In recent weeks, we have received word that initiation fees have been lowered at a number of impressive golf clubs. At The Landings at Skidaway Island, near Savannah, membership has been decreased from $55,000 to $30,000 for those who purchase a property between now and April 30 next year. The Landings features six excellent golf courses.
At the exclusive Briar's Creek club just south of Charleston, SC, where only 130 families will share a fine Rees Jones golf course and a clubhouse where even the views across the marsh from the men's bathroom are impressive, the pricey member fees of $160,000 have been reduced to $100,000 in recognition that even the richest among us can use a break (maybe the savings will help them pay for the nation's healthcare tab).
At Cobblestone Park in Blythewood, SC, the departure last year of Ginn Resorts as owner and the financial condition of many residents whose homes are worth less than what they paid caused the club to change from private to semi-private status. New members can sign up for a mere $1,805 fee for full access to the nice 27-hole golf course, with dues pegged at a reasonable $250 per month.
Like developers elsewhere, Mark Saunders at Ocean Ridge Plantation in Sunset Beach, NC, is in a struggle to offer competitive prices on remaining developer home sites. Some property owners at Ocean Ridge are taking what little appreciation they have after a few years and pricing their lots to sell quickly, making it hard for Saunders to hold the line on his own prices. Ocean Ridge recently announced that it would waive initiation fees for membership in its five daily fee courses (one of which is under construction) to anyone purchasing a developer lot, a $25,000 value according to Ocean Ridge. The courses, known as "The Big Cats" for their feline names (Panther, Tiger, Lion, Leopard and Jaguar), are among the most highly rated courses in the Myrtle Beach area.
Anyone who takes up primary or second home residence in the Myrtle Beach area can essentially "belong" to more than 100 golf courses along the Grand Strand by purchasing the Myrtle Beach Golf Passport card. For just $39 annually, the card provides deep discounts on green fees, the ability to bring along three friends at the same price, and no limit to how many times you can play Caledonia, True Blue, Pawleys Plantation, Heritage or the dozens of other excellent courses along the 90-mile stretch of the Strand.
If you have a golf club you want me to check on, please contact me. Some clubs hungry for new members are willing to deal but do not advertise the fact.
Top, Briar's Creek, the small and upscale community on Johns Island south of Charleston, SC, reduced its initiation fees by $60,000 -- to $100,000. Only a handful of members have the pleasure each day of playing the fine Rees Jones layout. (Approach to first hole pictured.) Bottom, for just $39, Myrtle Beach area residents can purchase a "passport" that provides deep discounts to dozens of top-flight courses, including the sandy True Blue in Pawleys Island.(True Blue photo courtesy of Eliot deBear)