• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Country Club Initiation Fees Soar With Golf’s Popularity

Country clubs offer golf, tennis, and social memberships—which is driving membership demand.

Fans watch as players make it into the 18th hole during round three of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 8, 2025. Arizona Republic
Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 8, 2025. (Arizona Republic)

Country clubs have exploded in price and popularity in the last decade. 

In many metropolitan areas, club initiation fees top six-figures while would-be members join decade-long wait lists. What was once a realistic luxury for some middle-class golfers is becoming out of reach for anyone but the wealthy. 

From 2019 to 2022, median country club initiation fees rose from $29,000 to $50,000, a 72% increase. In 2024, Rancho Santa Fe Country Club in California hiked its initiation from $75,000 to $100,000—which was double the $50,000 fee the club charged in 2021—and that’s before annual membership fees and monthly dues.

Inflation has been a factor in rising club costs, but a supply-demand imbalance has been a bigger driver of this growth.

Home Away From Home

The post-COVID environment saw a boom in the popularity of golf, with 3.3 million green-grass golfers added since 2020.

Greg Nathan, CEO of the National Golf Foundation, said the pandemic helped renew the need for community for many Americans.

The isolation and shutdowns of COVID led people to search for the so-called third place. “If home is one place and work is the second place, what’s the third place where you feel like you belong in a community of people? And I think that’s also had a meaningful effect on the demand of private golf in America is you look at all socio-behavioral trends,” Nathan tells Front Office Sports

“You could say that private golf is a loose extension of that, in terms of wanting to be part of a community,” he adds.

Country clubs aren’t just limited to golf now—many offer tennis, fitness, and social memberships available as well. Golf memberships typically are the most expensive, but the demand for less expensive social memberships have contributed to more clubs reaching full capacity.

John Middlekauff, who hosts the podcast “3 and Out” on Colin Cowherd’s network, “The Volume,” says long waitlists are a product of the popularity of social memberships.

“There are a lot of people that have money that don’t play golf, right? So that doesn’t have that much interest to them,” Middlekauff tells Front Office Sports. “I think social memberships are really important and they’re way cheaper.” Younger families, who may not be able to afford the cost of a golf membership—or care much about golf—join because they want to use the pool and enjoy the other, more affordable amenities of the club, he says.  

At the half private TPC Scottsdale in Arizona, Middlekauff says his $15,000 membership was roughly a third of that five years ago.

Running Out of Real Estate

Population growth in urban and suburban areas has maxed out many cities’ empty lots. Since golf courses take up large portions of land, it’s nearly impossible to build new clubs to meet the demand.

“You’re not likely going to have any more golf courses, public or private, built in any of the top 100 or top 200 [metropolitan statistical areas],” Nathan says, “because the cost of the land in those urban centers is too high, [as is] the cost to build.”

The supply in major cities isn’t going to ramp up significantly, while interest in golf will likely hold—a classic problem of mismatched supply and demand.

Out of Golf Digest’s top private country clubs in South Florida, only one new construction, Panther National—built in 2023—ranked in the top 10. The other nine were built before 2003, reflecting the challenge of building new courses.

Combined with increasing demand, the lack of space has forced developers to move further into the suburbs. Take Miami, for example: As the Miami metro area has grown by more than 800,000 people since 2010—comparable to Tampa and Orlando in the same period—the Apogee Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., charges an initiation fee of up to $650,000. The club, a new construction that’s partly funded by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, is pushed 11 miles inland and is a 40-minute drive from Palm Beach International Airport.

“There’s a huge explosion of private golf and Hobe Sound right now,” Nathan says. “It’s pretty far from the nearest airport. It’s moving into land that was ranches and farms. That land was affordable for the developers to build the six or seven new private clubs up there, because they’re remote and because there’s so many people. The demand for private golf in South Florida is extreme.”

