Gaining access to the world’s top private golf clubs might be nigh on impossible, but pick your membership wisely and you could find yourself teeing off on courses that you only ever dreamed of
Private golf clubs have been in existence since the time when a handful of gentlemen got together after a round of golf at Bruntsfield Links in Scotland to form The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh, back in 1735. Among its original members were a merchant, a shoemaker and a goldsmith. Since then a lot of sand has flown in the traps. Today many of the finest members-only golf clubs move in one of two directions. Either they are becoming more select, by limiting membership to invitation only, or they are going global, offering members the chance to play not only the club course but at a number of great courses worldwide.
On the private front, all clubs are measured against Augusta National in Georgia, home of the Master’s Tournament, which has come under fire for its male-only rule. With membership limited to around 300, current club cardholders include Bill Gates, Arnold Palmer and Warren Buffet, and unless you become CEO of Coca-Cola or Ford Motors don’t expect to play Amen Corner soon. The good news is, there are plenty of others.
Outside Chicago, the Black Sheep Golf Club, is causing a stir. Like Augusta and true to its name, this six-year-old club has alienated itself from the politically correct golfing community by allowing only male members. Yet Black Sheep has restricted membership even more, to between 200 and 250: invitation only, of course. For those who do get an invite and aren’t bothered by the above condition, the club offers a 27-hole, David Esler-designed inland Links course that has been rated among the top 100 courses in the US by Golfweek magazine.
Over in New Buffalo, Michigan, The Dunes has one of the most limited memberships in the world. Just 100 are lucky enough to call this course home. But no matter how exclusive these clubs are, they all face the same problem. Members are forced to play the same course over and again. Unless you are offering Augusta it can get a little tiring, especially at a place like The Dunes which has just nine holes. No one understands this better than golf legend and famed course designer Jack Nicklaus who has created the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, an exclusive access and reciprocity program for 25 of his signature courses around the world. Join one, play them all. For variety these include courses in Tuscany, Canada, New Zealand and Patagonia. The newest member, set to open in 2010, is being built in co-operation with Raffles Hotels and Resorts. The St Lucia destination is offering complementary membership to the club with the purchase of any property. Then again, with prices for a three-bedroom residence estimated at nearly €1.2 million, it has a limiting effect all of its own.
With only 150 members The Yellowstone Club combines exclusivity with variety. What started in Montana as the world’s only private golf and ski club has branched out to include properties in Mexico, Turks and Caicos and France, among other locations, and it’s soon to open in St Andrews, Scotland.
If you’re looking for still more variety, a number of companies offer ways onto the tees of even the most exclusive clubs. Private Golf Connections, a web-based club, brings private members together to invite each other to play their home courses. To join you must be a member of a private club but once you’re in you can send out a request to play any other private club in the world and then sit back and wait in the hope that another Golf Connection member will pick up your invitation. Trouble is it’s hard to imagine Bill Gates going online to beg for a 10am tee time. – Guy Fiorita