| Members FAQ's |
Potential Member Questions & Answers What do I get with my membership?
Why should I join if I can play here anyway? Is there a difference between me and the public? You get a lot more out of the golf course as a member, including two days more for tee time availability than the public. Also, during weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day, members have the tee until noontime while the public has to wait until afternoon. Only members are able to play in leagues, tournaments, grill mixers, and other special events put on by the Club throughout the year. Though the public can play the course and eat in the restaurant, one can only experience all of the Club’s many offerings through membership. What does CNCC’s golf course have to offer me over the other semi-private and private golf clubs in the area? The course is made up of the original Donald Ross 9 holes with Brian Silva’s (course architect of the year, 1999) 9-hole addition in 1998. The new holes fit excellently into the original Ross design, presenting a good mix of the old and the new that creates a rewarding 18-hole experience. As soon as you spend some time on the course, you will find a traditional New England golf course with a real New England feel: small elevated greens, rough rock outcrops, big trees, and rolling hills. CNCC has increasingly gotten a strong reputation for the superior conditions of the facility; we are proud of our healthy and vigorous turf throughout the golf course that makes up our tees, fairways, roughs, and we are known for our true rolling consistent putting surface as well. Of course, not only will you find the course aesthetically pleasing; it is also a rewarding, fun, and challenging golf course that is user-friendly to all skill levels and types of golfer. There are four different sets of tees to accommodate all golfers, and don’t let the 6100 yards fool you; this unique 18-hole course in Southern Maine is a true test of golf. The course added 18 new bunkers 4 years ago, a new driving range and practice facility this past fall, and is constantly improving our course with the addition of new tees and an ongoing drainage program. These are just a few examples of our commitment to the golf course and to our patrons to present the best possible conditions we can offer. Does the Club have a restaurant and if so is there a minimum charge? The Grille features great pub style food and cocktails served in a relaxed atmosphere. Food is available daily until at least 6pm from April to October. Seating is available both indoors and outdoors on the deck and front patio when the weather permits. The deck is a great spot for you and your foursome to enjoy a refreshing beverage and delicious meal following golf, especially with the new view of the 18th hole created by our practice facility renovations last fall. The Grille also hosts numerous events and parties throughout the season that are great ways to meet and greet new members. The Kentucky Derby Party, our annual Member’s Cocktail Party, and monthly Club and Pub nights featuring prime rib and fish specials are just a few of the events put on by Patty, Chris, and the excellent Grille staff. Members pre-pay annually but receive a 10% discount on food charged to their member food account. The 10% discount is not applicable to alcoholic beverages and does not include gratuity. The Grille is closed on Mondays before Memorial Day, though coffee, muffins, juice and other snack items are still available on an honor system, as they are every morning before The Grille opens. If the public can play here, what does this club offer that I can’t get at other area courses? Many of the local public courses are fine facilities and do very well for themselves, but they often can become busy and crowded in the summer months, leading to longer rounds and longer days at the course. Cape Neddick has worked on the pace of play over the past couple of years and is constantly improving upon that to ensure our average of a 4 hour and 15 minute round as opposed to a 5 or 5 ½ hour round that might occur at a crowded public course. In a time when people are constantly being rushed from one event to another and time is of the essence, the golf course is the last place where stress should become an issue. The other advantage to our course over the others is the feeling of membership rather than paying a yearly fee to ‘belong’ to the course. We know our members from year to year and look at the Club’s membership as an ongoing, year-round group rather than someone who visits the course from mid-April to mid-November. Can I bring guests to the golf course? Yes, your guests are always welcome at CNCC. There is no established limit to the number of guests you can bring in a given time period, as long as they are playing with you or someone in our membership. This Club does not unreasonably restrict the number of times one guest can play with a member, or the time of day that a guest can accompany a member, etc. In addition, your guest will receive a discounted ‘guest of member’ rate rather than be charged the full public greens fees. How many times do I have to play to pay for my membership? There are some members who recover the cost of their annual membership in the first six weeks of the season, and others who spread it out over the whole season. If you want to play a lot of golf, it’s very easy to get the most out of a membership here at CNCC. However, it is also common for people to play only a few times a year but participate heavily in our social events. The member benefits, in addition to a superb golf experience, are what make the Club worthwhile for so many of our members. What if I get injured, move, or get a new job, etc. do I get my initiation fee back? In the case that you or a member of your family needs to take a year or two off, the Club has what is