Real Estate Equity and Jumping the Line

High-value property and memberships are intertwined in many high-end neighborhoods, especially Phoenix. For example, Silverleaf asks members for a $400,000 initiation fee. The club sits amid the neighborhood of Silverleaf, and homeowners can add a transferable membership to the property value. This also means would-be buyers interested in joining the golf club have an added incentive to buy a Silverlead property—they can skip the wait list. 

“I could ask for an extra million dollars for the home because you jumped the wait list,” says Middlekauff. “They’re coming from Chicago or L.A., so it’s worth it for them to pay way more to jump the line, because it’s one of those things that it’s like, you can’t really pay people off to jump the line just because you have money.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

FARMINGDALE, NY - SEPTEMBER 22: Cameron Young of Team USA hits his tee shot on the third hole during the 2025 Ryder Cup Practice Round at Bethpage State Park on Monday, September 22, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York.

U.S. Ryder Cup Players Will Be Paid. Not Everyone Is Pleased

Americans are receiving a $200,000 stipend, and not everyone is pleased.
Noelle Quinn

WNBA Has No Black Woman Head Coaches After Seattle Fires Noelle Quinn

Quinn could end up being the only coach fired in this cycle.
Bruce Pearl

Bruce Pearl Retires As Auburn Coach, Says He Won’t Run for Senate

Pearl had long been rumored to be interested in politics.
Sep 20, 2025; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Syracuse Orange running back Will Nixon (24) scores a touchdown agains the Clemson Tigers during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard/GREENVILLE NEWS

ACC Fines Syracuse $25,000 for Faking Injuries Against Clemson

The ACC cited one instance in particular during the fourth quarter.

Featured Today

Cheryl Reeve

How Cheryl Reeve Turned the Lynx Into the WNBA Gold Standard

Reeve has Minnesota six wins away from an unprecedented fifth WNBA title.
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) during a college football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 13, 2025.
September 20, 2025

How Schools Are Skirting the New Salary Cap in College Sports

In the House settlement era, schools race to secure deals for players.
Adriunna Brown
September 18, 2025

Business Is Booming for WNBA’s Top Beauty Pros

A network of stylists is shaping how players look, feel, and perform.
Premier Lacrosse League
September 14, 2025

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.

Browns Airport-Adjacent Stadium Plan Cleared for Takeoff

The NFL team resolves issues in its airport-adjacent stadium plan.
September 16, 2025

Commanders’ $3.8B D.C. Stadium Nears Key Council Vote

The Commanders’ proposed $3.8 billion stadium deal is poised for final approval.
September 17, 2025

$3.8 Billion Commanders Stadium Deal Approved Despite Late Drama

A decisive final vote on the stadium followed some last-minute snags.
Sponsored

How Soccer Star Jozy Altidore Became a Buffalo Bills Owner

Jozy Altidore discusses building a business legacy off the field.
January 5, 2025; Maui, Hawaii, USA; Hideki Matsuyama hits his fairway shot on the 13th hole during the final round of The Sentry golf tournament at Plantation Course at Kapalua.
September 15, 2025

PGA Tour’s January Season Opener Won’t Be Played At Kapalua

The Sentry’s longtime home is no longer able to host the tournament.
Aug 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the Denver Broncos helmet against the New Orleans Saints during warmups at Caesars Superdome.
September 9, 2025

Broncos Eye 2031 Opening for New Multibillion-Dollar Stadium

The NFL team plans a new venue and mixed-use development.
Aug 22, 2025; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Chicago Stars FC forward Jameese Joseph (8) passes the ball during the first half of a match against the North Carolina Courage at SeatGeek Stadium.
September 4, 2025

Chicago Stars FC Move to Evanston After 12 Years in Bridgeview

Stadium plans beyond the 2026 season aren’t solidified. 
August 28, 2025

As CFB Programs Add Corporate Field Logos, Are Jersey Patches Next?

Texas is adding a sponsor’s logo to its football field this season.