I've been playing golf now for 2 1/2 years .... started at age 45 (like a dumb ass)!
Long story short .... I love it .... have made substantial progress in a short time .... play about 50 rounds a year.

There is country club less than 10 minutes from my house .... website/pics provided below.
I went and checked it all out yesterday.

Family Membership Costs:
- Initiation Fee of $1500.
- $480 monthly dues (includes food & beverage minimum).

Club offerings included with membership:
- Unlimited golf (18 hole course of typical yardage/slope/etc), only 320 golfing members, average round 3:52.
- Range balls, putting green, chipping green/bunkers.
- Full service pro shop.
- 3 pools with lifeguards.
- 4 tennis courts.
- 24 hour gym/locker room access.
- Gym classes (yoga, Zumba, boot camp, etc).
- Book club
- Very nice bar/club/dining/snack bar.

Family:
- My son (14 yo) and I golf.
- I go to the gym a few times a week.
- Wife goes to the gym almost daily and likes classes.
- Daughter is a water lover .... we live in Colorado Springs .... thus no pool in backyard, just not a thing here.

My Golfing Buddies:
- Are not members and likely won't be .... perhaps 1 will.
- We currently play the base courses (AF Academy, Ft Carson, etc) and a great muni here (Patty Jewett).

Questions:
1) Those prices (initiation fee & monthly) all seem extremely reasonable to me .... frankly, low. Y'all agree?
2) My buddies would have to pay $70 to golf there with me .... which is about $20/25 higher than you pay now. Thus, I may not play as much with them which is a bummer. Y'all have similar experience?
3) I assume I would feel rather compelled to play 75% of my golf at the country club if I became a member. Y'all agree?

www.cscountryclub.com

All sounds good, particularly with son also playing.

Other things to consider:

extra fees? cart fee, gratuities/tax on food service, class fees for gym, what do they charge for a beer, etc.

Based on my experience, plan on doubling the monthly costs once the extra's are included.

Other thoughts:

DO you like the course?
Know any members?
How many times can you bring the same guest per month?
Are there times when guests are not allowed (prime Saturday morns.)?

My make-or-break is largely based on how much I like the course. I don't mind playing 75%+ of my golf on one course if I like the design and it is consistently stays in good condition.

Not sure how close your golfing buddies are to you, but I would also look at this as an opportunity to make some new ones.

Ag_07 said:

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First thing that come to mind is what about winter months?

You still paying the $480 when you can't use the golf course, putting green, range, play tennis, use the swimming pool?

And your questions about guests playing with you and being constrained to one course are the reasons a club just isn't for me right now.

BTW...Just from the few pics that course looks awesome.

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Winter months:
- Though I live in Colorado, we golf here year round. Snow does not last long in this high altitude dry climate. For example, this calendar year thus far, I have played 8 rounds.

$480 per month:
- Yes. That is every month of the year. $480 x 12 = $5760. All golfing facilities (course, putt, chip, range, pro shop) are all open year round. Like I said, snow does not linger here. Pools open just May-Sep.

Constrained & Buddies:
- This is my only reservation as well.

Pics:
- It is a beautiful course with Pikes Peak front range views from most holes.
- Course is meticulously maintained.

DadAG10 said:

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All sounds good, particularly with son also playing.

Other things to consider:

extra fees? cart fee, gratuities/tax on food service, class fees for gym, what do they charge for a beer, etc.

Based on my experience, plan on doubling the monthly costs once the extra's are included.

Other thoughts:

DO you like the course?
Know any members?
How many times can you bring the same guest per month?
Are there times when guests are not allowed (prime Saturday morns.)?

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Extra Fees:
- Carts are $17 for 18 holes. I am a 50/50 walker/rider.
- Gratuities/taxes .... good question!
- Gym classes come with membership .... no extra charge.
- Food/Bev costs .... good question.

"Doubling Monthly Costs":
- Good input .... I will investigate that .... ie, hidden costs, etc.

