2024. Prices and selections may vary and are updated frequently.
Membership into the Philadelphia Country Club is theoretically not all that difficult, since their website proclaims that “Members of all backgrounds” are welcome. According to the rules, it starts with a current member of good standing, who will request a membership application package on your behalf from the Membership Director. The Membership Director can then arrange for a personal tour so you can have your questions answered.
However, other reports indicate that the process is actually more stringent than that. Rumor has it that you actually need both a proposer and a seconder for your nomination. On top of that, you need 4 more members to write letters supporting your membership application.
Then there will be a visit of members of the admissions committee to your home, where they will gauge whether you fit the membership template. According to the gossip, they will check out your home, and even your clothes very thoroughly. In fact, even your spouse’s clothes will play a factor.
Once you do get the invitation, you’ll have to pay the hefty initiation fee. There aren’t any recent reports regarding how much this will be, but it was $43,500—back in 2005. God knows how much that will be today.
But then again, that means you get an in to a club that includes plenty of the Philadelphia elites. The Philadelphia Country Club is so snooty that it doesn’t even want to host the PGA. The members seem to feel that they don’t really need the exposure or even new members.
These beliefs seem justified when you finally see the golf facilities, as they are simply superb. These facilities have actually won awards, and you have an 18-hole as well as a 9-hole golf course to play on. Plus, there’s an indoor golf practice facility for the winter months.
But golf is only the tip of the iceberg. Here you have 9 Har-Tru tennis courts with 4 paddle courts, an Olympic-sized pool, a squash and bowling building, and even a state-of-the-art Shooting Lodge.
The fitness center is exceptionally equipped, with venues for yoga, Pilates, and even bridge. There are 4 dining rooms as well as an outdoor terrace overlooking the golf course, and a ballroom for 400 guests.