed at value if best use. There are laws written to allow golf courses to be taxed at actual revenue. Total scam, people who write laws play golf and want to keep the club operating expenses down

Here you are with your outrage over a year later. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

How difficult is it to join Congo for tennis only as a 20-something without family who are members?

[Anonymous]

This poster is clearly just phishing for info. Don't feed them anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to join Congo for tennis only as a 20-something without family who are members?

If can I join for tennis only

[Anonymous]

You cannot join for tennis only.