Like the course:
- I have not played it yet (but will before joining, if I join). Several of my friends have, and love it. It's a park style course which fits my current game. Not on the fairway or immediate fairway rough, still playable.

Know members:
- An acquaintance with 1 guy.

Guests per month:
- Unlimited, BUT only twice per month per person. So, my friend Jon could only play there twice a month with me .... my friend Bob could play there twice a month with me .... same month/time as Jon, if we wanted to.

Guests Allowed:
- Everyday course is open .... no restrictions.

DannyDuberstein said:

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My make-or-break is largely based on how much I like the course. I don't mind playing 75%+ of my golf on one course if I like the design and it is consistently stays in good condition.

Not sure how close your golfing buddies are to you, but I would also look at this as an opportunity to make some new ones.

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That makes sense & thanks for the input. I have driven by this course numerous times & spoken to friends that have played it .... always extremely well maintained. They also put $$$ into the course .... redoing some holes, tee boxes, adding water features, etc.

My golfing bubbies all live here in town .... we are all close together. Very true .... it's an opportunity to make new friends.

Go for it. You can always quit down the road if you find out it's not a good fit and you're not out some huge $20-30k initiation fee. If I ever come up there I'm inviting myself, that course looks awesome.

My first reaction is do it. I love being a member at a private club. A couple of things to consider:

• If you already have a gym membership, pay green fees, and pay for range/practice time, that all goes away with this. Consider that you are essentially eliminating 3 different costs from your current budget and replacing them with one flat payment, and this starts to not look all that expensive.
• Haggle with them. We are not in the best environment for the golf business right now. If you can't negotiate the monthly fee, see if they'll comp you cart fees for a year. That is what I did, and it saved me a ton of money.

Good luck to you. Its an incredible looking course.

Just glanced at the website which prompted an additional question.

Since member owned, what about assessments?

Board decides to renovate all bunkers, $1.5 M project, who gets to pay?

DadAG10 said:

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Just glanced at the website which prompted an additional question.

Since member owned, what about assessments?

Board decides to renovate all bunkers, $1.5 M project, who gets to pay?

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This is something to be aware of. A friend of mine joined the Midland Country Club just in time for a big assessment.

In addition to the previous comments, I would also ask them when was the last time or how frequently have they done member assessments.

Its somewhat related to the point about other costs, but what I've learned in recent years is that country clubs vary greatly in this area. Some clubs frequently have assessments or projects because of the improvements etc, whereas other clubs infrequently have assessments or have never had an assessment at all.

I think it would be good to know to just get an idea of what you're working with.

Edit: Yall beat me to it.

If you are comfortable with $480 a month I'd jump all over it. That initiation fee is crazy low! If it's not what you thought it would be or don't use it enough to justify its pretty easy to walk away from the initiation.

I definitely agree that you should plan on spending a surprising amount of money on F&B and proshop. It's crazy how fast lunch/dinner/drinks after a round or girls lunches after tennis adds up in a month.

That being said, it's a great experience for the family and golf game. You will make new friends and find people to play with. There are always regular money games that you can get into that are fun and addicting.

Nice Looking course, if you enjoy the course and it is challenging playing there 75% of the time or more won't get old.

Quote:

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I definitely agree that you should plan on spending a surprising amount of money on F&B and proshop. It's crazy how fast lunch/dinner/drinks after a round or girls lunches after tennis adds up in a month.

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True, but like some mentioned that you should add up your current green fees, gym fees, etc and then compare it to the $480, I also think this is money that many of us are spending anyway.

DadAG10 said:

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Just glanced at the website which prompted an additional question.
Since member owned, what about assessments?
Board decides to renovate all bunkers, $1.5 M project, who gets to pay?

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Excellent, excellent point!!
I will inquire about that specifically!

TresPuertas said:

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• If you already have a gym membership, pay green fees, and pay for range/practice time, that all goes away with this. Consider that you are essentially eliminating 3 different costs from your current budget and replacing them with one flat payment, and this starts to not look all that

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I have done just that .... and the numbers end up being extremely close to one another .... enough to call it a 'wash'.

