A country club is a private membership club built around a golf course and a clubhouse, and usually other amenities such as dining, a pool and tennis. Members pay an initiation fee and annual dues, and the club is open to members and their guests. A golf club may offer less beyond the course. Whether a country club counts as a golf course is covered in is a country club a golf course. This page covers membership types and what you get.
Country club vs golf club vs resort vs public course
- You pay:
- Initiation fee plus dues
- You get:
- Golf, dining, pool, tennis, social events
- You pay:
- Initiation fee plus dues
- You get:
- Golf and a clubhouse; fewer other amenities
- You pay:
- Green fee, often with a stay
- You get:
- Hotel, spa, dining
- You pay:
- Green fee per round
- You get:
- Usually a pro shop and grill
The National Golf Foundation (NGF) defines facility types in its glossary. A private facility restricts play to members and their guests. A municipal course is owned by a tax-supported body such as a city or county and is open to the public. A daily-fee course is privately owned with at least limited public access. A resort course is affiliated with a lodging component. NGF does not define "country club" separately there, so the line between a country club and a golf club is by custom: country clubs offer more beyond golf.
How big is private golf?
NGF says private golf makes up about one quarter of course supply, and members at private clubs account for fewer than 10% of on-course golfers (NGF, 2025). Most golf is played at courses open to the public.
Typical amenities
The golf course and clubhouse are the core. Dining and a pool are common, and some clubs have more. Aronimink, for instance, has trap shooting, per Golf.com (May 2026). Which amenities you get depends on your membership category, so check what yours includes.
Membership types
Categories differ by club. As one club's published example, Houston Lake Country Club lists golf memberships with unlimited golf and dining, social memberships limited to 10 discounted rounds a year, pool-only, corporate (minimum four members) and family categories. Golf.com's reporting adds junior categories (Oak Hill's is for ages 18 to 35, at $5,000 initiation) and national or non-resident categories, such as Valhalla's.
What it costs
There is no single price. Average operating dues were about $10,700 a year and average initiation about $58,000 in a 2024 GGA Partners survey, as reported by Private Club Marketing. Houston Lake's golf membership has a $1,000 initiation fee and $238 monthly dues (its website, checked 7 October 2026), which shows how much clubs vary. See golf club membership costs for the breakdown and equity vs non-equity for what you own.
Joining
Most private clubs admit members by sponsor or invitation. Our guide on how to join a private golf club covers the steps.
