Golf Memberships Near Me: How to Find and Join a Club

If you are searching for "golf memberships near me", start with the golf clubs within a short drive of your home or work: a club close by is one you will actually use, and members' clubs and many golf centres sell memberships. On Tee Time you can find the clubs near you in the clubs directory, out of the 1,347 clubs you can book a round at, then play each one as a visitor before you decide which to join. Membership itself is arranged with the club, not through Tee Time.

The main types of golf membership

Every club sets its own membership categories, names and prices, but most use a similar set:

• Full or seven-day membership: play any day the course is open, enter competitions and, at clubs owned by their members, vote at the annual meeting.
• Five-day or weekday membership: the same rights on weekdays only, usually for a lower subscription.
• Junior, student and young adult membership: lower rates by age, often with proof of age or a student card asked for when you join.
• Senior membership: offered by some clubs for older golfers, sometimes with weekday-only play.
• Country or distance membership: for golfers who live a set distance from the club and play there less often.
• Flexible or points-based membership: a smaller fee for a set number of rounds or points, which suits golfers who play once or twice a month.
• Social membership: use of the clubhouse and its events, without playing rights.

Some clubs also run beginner or academy memberships that bundle group lessons, time on the practice ground and a route to a full membership.

What membership usually costs

There is no national price list. The annual subscription depends on the club, the region and the category you join, and clubs near big towns with a waiting list tend to charge more. Alongside the subscription you may meet:

• A joining fee, charged once when you join. Some clubs reduce or drop it at quieter times of the year, or for younger players.
• The affiliation fee to the national and county golf bodies, which usually comes as part of the subscription.
• A bar or catering levy at some clubs: a set amount you spend in the clubhouse each year.
• Extras such as a locker, a buggy pass or storage for a trolley.

Many clubs let you pay the subscription in monthly instalments rather than in one go. Ask what the total for your first year will be, including the joining fee and any levy, so you can compare clubs on the same footing.

Try a club as a visitor before you join

A visitor round is the simplest way to judge a club. You see the course and its condition, how long a round takes and how welcoming the clubhouse is, and you can ask about membership in the pro shop while you are there. Play it at the time of week you would play as a member: a quiet weekday afternoon tells you little about a busy Saturday morning.

On Tee Time you book a visitor tee time with your saved details and pay the green fee the club sets, so trying three or four clubs in your area takes a few taps each. Our walk-through of how to book a golf tee time as a visitor covers it step by step.

Clubs to try around the UK

These clubs are among those you can book a visitor round at on Tee Time. Each sets its own membership categories and fees, so check the club's website or ask the club about joining:

• Minchinhampton Golf Club in Gloucestershire, with three 18-hole courses in our catalogue: the Old Course, Avening and Cherington.
• Burnham & Berrow Golf Club at Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, with the Championship Course and the Channel Course.
• Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club in Richmond, London, with two 18-hole courses.
• Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club in Suffolk, with the 18-hole Martello course and the 9-hole Kingsfleet course.
• Petersfield Golf Club in Hampshire, with an 18-hole course and a 12-hole course, South Petersfield.
• Alwoodley Golf Club in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
• Ramside Hall Golf Club in Durham, with the Cathedral and Prince Bishops' courses.
• Aberdovey Golf Club in Gwynedd, Wales.

A club with more than one course can give members more tee times and more variety, and some sell a cheaper membership that covers only one of its courses.

Questions to ask before you join

• Tee times: how far ahead can members book, and how hard is it to get a weekend morning?
• Competitions and handicaps: how often are competitions held, and does the club help new members get a handicap? Joining a club is the usual way to get a handicap under the World Handicap System: see how to get a golf handicap.
• Guests: can you bring friends, how much is a guest green fee and is there a limit?
• Other clubs: does the club have reciprocal arrangements that let members play other courses at a reduced rate?
• Practice: is there a driving range, a short game area and a putting green?
• Winter: how often is the course closed or on temporary greens after heavy rain?
• Leaving: what notice do you need to give, and is the joining fee refunded if you leave early?

If the answers suit you, many clubs will show you round and help you join there and then, though some popular clubs keep a waiting list or ask new members to be proposed by an existing one.

If you're not ready to join

Membership pays off if you play often, usually a few times a month. If you play less than that, paying a green fee each time can cost less overall. See pay and play golf without a membership for courses built around visitors, and 9-hole golf courses for a shorter, cheaper round while you decide.

Find golf clubs near you

Browse golf in the South West, London, the South East, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North East or Wales, or search tee times by distance from where you are to see the clubs nearest you.