The down economy has created a bull market for golfers considering country club membership, with initiation fees and dues at record lows.

by Mike Allende

The traditional image of a country club is well known. Gated community, swanky and certainly unattainable for anyone not on the wealthy side of the ledger. It’s the world of business tycoons, pro athletes and movie stars.

Of course, that was before the United States economy tanked.

Today, country club membership is something that many “average Joe” locals can conceivably attain. Yes, you still have to pass through the same old screening process, but financially, country clubs are no longer just the domain of those in the highest tax bracket.

Instead, many clubs are now offering special promotions and incentives as a way of hanging on to established members and attracting new members in an economic climate where many people are putting off recreation in order to simply afford necessities.

So, think you could never be a member of country club? Think again.

“We’ve done membership promotions before with great success,” said Craig McCrone, General Manager of Kent’s Meridian Valley Country Club. “This time we realized the direction the economy was headed and decided we need to do something to get people’s attention and say, ‘Wow, Meridian Valley is really a great value!’ We still screen, it’s still the same process of getting your name circulated, getting board approval. We’re not lowering our standards. We’re just making it more appealing, financially.”

Country club general managers said they recognized the direction that the economy was headed early on and acted quickly to counter it. But, it’s an uphill battle when so many people are struggling to make a home payment and afford groceries.

“I don’t think anybody was truly ready for how hard it would hit,” said Doug Kauffman, Director of Golf at The Members Club at Aldarra in Fall City. “Any high-ticket item is going to get hit and country clubs aren’t immune to it.”

Many local country clubs have offered reduced rates on membership and other incentives to join, in order to combat dwindling numbers. While every club has lost membership, the promotions have worked to keep clubs afloat.

Meridian Valley came up with one of the most striking deals, offering $500 membership from Oct. 1 of last year through the end of April. The cost through the end of the year is now $2,400 plus half-price on dues, but that’s still quite a deal given the usual $6,000 fee to join. It’s paid off, as Meridian Valley has sold 26 memberships since the $500 promotion began. Out of 400 spots, the club has 365 dues-paying members, a solid percentage given the climate.

“Some people think that by lowering initiation fees, maybe that demeans the club,” McCrone said. “But it’s more about having a full and healthy membership. That’s as important to me as trying to force initiation fees to be high in a climate where people can’t afford it. There’s a lot of different ways to look at it but our biggest selling point is our membership so it’s important to keep that at a healthy level.”

That’s a theme cited by every general manager. Like everyone else, country clubs have been forced to cut their budgets, trimming everything from staff to advertising. So, along with great dea ls, having a happy membership group is the best advertising a club can have, and the best chance to find new members. Some clubs try to reward member loyalty, including Woodinville’s Bear Creek Country Club.

“We had a very strong referral program in the spring,” said Bear Creek General Manager Peter Christian. “It provided a 25-percent-off discount for 24 months for members who referred a new member. The incoming member received one year of discounted dues and a discount on initiation fees. It worked out well for everyone.”

That specific deal only ran through June, but it’s representative of deals that are still to be had — though they’re going fast. In fact, while the general managers say that no one is out of the woods yet, there are indications that business will pick up soon, if it hasn’t already.

Aldarra offered a dues-only membership good for a year, and that helped in the toughest times, but the club ended that program shortly after. The program was designed for several reasons — to reach potential members who can afford but aren’t sure it’s the right fit; to remain competitive with other clubs in drawing new members; and to make sure the club retained a healthy level of total members-paying dues in the short-term to ensure long-term success.

Theresa Raleigh, Sales Director of Federal Way’s Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club, said just getting people to realize that now is a great time to join a country club is one of the biggest challenges.

“The No. 1 struggle we have is letting people know that we’re accessible and that we want people to join,” Raleigh said. “In the past year we developed a really strong email database of potential members and that’s made a huge difference in our ability to sell people on our club.”

Raleigh said Twin Lakes was hit particularly hard by the recession but has recently started to see membership climb, thanks to a couple of promotions. The club is offering a “Friends of Twin Lakes” membership, which is $40 a month and offers modified social benefits (such as access to the pool, tennis and some opportunities to pay to golf). An Executive Membership is also offered, in which you pay just monthly dues and do not have proprietary membership.

“It’s a preview to see how you feel about being a member,” Raleigh said. “Hopefully after a year of membership, we’ve done enough to show you that the difference between playing a public course and a private one – from the amenities to the service to the quality of the course – makes joining the club the only choice to make.”

McCrone said much of his club’s effort has focused on appealing to families. He said paying daily fees on a public course, including range balls, carts and finding tee times, adds up to the point that it makes more sense to just join a club where everything is included and the experience is a step above.

“We don’t have tee times, with a couple of exceptions,” he said. “You just come out and play when you want. With families, mom and dad can come out with the kids and play five holes, or nine holes, or just practice whenever. We really try to make everyone feel welcome.”

Of course, most of the clubs take on the same tactic. Everyone knows that deals are out there, and it’s just a matter of keeping up, which only adds to the fact that now is a great time to invest in a membership.

“Our members pay close attention to what’s out there and they absolutely inform me whenever [there is] something new,” Raleigh said. “So I’m well aware of what we’re competing with.”

“You definitely want to be competitive,” Aldarra’s Kauffman added. “If you’re keeping your initiation fees at what they’ve always been and everyone else is lowering theirs, that’s a losing battle. People who are looking to join now, they’re shopping around and looking for maximum value for their dollar. If you can afford it, now is a very good time to get in.”

Mike Allende is a freelancer writer for Cascade Golfer, Dawgs Digest and other leading Northwest publications.