Country Clubs...I want facts.

[Anonymous]

Are you anti -genie?

[Anonymous]

What club has the best junior golf program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I guess I'm one of those upper middle class blacks in the city, and actually, several of my black friends are members of country clubs. But frankly, my kids go to private school, and in our free time I'd like them to be in a more diverse environment. Plus, we don't golf. All our friends who joined clubs are golfers. We just join a pool for the summer.

I'm with you PP. We also have kid in private, and prefer a more diverse environment in our free time. I actually haven't found that many DC private school families have interest in joining these clubs.

Our three children have spent 12 plus years in "top 3" private schools and the club we belong to is filled with the parents of their classmates. The other clubs also have tons of private school families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I guess I'm one of those upper middle class blacks in the city, and actually, several of my black friends are members of country clubs. But frankly, my kids go to private school, and in our free time I'd like them to be in a more diverse environment. Plus, we don't golf. All our friends who joined clubs are golfers. We just join a pool for the summer.

I'm with you PP. We also have kid in private, and prefer a more diverse environment in our free time. I actually haven't found that many DC private school families have interest in joining these clubs.

Our three children have spent 12 plus years in "top 3" private schools and the club we belong to is filled with the parents of their classmates. The other clubs also have tons of private school families.

Interesting. I'm a K-12 alum of a "top 3" and none of us belonged to those clubs. I'm now preparing to send mine to the same school and, again, we know very few families that belong to them. Most of our friends are in NW - I wonder if many of these families live in MD/VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I guess I'm one of those upper middle class blacks in the city, and actually, several of my black friends are members of country clubs. But frankly, my kids go to private school, and in our free time I'd like them to be in a more diverse environment. Plus, we don't golf. All our friends who joined clubs are golfers. We just join a pool for the summer.

I'm with you PP. We also have kid in private, and prefer a more diverse environment in our free time. I actually haven't found that many DC private school families have interest in joining these clubs.

Our three children have spent 12 plus years in "top 3" private schools and the club we belong to is filled with the parents of their classmates. The other clubs also have tons of private school families.

Interesting. I'm a K-12 alum of a "top 3" and none of us belonged to those clubs. I'm now preparing to send mine to the same school and, again, we know very few families that belong to them. Most of our friends are in NW - I wonder if many of these families live in MD/VA.

My guess is there are less GDS and Sidwell families than Cathedral school families.

[Anonymous]

I am trying to imagine having enough time to enjoy a CC. We have gym memberships, a summer pool membership, free tennis courts a few blocks away, vacations 3-4 times a year, kids soccer, basketball, etc. All of that still does not come close to the amount of money spent on a CC.

It must be the golf, right? No one in our house is playing yet. Maybe, if that day arrives, we'd be interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I guess I'm one of those upper middle class blacks in the city, and actually, several of my black friends are members of country clubs. But frankly, my kids go to private school, and in our free time I'd like them to be in a more diverse environment. Plus, we don't golf. All our friends who joined clubs are golfers. We just join a pool for the summer.

I'm with you PP. We also have kid in private, and prefer a more diverse environment in our free time. I actually haven't found that many DC private school families have interest in joining these clubs.

Our three children have spent 12 plus years in "top 3" private schools and the club we belong to is filled with the parents of their classmates. The other clubs also have tons of private school families.

Interesting. I'm a K-12 alum of a "top 3" and none of us belonged to those clubs. I'm now preparing to send mine to the same school and, again, we know very few families that belong to them. Most of our friends are in NW - I wonder if many of these families live in MD/VA.

My guess is there are less GDS and Sidwell families than Cathedral school families.

I think that's right. Given the history of GDS and the Quaker values of Sidwell (at least back in our parent's generation), it would be hard to imagine that very many families who sent their children to those schools would have condoned the blatant discrimination of many of these country clubs in the 60s and 70s.

[Anonymous]

The facts are you gotta be a big ol' tool to join one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For whoever mentioned networking, my understanding that networking at CC in general is a huge no-no around here. I know at my CC it is frowned upon.

As for those who don't get the point of a CC, understand that the intiation fee buys no only you a life long membership, but your children a membership at a very reduced initiation fee. And if your children plan to stay near DC that is a huge bonus to them.

As for the monthly dues, if you add up the cost of golfing on a public course on a weekly basis, a gym membership, tennis membership, a swim membership, the monthly dues are a drop in the bucket. Plus food prices for dining at a CC are excellent and there is no tipping involved. The social events are fun and cheap and the summer camp options are excellent.

How could any child have such a plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I guess I'm one of those upper middle class blacks in the city, and actually, several of my black friends are members of country clubs. But frankly, my kids go to private school, and in our free time I'd like them to be in a more diverse environment. Plus, we don't golf. All our friends who joined clubs are golfers. We just join a pool for the summer.

I'm with you PP. We also have kid in private, and prefer a more diverse environment in our free time. I actually haven't found that many DC private school families have interest in joining these clubs.

Our three children have spent 12 plus years in "top 3" private schools and the club we belong to is filled with the parents of their classmates. The other clubs also have tons of private school families.

Interesting. I'm a K-12 alum of a "top 3" and none of us belonged to those clubs. I'm now preparing to send mine to the same school and, again, we know very few families that belong to them. Most of our friends are in NW - I wonder if many of these families live in MD/VA.

