To join a private golf club you usually need a way in (an invitation or one or more member sponsors), an application, approval from the club, and then the initiation fee and dues. Some clubs have a waitlist and a few take no applications at all. In Golf.com's reporting, fees run from about $10,000 (Prairie Dunes) to about $150,000 (Oakmont), and far higher at the newest clubs. For the full cost picture, see golf club membership costs.
The usual steps
- 1ShortlistCheck whether the club is open to applications or invitation only.
- 2SponsorsMany clubs want one or more current members to put you forward.
- 3ApplicationForms, references and often a visit or interview.
- 4VoteA membership committee or board decides.
- 5JoinPay the initiation fee, then annual dues. A waitlist can come first.
- Shortlist clubs and find out how they admit members. Some are open to applications. Others are invitation-only. Augusta National has no formal application process, and Golf.com reports that asking can hurt your chances (April 2019).
- Find a sponsor. Golf.com's Paul Sullivan wrote in 2020 that you need to "know a couple of people and just find a sponsor to vouch for you." Quail Hollow membership is only granted through a current member recommendation, per Golf.com.
- Apply and visit. Many clubs ask for a form, references and sometimes a visit or interview. Details vary by club, so ask the membership office.
- Wait for a decision and, at some clubs, your turn. A committee or board votes. If the club has a waitlist, you may wait.
- Pay the initiation fee, then dues. See what the initiation fee covers and whether it is refundable under equity vs non-equity terms.
Invitation-only vs open-application clubs
Golf.com's reporting gives a sense of the range. At Oakmont, you have to know the right people or enjoy a certain status in golf circles (June 2025). Shinnecock Hills requires an invitation and money alone does not guarantee entry. At the other end, Golf.com reported in May 2024 that at Valhalla a source said "you could join right now if you wanted," with no waitlist (that may have changed). Our Old Town Club and Baltusrol pages list what we know of those clubs. We could not source a waitlist length for either.
Waitlists
Waits differ a lot. Golf.com reported in May 2026 that at Aronimink "you might wait only six months before you get in. Or you also might wait 10 years and never get in." In 2020 it described Winged Foot's waitlist as "supposedly a decade long." Front Office Sports reported in August 2025 that post-pandemic demand had produced decade-long waitlists at some clubs. These are press reports, not figures from the clubs.
What it costs
Reported initiation fees range widely. Golf.com put Prairie Dunes at about $10,000 and Oakmont at about $150,000, and Front Office Sports reported a median of $50,000 in 2022, up from $29,000 in 2019. See the most expensive memberships for a ranked list, and dues and assessments for the yearly side.
Alternatives to joining
- Municipal resident cards and passes. Charleston, SC lists an annual pass at $1,200 for residents aged 18 to 61 (2026). Austin lists a Resident Card at $5 a year and an individual Silver annual card at $1,280 for residents. For a California example, see our San Diego resident card guide.
- Reciprocal and network access. Links Magazine reports that TPC Network members get six reciprocal visits a year at other TPC private clubs.
- Lower-cost overseas clubs. Golf.com reported in 2022 that Cruden Bay costs $500 to join plus $500 a year.
- Playing as a guest, or visiting. See walking onto a golf course without playing and what a country club is.
Fees and rules change, and every club sets its own, so use these as a guide and ask the club.
