Business
Business

Fancy Atlanta country clubs: Guess how much they cost to join now

A 2015 study sampled 13 of the highest-rated private clubs in Atlanta. It found the average initiation fee for full membership is $50,000. That doesn't include dues and other fees. Those charges average $680 per month, the study found.
By Matt Kempner
Dec 10, 2015

Remember that saying: If you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it?

A sampling of 13 of the highest rated private clubs (out of nearly 80 in metro Atlanta) found the average initiation fee for full membership is just over $50,000, according to consulting firm Global Golf Advisors.

Don’t forget to add in dues and other mandatory fees and charges that average $680 a month at those local clubs.

So why does one Johns Creek country club — where a Home Depot co-founder is a member — want more regular people? Find out in the latest Unofficial Business column on myAJC.com.

While your at it, check out why one daring grandpa sold his Georgia winery and golf resort, also on MyAJC.com.

About the Author

Matt Kempner is an award-winning journalist who seeks out intriguing twists about people and subjects beyond what the AJC might typically cover. A former columnist and editor, his past assignments have included business investigations, energy, the economy, entrepreneurs, big business, consumer spending, politics, government and the environment.

Follow Matt Kempner on facebookFollow Matt Kempner on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

A worker hurries with last minute preparations on Friday, Oct. 14, 2005, at Atlantic Station before its planned soft opening the following day. Publix, seen at right, which was one of the development's original tenants, is set to close its store there on Dec. 27. (John Spink/AJC)

Credit: AJC

Publix to close two Atlanta area stores, including longtime Midtown location

Publix will shutter two of its metro Atlanta stores on Dec. 27.

Korean diplomats visit Georgia to rebuild strained trust after Hyundai raid

The tight-knit relationship between South Korea and the U.S. faced one of its toughest tests after the September raid at Hyundai’s campus near Savannah.

Five years after Coca-Cola ended Tab, fans won’t give up hope for its return

Coca-Cola already announced it’s bringing back one retired soda. Could Tab be next?

The Latest

Unsold 2025 Gladiator pickup trucks sit on display outside a Jeep dealership Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Englewood, Colo. (David Zalubowski/AP)

Credit: AP

OPINION

December car sales are good but not magic

In the market for a luxury vehicle? You might reconsider Lincoln.

Beyond the odometer: What matters most in a used car

Featured

Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo

A 30-year-old’s overdose sparked a new law. Now courts are testing how far it can go.

Austin’s Law, passed in 2024, is leading to convictions of fentanyl dealers after a father’s fight for justice following his son’s overdose death.

Jared Curtis isn’t the only Georgia football storyline to watch on signing day

What will National Signing Day look like? It is starting to materialize significant storylines.

Search for inmate who escaped from Grady hospital enters second day

Timothy Shane is accused of stealing an SUV and then crashing it during the getaway, according to authorities.