Just wanted to say THANKS to all y'all for offering feedback and bringing up questions that I should ask.

Here is the list of questions I am sending to the membership folks today.

Are there any 'other/hidden' fees such as, but not limited to:
- Gratuities
- Taxes
- Service charge on food/bev

Since CSCC is member owned, are there member assessments?
- How frequently are member assessments conducted?
- When was the last member assessment to take place?

What's the average cost of:
- Draft beer
- Middle shelf mixed drink
- Sandwich - Club, Rueben, whatever


To Wycliffe_03 [or any of the rest of y'all] ..... if you find your self in Colorado Springs, give me a PM and we'll play. Fair warning though, I'm still a mid/high 90's golfer ..... shot 90 a few times .... never less than 90 .... yet!

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Good choice to join. Meeting new people will be the best thing. Course looks nice from the pics.

jja79 said:

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To me the best part of a country club, assuming your questions are answered to your satisfaction, is it's much easier to play without much notice, it's much less crowded, the level of service is generally high and there are related benefits like meeting people since you tend to see people more frequently than at a public course.

Yesterday my 14 year old and I went to Houston Oaks to hit balls after school. The pro saw him on the range and went out and spent about 45 minutes working with him on his driver and then 58 degree wedge. That wouldn't happen other than at a club.

Dad brag here. Last sunday at Traditions his drive on 12 (372 yards) left him a 69 yard sand wedge in. It was the first time he's hit one we could measure that was over 300. He's consistently carrying the ball 265-275 so he's not fun for me to play with.

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That's insane!

BESCo91 said:

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To Wycliffe_03 [or any of the rest of y'all] ..... if you find your self in Colorado Springs, give me a PM and we'll play. Fair warning though, I'm still a mid/high 90's golfer ..... shot 90 a few times .... never less than 90 .... yet!

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No worries, I could go out and shoot 82 one day and then mid-90's the very next, and I've been playing for 8-ish years now. Will definitely hit you up if we ever find ourselves up that way.

jja79 said:

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To me the best part of a country club, assuming your questions are answered to your satisfaction, is it's much easier to play without much notice, it's much less crowded, the level of service is generally high and there are related benefits like meeting people since you tend to see people more frequently than at a public course.

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Great points and I agree with you.

This to me is probably the biggest selling point.

When I took my tour the other day, the pro said "we realize that people have jobs .... if you only have time to play 3 holes after work, go play 7-9 .... if you only have time to play 6 holes, go play 1-6 (#6 green located at clubhouse in addition to #9 and #18)."

That appeals to me a lot.

Wycliffe_03 said:

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BESCo91 said:

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To Wycliffe_03 [or any of the rest of y'all] ..... if you find your self in Colorado Springs, give me a PM and we'll play. Fair warning though, I'm still a mid/high 90's golfer ..... shot 90 a few times .... never less than 90 .... yet!

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No worries, I could go out and shoot 82 one day and then mid-90's the very next, and I've been playing for 8-ish years now. Will definitely hit you up if we ever find ourselves up that way.

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Well, I hope I catch ya on an off day then!

Thanks for all your input .... it has been helpful.

One other thing I'll add is I think it has really helped my son learn how to behave and learn to interact with adults. If I recall correctly you said you have kids.

BESCo91 said:

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DadAG10 said:

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All sounds good, particularly with son also playing.

Other things to consider:

extra fees? cart fee, gratuities/tax on food service, class fees for gym, what do they charge for a beer, etc.

Based on my experience, plan on doubling the monthly costs once the extra's are included.

Other thoughts:

DO you like the course?
Know any members?
How many times can you bring the same guest per month?
Are there times when guests are not allowed (prime Saturday morns.)?

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Extra Fees:
- Carts are $17 for 18 holes. I am a 50/50 walker/rider.
- Gratuities/taxes .... good question!
- Gym classes come with membership .... no extra charge.
- Food/Bev costs .... good question.

"Doubling Monthly Costs":
- Good input .... I will investigate that .... ie, hidden costs, etc.

