Quote:
Originally Posted by fred53
Actually there are many courses outside the Villages that have not only membership fees, but also charge per each time played(see Del Webb communities as an example)...my club in Maine was a Country Club and besides my paying a yearly fee(with no greens fees when I played)they allowed outside folks to play for an 18 hole fee...
In my experience a country club has a clubhouse and various ammenities whereas a golf course has a starters shack at the least and may have a small pro shop...the number of par threes has nothing to do with whether or not a course is a country club/championship course or otherwise....what distinguishes our exec's from country clubs mostly is a lack of handicapping, ghin related to par and a USGA rating...that and the fact that the CC's are kept up to a slightly higher standard....
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Your club in Maine is what's known as a semi-private club.
In order to be recognized as a regulation golf course by USGA and NGF a course must have no more than three par threes per nine holes. Courses with more then three par threes per nine are considered executive courses.
Executive and par three courses do have USGA GHIN and Slope ratings. I know because I rated some of them.
There is no definition for a championship course unless some kind of actual championship is played there on a regular basis. "Championship Course" is basically a marketing term.
I know of many public courses that have a decent pro shop, snack bar and even restaurants. They shouldn't be considered country clubs.