Annual dues are the yearly charge for keeping your membership active: they pay for running the club, not for joining it. On top of dues, most private clubs add a food and beverage minimum, charges for carts, lockers and guests, and sometimes assessments for big projects. The headline number is rarely the full bill.
See all the cost types in our golf club membership costs guide, or the average cost of a membership. The one-off initiation fee is separate. Whether you can get it back depends on whether the club is equity or non-equity.
What dues cover
Dues fund the running of the club: payroll, course and facility maintenance, utilities, insurance and administration. A private-club marketing firm citing a 2024 club-leader survey by GGA Partners and CMAA reports average operating dues of about $10,700 a year (median about $9,100) across the clubs surveyed (Private Club Marketing). Some clubs add a capital portion to dues so that large projects are paid for gradually instead of through a one-off bill.
Assessments
An assessment is an extra charge on top of dues. At equity clubs, spending beyond normal operations is typically shared among members as assessments, for example for a course renovation or a new clubhouse (GolfPass). Private Club Marketing also describes special assessments as one-time charges levied when a club has not built adequate reserves. Ask what was charged over the last decade and what is planned.
Food and beverage minimums
A food and beverage minimum is a set amount you must spend at the club over a month, quarter or year, whether or not you eat there. It is commonly use-it-or-lose-it: if you spend less, the club bills the difference. The same Private Club Marketing breakdown says the amount varies widely by club, from as little as $50 a month to several thousand dollars a year, and is often set quarterly.
Carts, caddies, lockers and guests
These are usually charged separately from dues:
- Cart or trail fees, per round or as an annual fee
- Locker and bag storage
- Guest fees each time you bring a guest
- Lessons, range balls and events
- A caddie fee at clubs that use caddies
Private Club Marketing says these can add several thousand dollars a year for an active member.
Dues at three elite clubs vs the survey average
Private clubs rarely publish dues. The three clubs below are elite private clubs, and the figures are what our club pages report. They are estimates, not numbers confirmed by the clubs, so do not read them as typical.
| Club | Annual dues |
|---|---|
| Average operating dues in the 2024 GGA Partners/CMAA survey, for comparison | about $10,700 (median about $9,100) |
| Baltusrol Golf Club | $18,500 |
| Muirfield Village Golf Club | about $20,000 |
| Crystal Downs Country Club | up to $30,000 |
Those figures cover only the dues line. Add the minimum, assessments and incidentals to get the cost of being a member.
How to budget
- Get the dues and the year-over-year history for the last five years from the club.
- Add the food and beverage minimum.
- Add your likely cart, locker, guest and lesson costs.
- Ask for the assessment history and whether any capital project is planned.
- Divide the total by the rounds you will really play. That is your cost per round, and it is the number to compare with public green fees. More on how the pieces fit together is in golf club membership costs.
