All of the country clubs have significantly increased their buy-in fees, and area Realtors say there are no signs of the increases slowing down.
Country club buy-in fees in Palm Beach County, Florida, have soared in recent years, with St. Andrews in Boca Raton leading the pack at $500,000. That’s what it costs just to buy there. St. Andrews and other country clubs have significantly raised their one-time, buy-in fees since COVID struck the region in 2020.
The super-rich, able to work remotely, migrated to South Florida, and the country clubs began to compete with each other to improve their facilities, spending tens of millions of dollars on new courses and upgrades to existing ones.
“The demand for homes associated with golf memberships has far outpaced supply,” said Michael Ledwitz, a Realtor who specializes in country club sales. “The buy-in fees pay for all these improvements. It is amazing what they (the country clubs) have been able to do. The new buyers are more than willing to pay those high buy-in fees.”
One Realtor told The Palm Beach Post that the average doctor and lawyer cannot afford to buy at country clubs in Palm Beach County any longer.
The top 10 residential country clubs with the most expensive initiation fees:St. Andrews County Club, Boca Raton, $500,000.Admirals Cove, Jupiter, $475,000.Addison Reserve, Delray Beach, $400,000.Frenchman’s Creek, Palm Beach Gardens, $375,000.The Bear’s Club, Jupiter, $350,000.Mirasol, Palm Beach Gardens, $300,000.Broken Sound, Boca Raton, $300,000.BallenIsles, Palm Beach Gardens, $295,000.Delaire, Delray Beach, $250,000.Polo Club, Boca Raton, $250,000.
Only clubs with 300 or more homes and mandatory memberships were included in the survey. Buy-in fees are often adjusted so to get up-to-date information, it is best to contact the country club itself.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.