More or less, it's fine time to join some area golf clubs

When it comes to golf, membership does indeed have its privileges. But for the most part, being a member of a private club has meant hefty initiations or buying stock, expensive dues, and having to know the right people. That's not necessarily the case anymore.
While joining the area's elite clubs still requires lots of money and stature, the Honma Beres MG 803 Irons-Gold
landscape has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades. There are deals out there that might surprise you, especially for younger adults, at clubs like Northgate Country Club, Canongate Texas and The Clubs at Kingwood, just to name a few.
"What I hear is that golfers often end up spending more at a public course than they would in our junior executive program," said Bill Craig, head professional at Northgate Country Club.
Northgate's junior executive program is one example of how country clubs are getting creative to grow memberships. According to a recent report by the National Golf Foundation, around 10-15 percent of private Honma Beres MG 803 Irons-Gold
nationwide report "being seriously challenged, financially and otherwise," which has translated into changing the model of how private clubs operate.
NGF surveys indicate the trouble can largely be traced to the economy, but there have been other factors . Craig believes the 1990s proliferation of the high-end daily fee courses such as High Meadow Ranch, BlackHorse and River Ridge lured away younger players.
A large part of Northgate's strategy to gain membership has included targeting prospects in their 20s and 30s. The idea is to get them to join while they are young, and as they get older and advance in their careers, they can afford higher dues until they are able to pay the full rate. And even if they wind up leaving, they will have helped the club recruit other members.
In the case of Northgate, a 27-year-old (or younger) can join for an initiation of $750 and dues of $92 per month. That price includes full use of the Honma Beres MG 803 Irons-Gold
— including tennis, swimming, social activities and dining - for the entire immediate family.
As the member gets older, there are incremental increases. By age 30, though, it's still only $128.80 per month, and the rates don't reach the regular level until the member reaches age 45. The program has been in place for about a year and half and is responsible for around 70 of the club's more than 400 members.
"The junior executive membership is a vehicle to attract the Tiger Woods generation," said Craig, who has worked at area clubs for close to two decades. "These players are 25 to 30 years old and not making $100,000 a year, but they still want to play on a quality golf course and not be behind a guy wearing blue jeans or be hit into from the group behind them all day. Here, you can come out after work and play nine Honma Beres MG 803 Irons-Gold
in an hour if you want to."
Price-wise, Northgate's junior executive membership is difficult to beat, but most clubs in the area offer some form of discounts to younger prospects. There are, however, other benefits to joining private clubs, especially when they have multiple courses and facilities.
One prime example is Canongate Texas, which can offer its members playing privileges not only at the club they join but at several other clubs in the area as well. For example, a member who joins at Canongate at The Woodlands, also can, for an additional small fee, play at Lake Windcrest, Magnolia Creek and South Shore Harbour. Their privileges also extend to Canongate clubs in other parts of the country, like the 24 facilities in the Atlanta area, where Canongate is headquartered. This addresses one of the chief complaints golfers have about private clubs: being relegated to one golf course.
The Clubs at Kingwood offers a program that not only gives members of its Houston Young Executive Program (under 40) the chance to play clubs beyond the four courses at Kingwood Country Club but to enjoy other types of Honma Beres MG 803 Irons-Gold
as well.
For $285 a month, HYE members can play at other clubs within the ClubCorp family. These include Hearthstone Country Club, April Sound Country Club, The Club at Falcon Point and Willow Creek Golf Club. But their memberships also include the non-golf facilities of the Downtown Club (HoustonCenter, Plaza and Metropolitan), Houston City Club at GreenwayPlaza, Westlake Club and Greenspoint Club.