called a Leave of Absence policy. The member pays the minimal annual fee of $200 in order to keep their status as a member and then is able to re-join the following year without penalty of beginning the initiation fee again. Initiation fee or any portions paid up to that point are not refunded, but the LOA policy is the best way to hold your membership until you can decide whether or not you will re-join. The fee exists so that we can keep annual dues at a reasonable level but still gain something as we move forward and make improvements to the club How many members make up the Club and what are the other types of memberships? The Club currently has about 325 members in single, family, social, and junior membership types. Social members pay less in annual dues, still pay the food portion of the membership, and have the option to play golf at the ‘guest of member’ rate. The purpose of this membership is for those people who would like to belong but won’t have a primary focus on golf. Those individuals who play only a few times a year might enjoy this membership option as an alternative to the single and family plans that are more expensive but put a priority on unlimited golf. Junior memberships are $275 and carry no initiation fee or tee time privileges. Juniors can arrive at the course and will be paired up with a group when they are ready to play, unless of course they find other juniors or friends at the course. Juniors cannot drive a golf cart without a valid driver’s license. What’s the age makeup and demographic of Cape Neddick CC? CNCC spans all age groups and most demographics, from retired teachers to tradesmen to working professionals, from summer residents and snowbirds to year-round residents and locals, from 4 handicaps to beginners, from 93 years old to teenagers. Our current membership is composed of about 40% York County Residents, 40% vacation homeowners, 10-20% ‘snow birds’. The median age of the club is approximately 52. Unmarried individuals living in a committed relationship and residing together are welcome to join as a family. You can always find someone to play golf with whether you are here in the morning or late afternoon, and you honestly cannot say that about every golf club these days. At Cape Neddick, it isn’t uncommon to find a junior going out with a 6 handicap player and two seniors. Is CNCC an accepting club for women and junior golfers? It is a very accepting club for both of those groups. We have a popular ladies’ league that plays 9 holes weekly, as well as a weekly ladies’ day that also plays 9 holes but is slightly less competitive and accentuates the social aspect and camaraderie of the game. Juniors are also a great group to be a part of here at CNCC. Everyone is happy to add a junior to their group for the fact that they have fun and remind everyone why they are playing in the first place. There is a Junior Club Championship held every summer, coinciding with the other Club Championships, and that gives kids an idea of what competitive golf and golf etiquette is all about. Can my kids play golf under my family membership? Yes, any kids under a certain age are eligible for golfing privileges under their family membership. A son or daughter is covered under a family membership up to and including the season in which he/she graduates from college or turns 21. A child in graduate school at age 25 who is saving money and living at home is not eligible for golfing privileges. However, those children who have grown up playing under the family membership umbrella can join on their own as single members, without initiation fee, once they are no longer eligible for the family plan. Junior members are also exempt from initiation fee when they go from junior to single. The one stipulation regarding juniors is that a father or mother, playing as a single member cannot sign their children up for junior memberships on their own; they must convert the membership to a family status. It would jeopardize our membership if someone could join on their own and pay for their child as a junior, because they are in fact a family and that would conflict with other people who include children in their family membership. Does the Club have programs to help new golfers learn to play or programs to help golfers improve their game? Yes, Dustin Hunter, our PGA Apprentice fresh out of the Golf Academy of America in Florida, gives private lessons and run member-only clinics periodically during the season. Lessons can be set up individually with Dustin, and the clinics are run on a sign-up basis but are kept members-only to keep a good member to teacher ratio. Dustin is experienced with teaching all levels of golfer, so there is no project too big or swing adjustment too small to undertake. This year, our newly renovated practice facility will be a great asset for teaching and lessons as the driving range has quadrupled in size and we also have a practice sand bunker an additional practice green for chipping and short game work. In addition to the practice element of the game, the Pro Shop also offers a wide range of the latest in golf equipment and attire. We offer demo clubs so that you can try the newest in golf technology and get a feel for a club before buying one, or compare a few clubs with others to make the best decision for your needs. The Pro Shop also carries a full line of men’s and women’s clothing for all golfing occasions and weather conditions. If we don’t have a size, or color, we can get it for you complete with our course logo and all. And of course, with the well stocked shop comes a very helpful staff that can assist you with any questions or direct you to Dustin for his opinion. When does the Club open and close? Typically, the Club opens in mid-April and closes in mid-November. The exact date of opening and closing depends on the weather and course conditions. |