Joining a private golf club is a great experience. It's exciting to have a club to call your own, a course to host friends and business contacts, and a special place to spend time with your family. For many golfers, joining a private club is the dream of a lifetime. But what happens when you find the right club and your family still needs some convincing?

That’s ok. Not everyone has had experience with a golf club or understands the opportunities and programming available. Here at North Oaks Golf Club, we provide great value to families no matter what their main interests.

Here are a few examples of where to get started when sharing details about our club.

Where to Start

The benefits of a golf club membership go well beyond golf, which is easier to understand if you really take a look at the club. This could mean showing your partner a brochure, checking out the website, or even taking a tour of the property. If they see all of the activity in and around the clubhouse – and even meet some of the staff – it becomes much easier to see themselves as members and understand why you're so excited about becoming part of the membership.

Your daughter’s heartbeat is rising, but she tries to keep her breathing easy. She calms her nerves, focuses and takes aim, knowing this is the shot that could mean victory at North Oaks Golf Club.

And this time… she isn’t even on the golf course. 

It’s a common scene from our annual Nerf Night, which took place on May 5 – complete with inflatable barriers set up throughout the banquet room. It continues to be one of the most popular of the many activities that make having a golf club membership here about so much more than golf.

“This is their second home,” Membership Engagement Coordinator Jessica Bader says. “We want to make it fun.”

Like many young parents, Sarah and Anton Medved's lifestyle has changed considerably as their family has grown. When they moved to North Oaks back in 2011, the club was an attraction, but they didn't even join as social members for a while.

"It just wasn't the time for us," says Anton. "Our kids were so young and we had so many other things going on, we wouldn't have had enough time to be able to get on the golf course or anything like that." With a 2-and-a-half-year-old son and an 8-month-old daughter, that was understandable. But eight years later, they now have three very active children, and the Medveds are among our most active golf families. In fact, it seems that they spend most of the summer out on our golf course.

"We don't have our own cabin," says Anton, "so this is kind of our cabin. That's a big part of their summer and they really look forward to it."

It takes more than an April snowstorm to keep Minnesotans from thinking about golf once the Masters gets underway. That's the "mental" start of Minnesota golf season, no matter what the actual weather looks like. So, if the sight of azaleas, dogwoods and Amen Corner have you thinking about polishing your clubs and getting yourself ready for the golf season, we have some tips to jump-start your game.

No matter what time of year it is, it's never too early to start planning your next golf event. Planning any event takes thought, time, and coordination between multiple people. Golf event planning is no different. So, what are you waiting for? Whether your golf event is in three months, six months, or a year away, we can help you get the ball rolling.

1 Year Event Planning Timeline

If you have an entire year set aside to plan your golf event, that's great! You'll have more than enough time to plan the best event possible. We suggest the following timeline of tasks:

When Noah Xiong started working as a golf caddy at North Oaks Golf Club seven years ago, he never dreamed the part-time gig would land him a full-tuition and housing scholarship to the University of Minnesota — Minneapolis. But today, Noah is one of 60 Evans Scholars at the university earning a bachelor's degree debt free.

Here's his story.

If you thought your golf club membership was just for golf leagues or dinner with the family, think again. Your golf club membership can be an asset to your business, too. Need to strike a deal with a prospective client? Invite them to play a round of golf. Want to host a monthly off-site meeting with colleagues?  Reserve an event space at your golf club.

Here are five ways to use your golf club membership for business.

Jim and Shelley Diffley aren't unlike many parents of adolescent kids. Their three daughters — Marie, 14, Anna, 12, and Claire, 9 — and a shared full-time job as real estate agents keep Jim and Shelley busy year-round.

But their busy schedules led them to join North Oaks Golf Club as social members. "There are very few restaurants in our area (Shoreview)," Jim says. "North Oaks Golf Club provides another restaurant for our family to dine at. And it's a destination for Shelley and I to bike to."

The Diffleys are a great example of members who use our golf club in a different way. Here's their story.

Fall is over and winter is on the way (if the snow hasn't already fallen where you are). But, that doesn’t mean it’s time to put away your golf clubs for the season, because the indoor golf season is upon us. Indoor golf simulators grow in number and functionality all the time, and they are a great way to continue the last golf season and stay fresh for next year.

But, not all indoor golf simulators are the same — some track your shot, others give feedback on your swing in informative readouts, and they all get you swinging a golf club. We spoke with Nick Sage, first assistant golf professional at North Oaks Golf Club, to find out the best way to use an indoor golf simulator this winter, and Nick had plenty of sage advice.

If you spent any significant amount of time around North Oaks Golf Course this season, you likely crossed paths with Mike Lamey. You see, Mike has become a household name at the golf club. So, if you didn't play with him this year, chances are you heard about him. Mike started this season with a goal to play 150 rounds before the course closed for the year. So far, he's on pace to accomplish that goal. (Update: Mike exceeded his goal with 152 rounds so far and more days of golf still ahead in the 2018 season.)

So why would a guy set such a goal? We were curious to know more about Mike's motivation, and once we learned his story, we had to share it.