Like the course:
- I have not played it yet (but will before joining, if I join). Several of my friends have, and love it. It's a park style course which fits my current game. Not on the fairway or immediate fairway rough, still playable.

Know members:
- An acquaintance with 1 guy.

Guests per month:
- Unlimited, BUT only twice per month per person. So, my friend Jon could only play there twice a month with me .... my friend Bob could play there twice a month with me .... same month/time as Jon, if we wanted to.

Guests Allowed:
- Everyday course is open .... no restrictions.

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You're going to ride a lot more now....

jja79 said:

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One other thing I'll add is I think it has really helped my son learn how to behave and learn to interact with adults. If I recall correctly you said you have kids.

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Yes, son 13, daughter 10. Agree.

I uderstand your concern about the otherst you play golf with now not joining you at the new club. Keep in mind you will be meeting and joining other members to play golf at your new club.

Make sure you get involved with the MGA. It is a great way to meet others that play on a regular basis.

I had the same concern when I first joined a private club. Within a year I could get in just about any group I wanted to.

Good luck!

DadAG10 said:

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Extra fees? cart fee, gratuities/tax on food service, class fees for gym, what do they charge for a beer, etc.

How many times can you bring the same guest per month?
Are there times when guests are not allowed (prime Saturday morns)?

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Got some answers for ya .....

Cart fee: $17 for 18 and $8.50 for 9.
Gratuity on food/bev: 18% gratuity and the standard state/local tax rate of .0825.
Gym classes: M-F, AM & PM, $0 additional fee.

Draft Beer: $6.39 including grat/taxes.
Drink: $7.58 including grat/taxes .... Ex: Maker's Old Fashion, Tito's and Tonic.

Specialty Salad: $12.77 including grat/taxes.
Sandwich/Burger: $15.32 including grat/taxes.

Salmon Oscar: $25.54 including grat/taxes.
12oz T-Bone: $26.82 including grat/taxes.

How many times can you bring the same guest per month? - 2 rounds per month per same guest.
Are there times when guests are not allowed? - No.

jonj101 said:

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In addition to the previous comments, I would also ask them when was the last time or how frequently have they done member assessments.

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Quote:

"There are member assessments possible. Anything over $400/membership is subject to members approval by vote. The last assessment we had was $400/membership for operational costs last March. We do not have any assessments planned. I believe in the last 10 years there have been 3-4 assessments total." - CSCC

"Yes, 'technically' the board could assess up to $400/membership several times per year, but we know that's a model for disaster so it has never happened and very, very unlikely to ever be approved by the board. More likely the board would develop a plan for an improvement or project and come up with an assessment based on the costs to cover that project. Last summer the members were asked to approve a $5000 budget. It was not approved. We subsequently did a survey of members' tolerance for an assessment at this time and the results were closer to $1000. There isn't a plan to go to the membership with an assessment at this time." - CSCC

"Instead the budget being presented to the board today represents some places for operating cost reductions (i.e. shortening the season the pool is open by a couple of weeks which reduces utilities and staffing). Part of your monthly dues and fees is an amount that goes to capital improvement which is the fund we try to handle as much as possible in repairs, etc. There are some improvements we would like to do that may be outside the capital fund account (such as re-carpeting the clubhouse). But until the board approves the budget for the year (March 1 is the beginning of our FY), we don't have a set plan for anything. Because the membership voted down the recent assessment, the board is leery of requesting one at this time." - CSCC

sounds like a solid place

Update ......

I knew Colorado Springs Country Club was soon to release a promotional membership deal; thus I have been waiting to see it.
The promo was released on Monday.

Promotion:
- $1954 initiation fee.
- $385 per month for 24 months.
- $126 per quarter for food/bev minimum.
- $125 per year for annual range fee.

After the 24 months is over, your membership converts to their normal full membership rates.
- $520 per month.
- $126 per quarter for food/bev minimum.
- $125 per year for annual range fee.

So, a $135 per month increase after the two year promo expires.
No additional initiation fee.