Club glossary
What Is a House Account at a Club?
A member's charge account at the club: purchases in the grill, the golf shop and at events post to it, and the balance is billed on the monthly statement.
A house account is a member's charge account at the club. Instead of paying at each outlet, the member charges purchases — lunch in the grill, a round's guest fees, a shirt from the golf shop, a table at the holiday dinner — to their account, and the balance is billed on a monthly statement together with dues and any other charges. It is the defining feature of private-club billing: the club extends credit to every member.
How it works
- Identification. At the register the member is identified by name or member number, and the purchase is charged with a signed or approved chit.
- Charging privileges. The club decides who can charge: the primary member, a spouse, dependents above a certain age, sometimes with limits per person. Charges roll up to the household.
- The statement. At the end of each billing period the club issues a statement listing every charge, credit and payment, with the chits behind them.
- Payment. The member pays the balance by autopay from a card or bank account, or by check, by the due date.
- Collections. Unpaid balances age in AR aging; clubs typically suspend charging privileges once a balance passes a set age.
House accounts for non-members
Clubs also use "house account" for internal accounts — charges to a department for staff meals, promotional comps or member events the club hosts — and some clubs open accounts for outside groups such as corporate event clients. These are billed by invoice rather than member statement.
Example
A member's September statement shows $1,150 in dues, $412.60 in grill and bar chits, $250 in guest fees and $86.00 from the golf shop. Autopay pulls $1,898.60 from their bank account on the 20th. Each line on the statement opens to the itemized chit behind it.
Why it matters at a private club
The house account is why members do not need a wallet at their club — and why the club's billing has to be right. Every outlet, from the halfway house to the banquet office, must post to the same account, and every charge must be traceable to a chit the member recognizes. When charges come from separate systems, statements go out late and disputes rise.
Related terms
For what a good statement contains, see country club member statements.
In Bubs: charges from the register, on-course orders, the tee sheet and events post to one member account per household; members see their statement and each chit in the club app and pay by card or ACH autopay. See member billing.