The most expensive golf club memberships we found are at newer, high-end clubs, with reported initiation fees of up to $650,000 at Apogee Club in Florida and $500,000 to $550,000 at Sebonack, The Bridge and Liberty National. Clubs do not publish these prices, so every figure below is a press report or estimate, not a confirmed fee. Most of the top ten come from an undated Links Magazine list that may reflect older prices. For the full cost picture, see golf club membership costs.
- 1Apogee Club, FLup to $650,000Front Office Sports, 2025
- 2Sebonack, NY$550,000Links, undated list
- 2The Bridge, NY$550,000Links, undated list
- 4Liberty National, NJ$500,000Links, undated list
- 5Silverleaf, AZ$400,000Front Office Sports, 2025
- 6Scottsdale National, AZ$300,000Golf.com, 2020
- 6Hamilton Farm, NJ$300,000Links, undated list
- 8East Hampton, NY$260,000Links, undated list
- 9Los Angeles CC, CAabout $250,000Golf.com, 2023
- 9Cypress Point, CAreported $250,000Golf.com, 2019
- 9Friar’s Head, NY$250,000Links, undated list
- 12Winged Foot, NYabout $200,000Forbes 2018 figure, via Golf.com 2020
- 13Shinnecock Hills, NYfrom $175,000Golf.com, 2026
- 14Oakmont, PAabout $150,000Golf.com, 2025
- 14Quail Hollow, NC$150,000Golf.com, 2025
- 14Aronimink, PA$150,000Golf.com, 2026
- 14The Floridian, FL$150,000Golf.com, 2020
- 14Bayonne Golf Club, NJ$150,000Links, undated list
The ranked table
| Rank | Club | Reported initiation fee | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apogee Club, FL | up to $650,000 | Front Office Sports, Aug 2025 |
| 2 | Sebonack, NY | $550,000 | Links, undated list |
| 2 | The Bridge, NY | $550,000 | Links, undated list |
| 4 | Liberty National, NJ | $500,000 | Links, undated list |
| 5 | Silverleaf, AZ | $400,000 | Front Office Sports, Aug 2025 |
| 6 | Scottsdale National, AZ | $300,000, plus $60,000 annual dues | Golf.com, May 2020 |
| 6 | Hamilton Farm, NJ | $300,000 | Links, undated list |
| 8 | East Hampton Golf Club, NY | $260,000 | Links, undated list |
| 9 | Los Angeles Country Club | about $250,000 (about $190,000 non-local) | Golf.com, Jun 2023 |
| 9 | Cypress Point, CA | a reported $250,000 | Golf.com, Jun 2019 |
| 9 | Friar's Head, NY | $250,000 | Links, undated list |
| 12 | Winged Foot, NY | about $200,000 (a 2018 Forbes figure quoted by Golf.com; the NY Post suggested closer to $150,000) | Golf.com, Sep 2020 |
| 13 | Shinnecock Hills, NY | $175,000, reportedly up to $200,000 | Golf.com |
| 14 | Oakmont, PA | about $150,000 | Golf.com, Jun 2025 |
| 14 | Quail Hollow, NC | $150,000 | Golf.com, 2025 |
| 14 | Aronimink, PA | $150,000 | Golf.com, May 2026 |
| 14 | The Floridian, FL | $150,000 | Golf.com, May 2020 |
| 14 | Bayonne Golf Club, NJ | $150,000 | Links, undated list |
| 19 | Valhalla, KY | $125,000 (residents); $25,000 national | Golf.com, May 2024 |
| 20 | Medalist, FL | $110,000, plus $18,000 a year | Golf.com |
| 21 | Southern Hills, OK | $100,000 | Golf.com, May 2022 |
| 22 | Oak Hill, NY | $70,000 | Golf.com, May 2023 |
| 23 | Augusta National, GA | estimated near $40,000 | Golf.com, Apr 2019 |
| 24 | Prairie Dunes, KS | about $10,000, payable over several years | Golf.com, May 2020 |
Three cautions. The Links list carries no date, so its figures may be old: NJ Monthly gave the same $500,000 for Liberty National in 2009. Sebonack is uncertain, because Golf.com once mentioned "$1 million" in passing, so we use the Links figure and treat it as uncertain. And Golf.com's April 2025 article gave Augusta a much wider range ($40,000 to $500,000), so treat any single Augusta number as a rough estimate. Clubs we cannot source, including Pine Valley, Seminole and Sand Hills, are left out rather than guessed at. Our own club pages, such as Baltusrol, Augusta National and The Valley Club of Montecito, say so when a fee is not published.
The most expensive, in brief
- Apogee Club. Front Office Sports reports initiation of up to $650,000, the highest figure we found.
- Sebonack and The Bridge. Both are listed at $550,000 by Links. Sebonack is one of our price pages.
- Liberty National. Listed at $500,000 by Links.
- Silverleaf. Listed at $400,000 by Front Office Sports.
- Scottsdale National. Golf.com reported $300,000 plus $60,000 a year, and also described a separate $30,000 program that includes a dinner with the founders before entry (May 2020).
What drives high fees
- Demand and land. Front Office Sports reported a post-pandemic mismatch of supply and demand and said new clubs are close to impossible to build in major metros because of land costs. Median initiation rose from $29,000 in 2019 to $50,000 in 2022.
- Funding projects. The Club Management Association of America (CMAA) said in an April 2026 brief that median initiation fees rose nearly twice as fast as general inflation from 2020 to 2025, and in a growing number of clubs they supply more than 75% of capital income.
- Prestige and newness. Links says newer clubs charge steeply because they lack the social cachet of older ones.
- Ownership changes. Golf.com reported Valhalla's fee rose from about $75,000 to $125,000 after new owners took over in 2022.
Reading the numbers
Initiation is one part of the cost. Dues, minimums and assessments come on top: read dues and assessments, and check what comes back when you leave in equity vs non-equity. To see how people get in, read how to join a private golf club. Clubs we have looked at in more depth include Crystal Downs and Muirfield Village, where we found no published fee.
