Club glossary
What Is a Guest Fee at a Private Club?
The charge for a member's guest to play or use the club, usually billed to the sponsoring member and priced by season, day, holes and type of guest.
A guest fee is the charge for a member's guest to use the club — most often a green fee for a round of golf, but also fees for the pool, tennis or fitness center. At most private clubs the guest does not pay directly: the fee is billed to the sponsoring member's house account and appears on their statement with the guest's name.
How clubs price guest fees
A guest fee schedule usually varies by:
- Guest type — accompanied by the member or unaccompanied, family guest, junior guest, reciprocal player, or a guest attending a member-sponsored event.
- Day and time — weekend and holiday rates above weekday rates; twilight rates later in the day.
- Season — peak, shoulder and off-season pricing.
- Holes — separate 9- and 18-hole rates.
- Cart — whether a cart fee is included or charged separately, and whether the guest walks.
Clubs also set guest policies alongside the fees: how many times the same guest may play in a year, how many guests a member may bring per round, and which days or times guests may not play.
Example
A member books a Saturday 18-hole round for themselves and two guests in July, peak season. The weekend accompanied-guest green fee is $95 and the guest cart fee $30. At check-in the golf shop rings two guest fees and two cart fees, $250 total, to the member's account. On the statement, the member sees each guest by name.
Why it matters at a private club
Guest fees are a significant source of golf revenue and a common source of statement disputes. The fee has to match the guest's actual situation — walking or riding, 9 or 18 holes, accompanied or not — and the guest has to be recorded by name, both so the member recognizes the charge and so the club can enforce its guest-frequency limits. Guest play by non-members also counts toward a 501(c)(7) club's non-member income; see unrelated business income.
Related terms
In Bubs: each course keeps a guest-fee table by season, guest class, day, holes and transport; guests are named on the tee sheet and their fees charge to the sponsoring member's account. See member billing.