So Ive been hemming and hawing about joining a club over the past year, and Im thinking that 2013 may be the year that I pull the trigger. Ive only been playing approx 2 years, and still have a lot to improve on, and Im looking for an environment that will help me do it. I play quite a bit at Southwyck, and I like the course, but despise the management and how they run the place sometimes.

I live in Pearland closer to 288, and the only realistic options are Golfcrest or a membership at Wildcat. My deal is that Im not necessarily looking for so much of the social activities that a "country club" seems to offer (at least it appears that way to me). Im more concerned about golf and getting better at golf.


I checked out Golfcrest late last year, and was very impressed by the place. Even though the clubhouse is slightly older, I dont care - the course, especially the greens were amazing in my opinion. The only thing holding me back at that time was 1) I had a huge increase in travel for my job this year and 2) I was under the impression that since they were stand alone, you couldnt get playing privileges at other private courses (such as a Canongate - Magnolia Creek, South Shore Harbor, etc.) I know that occasionally I would want a little variety. However, a guy at Golf Etc. told me that members at Golfcrest also had playing privileges at Sterling Country Club on the North side next to Houston National. Can anyone confirm this?

As far as price breakdowns, they both are similar and from what I understand awesome deals. Wildcat is around 300/month, and since Im under 35 Golfcrest is around that as well.

Are there any suggestions or insight anyone can give me on the courses, options, or the process at all. Sorry if this appears to be stupid or are stupid questions, but I wasnt exactly raised in the golf/country club community, and this is new territory for me.

I've never played Golfcrest, so I can't offer any comparisons to Wildcat (where I've played and taken lessons a lot).

I will say this though about the whole private club experience as someone who played daily fee/public golf for 10+ years before going private:

- Your chances of showing up at 3:30 on a random day unannounced and getting out on the course are probably better at Golfcrest than they are at Wildact
- UNLESS that random day is Monday and then you've go a 0% chance at the private club
- Wildcat has become a tournament machine and you'll still be blocked from play a fair amount
- Joining an MGA at the private club is a great way to meet some guys (of varying skill levels) and have some fun
- Married/kids? - the private will offer some activity that Wildact won't...tennis, pool, etc. may be something that family can do while you play golf

Others may have more to contribute, these are just my quick random thoughts.

I'll just say that Golfcrest has always had great greens.....I'm talking 30 years...not just in the past few years.

Never join a place as a member that allows public play

quote:

---

Never join a place as a member that allows public play

---

was gonna post this but beat me to it. I'm a member at Golfcrest and it's great. Everyone there is really nice and they keep the course in excellent shape. And yes, you can play Sterling on the northwest side of town as well.



[This message has been edited by 98Ag99Grad (edited 10/1/2012 8:41p).]

I can honestly say that I enjoy playing at Golfcrest. The greens are just nice. The driving range is pretty good too. I think it's a very good value for a private club.

Thanks for the confirmation on Sterling, and the insight - yall are right. Pretty much the same problem Im having at Southwyck I suppose I would have at Wildcat with getting blocked throughout the weekend by a random tournament.

Do yall know if theyre offering trial memberships? I may look into that until the end of the year, and then maybe join up in 2013.

Thanks again for your help.

I went to an open house at Golfcrest last weekend and came away pretty impressed with the club. They are not offering trial memberships right now but I think you can cancel at anytime with a 30 day written notice. I'm also on the west side of Pearland and this is the best deal I've seen so far. They invited us for a round of golf and a Sunday Brunch to help decide if we want to join the club. If all goes as planned, I'll be joining soon.

I think they are offering a trial membership but not sure for how long. maybe a month? I do know there are only a limited number of golf memberships remaining, like 10 or so. They're capping the total at 400 full golf memberships, so if you're interested, might need to make a decision in the next few weeks.

Thanks for the insight - I contacted the membership director and she sent me the latest newsletter and membership info. I think I'll head over to the club this weekend, check it out one more time and maybe make my decision a few months earlier - esp since theyre getting close to the cap limit.

Golfcrest has a really good deal if you are a single digit handicap. Ask Anna about it, I cant remeber the details. I thought really hard about joining there about a year ago, but went with Canongate instead. Purely based on the fact that I lived in Pearland at the time, but was in the middle of building a new house about 2 miles from Mag Creek.

Better rates for better players?

quote:

---

Better rates for better players?

---

Yeah. They were trying to get a younger membership and keep the pace of play up.

Joined yesterday - got an awesome deal that i couldnt pass up. Looking forward to the experience.

Thanks for the advice and insight everyone.

Welcome to the club! You won't be disappointed. It's a great place.