For background, I have never been a member of any country club but I have always wondered how reciprocity works among country clubs? I think as someone who wants to join somewhere in the next 5 years, reciprocity is actually one of the coolest perks of being a member at a club.

How does it work at your club? If you are traveling somewhere and want to play some golf, do you just talk with your pro and see if he has any connections there? I'm assuming it's easier when you are going to big golf destinations (Scottsdale, anywhere in Florida, etc.). Does your pro have a list of clubs that he has agreements with? If you are at a well thought of club in Houston, does that increase the courses you have reciprocity with?

Maybe not a giant perk, but it's a cool perk nonetheless

It's a cool perk when it works out, but not all that often. Then again, I don't travel too much.

However, I've met some people (not saying this is you, OP) who think that being a member at XYZ club gets you unlimited access to where ever you want to play just because your pro/director makes a phone call. Definitely not the way that works. Ha

Yeah just have your head pro see if they have any repoir with clubs where you're traveling. If they don't know anyone in that area they can always cold call. Have gotten on at Miramomt and Dominion that way. There's some clubs that have told our pro that they don't allow play without being a members guest - we tried at La Jolla CC.

Haha I know that would be too good to be true!

Yea the quality of course you can get on is usually approximately equal to the level of prestige of your home course. And you are typically also paying the guest fee to play so it's not like it's a built in cost advantage of joining somewhere. Guest rates are often not cheap

The Milkman said:

---

Yea the quality of course you can get on is usually approximately equal to the level of prestige of your home course. And you are typically also paying the guest fee to play so it's not like it's a built in cost advantage of joining somewhere. Guest rates are often not cheap

---

it's the unaccompanied guest fees that are often super steep, not a regular guest fee for a round played with a member.

And very high end clubs sometimes also require you to PAY for an assistant pro to play with you, so you pay the more reasonable regular guest fee, but then you also have to pay a guest fee to pay for the pro's round (which is ridiculous given they dont' pay to play there) and you are expected to tip the pro for playing with you, and potentially for a caddie and the caddie tip if required. Some of the higher end clubs really run it in dry for recip play and it's a bit ridiculous. This is not the norm, but i've had it happen several times when getting a round at say a top 2-3 in state/top 100 in us course set up by my pro.

It depends on your pros connections and how nice your club is. If the other club doesn't think its members will ever want to play yours then you're out of luck.