anyone here members ? Anyone interested in letting me pick their brain?

We've been members for just over a year now, what would you like to know?

A little trivia. Jack Nicklaus won his first major tournament there. 1963 PGA Championship!

Pick away. I have been a member for about 10 years and spent entirely too much time at the club.

Strengths?
Weaknesses?

As I said before, we've been member for about 1.5 years. We will (unfortunately for me) probably be stepping down to social once our first kiddo comes this July.

Strengths

• 2 Nicklaus Courses - Both challenging in their own ways, and different enough that it breaks up the monotony of what I think playing the same one course over and over would feel like
• Members - Relatively young/active/family friendly
• Price - For the location and courses, seems to be the most reasonably priced CC within 635
• Location - For me, from LH, about a 10 minute drive door to door
• Upgrades - Like I said, only been member for a year, but they seem like they pour a lot of money into this place (upgraded pool/pool bar, tennis facilities, cart staging area, new carts, new kids play area all in the past 1.5 years)
• No assessments for the above upgrades, though dues did increase last year slightly
• Staff - Both receptionists are very friendly, and the waiters/bartenders have been there a while and will get to know you after a while

Weaknesses

• A lot of members - courses get a lot of play in the summer and it gets hard to book a tee time before noon unless you book it as soon as you can (3 days in advance)
• As a result of the above, the greens can get really beat up in the summer time, but all in all the course is in good shape
• Pool area - over run with kids. If you want some peace and quiet, get there right when it opens.
• Gym - Pretty small and lacking newer equipment, though supposedly they are getting new cardio equipment soon.
• Driving Range - Although it is a range where you can hit in both ways, there are probably only 15 spots on one side and 10 on the other. With how much play this course gets, it can get tough to find a spot to hit occasionally. Also, the range isn't that deep and I've had people roll it up on me before.
• If you are younger (I'm 27), it can be a little tough to find a peer group to join up with. Everyone seems to either be mid to late 30's - early 40's or over 60. May have something to do with the LH turnover. We haven't made many friends out there.

These are just things that came to mind immediately, and some of them may be nitpicky but I think you have to be if you are considering joining because you will be paying a lot of money and you want it to be everything you thought it would be.

If you have any specific questions about something I didn't address, let me know.

Very insightful. Thanks.

I am a big DAC fan and think it is easily the best overall value in DFW for what you get, particularly when comparable clubs (with, arguably, inferior golf courses) cost $50K plus more to join. I am also actively involved with club governance (Board, committees, etc.) so may have additional insight. To that end, I added a few comments to the Strengths/Weaknesses list, which was overall good info.


Strengths

• 2 Nicklaus Courses - Both challenging in their own ways, and different enough that it breaks up the monotony of what I think playing the same one course over and over would feel like. Agree completely. Two courses also provide flexibility when there are tournaments, renovations, etc. that will shut down regular play at clubs with only one course
• Members - Relatively young/active/family friendly Huge youth movement at DAC, largely driven by Lake Highlands and Lakewood families joining over the past 1-2 years.
• Price - For the location and courses, seems to be the most reasonably priced CC within 635 No question and cannot think of a close second.
• Location - For me, from LH, about a 10 minute drive door to door
• Upgrades - Like I said, only been member for a year, but they seem like they pour a lot of money into this place (upgraded pool/pool bar, tennis facilities, cart staging area, new carts, new kids play area all in the past 1.5 years) The renovations are ongoing. Pool has been resurfaced, and pool bathrooms have been renovated. Over the next year, the driving range is slated to be completely rebuilt to expand the tee areas, add new targets that look like greens with bunkers, etc. Work will continue on the golf courses to improve tee boxes and fairways. A few golf course bridges are being replaced with more aesthetically pleasing bridges. Tennis facilities are being renovated and improved. The list goes on.
• No assessments for the above upgrades, though dues did increase last year slightly. No assessments is a huge deal. We have to operate DAC like a real business to assure the club is financially healthy (which it is) and that we generate the cash flow to continue improving facilities.
• Staff - Both receptionists are very friendly, and the waiters/bartenders have been there a while and will get to know you after a while

Weaknesses

• A lot of members - courses get a lot of play in the summer and it gets hard to book a tee time before noon unless you book it as soon as you can (3 days in advance) Membership is sitting around the cap, which is designed to assure that the courses do not get too busy. There are busy times though, but two courses really helps. We have around 450 golf members per course (900 total). The number of golf members per course is quite a bit lower than some other clubs in the area that are at a much higher price point.
• As a result of the above, the greens can get really beat up in the summer time, but all in all the course is in good shape. The greens are great overall, but can get a little beat up in summer time. The greens are bent so the golf crew pours a ton of water on them on hot summer days, which can make them soft and more prone to getting a little beat up. In the fall, hard to find better greens outside of the very restricted member clubs that get little play.
• Pool area - over run with kids. If you want some peace and quiet, get there right when it opens. I understand this comment, but view the presence of kids as a really good thing. Depends on your stage in life I suppose.
• Gym - Pretty small and lacking newer equipment, though supposedly they are getting new cardio equipment soon. Cardio equipment has been replaced within the last week.
• Driving Range - Although it is a range where you can hit in both ways, there are probably only 15 spots on one side and 10 on the other. With how much play this course gets, it can get tough to find a spot to hit occasionally. Also, the range isn't that deep and I've had people roll it up on me before. See above, major improvements coming to the driving range area that should address all of these issues.
• If you are younger (I'm 27), it can be a little tough to find a peer group to join up with. Everyone seems to either be mid to late 30's - early 40's or over 60. May have something to do with the LH turnover. We haven't made many friends out there. Keep the youth movement going and hopefully this will improve.

We social are members and love it.

Shoot me a PM/email/text if you want to discuss.

Thanks for the insights everyone!
Will probably be out in March to check things out.
I'll reach out directly to some of y'all who are members with specific questions.

progress said:

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Thanks for the insights everyone!
Will probably be out in March to check things out.
I'll reach out directly to some of y'all who are members with specific questions.

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Sarah does a great tour.

Somewhat random question but are the courses walkable (and does anybody walk)? I know I'm in the minority but golf is a much less enjoyable experience for me when I have to ride in a cart.

I'd probably say that almost half the people I see out there walk. I know I do over half the time unless I am bringing out a group. Very common to see in the mornings and the afternoons.

Very much so

They allow 5somes, don't think I've ever seen 6 playing together before.

The pacing is tough only if you are playing in a group of 2 or smaller, besides that it moves pretty quickly.

However, if you want to try and walk by yourself early on a weekend you will be waiting a while.

I'd be curious to know what a junior membership runs out there.

Pretty damn affordable if your under 30 still.

Email SDixon at dacstaff dot org for exact numbers

We wish we had done it instead joining the stupid KayCee.

I think it's under 35. At least it was last year when I was thinking of joining. And it was a great deal. It was around 7500 initiation and 500 per month, or something close to those figures. May have gone up since then, not sure.

It is. But you can spread out the initiation over number of years you are under 35.

Shoulda joined when I was 25.

And what if you very recently turned 35?

I think we are full on golf members. Or we were recently.

You can split over three years but costs more.

If your spouse is under 35, join under his/her name and you should be eligible for the Junior initiation and monthly.

Re: paying the initiation fee via installment plan. While still a option, requesting the installment plan may delay acceptance since the Club is at or near the golf cap.

Anyone have a cost they can PM me?

PM your email