We have 800-plus houses, and hopefully we can expand the membership to where everyone will be a social club member,” Fergus said. “We are going to put the club in a positive cash flow.

Location The closer you live to the club, the more you will use it. Ideally, you should be looking for a golf club that is less than a 15- or 20-minute drive from your home.

A national membership, which sources said is limited to those living more than 100 miles from the club, costs $25,000 upfront, with approximately $500 in monthly dues.

If you'd like to land a membership at Augusta National Golf Club, you'd better start networking. There is no application process, with membership an invite-only process.

At most clubs, when putting in an application form, a prospective member needs a proposer and one or more seconders from within the current membership to put them forward. That should be ...