I'm AA, as is my DH. We have AA friends who are members of country clubs. Personally, we are unwilling to consider paying for membership at private clubs that were so recently closed to our kind. We are also uninterested in feeling like the token Black family, we get plenty of that in the professional and social circles we already run in. Our AA friends who are members seem not to mind. DH and I went to prestigious private top tier colleges and private schools k-12 (well, k-8 for me), so we are quite familiar with the demographic. Many of our white friends are members at various clubs in the area, and every time we have been invited for a meal, I just get a weird feeling. And no, before you dismiss me as an angry black woman who is hypersensitive to anything that might be racial, I am not angry or overly sensitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I guess I'm one of those upper middle class blacks in the city, and actually, several of my black friends are members of country clubs. But frankly, my kids go to private school, and in our free time I'd like them to be in a more diverse environment. Plus, we don't golf. All our friends who joined clubs are golfers. We just join a pool for the summer.

I'm with you PP. We also have kid in private, and prefer a more diverse environment in our free time. I actually haven't found that many DC private school families have interest in joining these clubs.

Our three children have spent 12 plus years in "top 3" private schools and the club we belong to is filled with the parents of their classmates. The other clubs also have tons of private school families.

Interesting. I'm a K-12 alum of a "top 3" and none of us belonged to those clubs. I'm now preparing to send mine to the same school and, again, we know very few families that belong to them. Most of our friends are in NW - I wonder if many of these families live in MD/VA.

I'm AA, as is my DH. We have AA friends who are members of country clubs. Personally, we are unwilling to consider paying for membership at private clubs that were so recently closed to our kind. We are also uninterested in feeling like the token Black family, we get plenty of that in the professional and social circles we already run in. Our AA friends who are members seem not to mind. DH and I went to prestigious private top tier colleges and private schools k-12 (well, k-8 for me), so we are quite familiar with the demographic. Many of our white friends are members at various clubs in the area, and every time we have been invited for a meal, I just get a weird feeling. And no, before you dismiss me as an angry black woman who is hypersensitive to anything that might be racial, I am not angry or overly sensitive.

Makes sense to me.

[Anonymous]

A good friend of mine who is very high net worth got blackballed at a prestigious CC here in town. It was sort of a "mean girls" thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I guess I'm one of those upper middle class blacks in the city, and actually, several of my black friends are members of country clubs. But frankly, my kids go to private school, and in our free time I'd like them to be in a more diverse environment. Plus, we don't golf. All our friends who joined clubs are golfers. We just join a pool for the summer.

I'm with you PP. We also have kid in private, and prefer a more diverse environment in our free time. I actually haven't found that many DC private school families have interest in joining these clubs.

Our three children have spent 12 plus years in "top 3" private schools and the club we belong to is filled with the parents of their classmates. The other clubs also have tons of private school families.

Interesting. I'm a K-12 alum of a "top 3" and none of us belonged to those clubs. I'm now preparing to send mine to the same school and, again, we know very few families that belong to them. Most of our friends are in NW - I wonder if many of these families live in MD/VA.

I'm AA, as is my DH. We have AA friends who are members of country clubs. Personally, we are unwilling to consider paying for membership at private clubs that were so recently closed to our kind. We are also uninterested in feeling like the token Black family, we get plenty of that in the professional and social circles we already run in. Our AA friends who are members seem not to mind. DH and I went to prestigious private top tier colleges and private schools k-12 (well, k-8 for me), so we are quite familiar with the demographic. Many of our white friends are members at various clubs in the area, and every time we have been invited for a meal, I just get a weird feeling. And no, before you dismiss me as an angry black woman who is hypersensitive to anything that might be racial, I am not angry or overly sensitive.

Makes sense to me.

Makes sense to me too - I don't view this as angry at all. I'm white and feel the same way as you. They were closed to blacks until not that long ago - and it's been my feeling when I've visited most of them that the attitude is still pretty superior. I agree - the black families there seem to be "token" somehow. I'd much prefer to belong to a pool somewhere, and have our children experience a little more diversity when they're not in their private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I guess I'm one of those upper middle class blacks in the city, and actually, several of my black friends are members of country clubs. But frankly, my kids go to private school, and in our free time I'd like them to be in a more diverse environment. Plus, we don't golf. All our friends who joined clubs are golfers. We just join a pool for the summer.

I'm with you PP. We also have kid in private, and prefer a more diverse environment in our free time. I actually haven't found that many DC private school families have interest in joining these clubs.

Our three children have spent 12 plus years in "top 3" private schools and the club we belong to is filled with the parents of their classmates. The other clubs also have tons of private school families.

Interesting. I'm a K-12 alum of a "top 3" and none of us belonged to those clubs. I'm now preparing to send mine to the same school and, again, we know very few families that belong to them. Most of our friends are in NW - I wonder if many of these families live in MD/VA.

My guess is there are less GDS and Sidwell families than Cathedral school families.

I think that's right. Given the history of GDS and the Quaker values of Sidwell (at least back in our parent's generation), it would be hard to imagine that very many families who sent their children to those schools would have condoned the blatant discrimination of many of these country clubs in the 60s and 70s.

Exactly - my school was not Cathedral, and I'd guess there are more Beauvoir/Cathedral/St. Albans families at these clubs than, say, GDS, Sidwell, Maret. My school was one of the latter, and I didn't know anyone who joined them.

[Anonymous]

I think if you have the money it makes sense if you play a lot of golf. My husband and I play golf and would love to belong because we would be able to play golf whenever we wanted. The public courses get so crowded that it takes 5 hours to play a round. We don't have that kind of cash.

I grew up in the Midwest and my dad belonged to a CC. It wasn't a particularly fancy one and it was 5000 a year and 50 per month, no initiation fee. They had golf, tennis, and a pool. The food wasn't particularly good and there were complaints about that. My dad played cards after he finished playing golf and made good friends there. Once his friends began to retire and move away he dropped his membership and has hooked up with another group of men his age that play public courses around where he lives, going to a different course every week.

It would be nice to CC like the one my dad belonged to but this area has too large a population with tons of money and too little land for golf courses.