The short answer

• A house next to a private club does not come with a membership. You apply separately and pay your own initiation fee, monthly dues and, at most clubs, a monthly food and beverage minimum.
• At most clubs you don’t have to live in the community to join. Canyon Gate and Anthem Country Club are open to non-residents, and four clubs offer national memberships for people whose main home is elsewhere.
• Terms change, and some clubs are tightening who can join. DragonRidge is moving its golf membership to MacDonald Highlands homeowners, which changes which house makes sense.
• Get the current terms from the membership director before you write an offer. I set up that meeting while you are in town to see homes.

01

The house and the membership are separate purchases

Every club in this guide sells membership on its own terms, apart from the homes around it. A fairway lot gives you the view. The club decides who plays.

• You pay an initiation fee to join. At Red Rock Country Club it is non-equity, non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Then monthly dues, and usually a food and beverage minimum. Red Rock and DragonRidge apply a minimum to every membership category.
• The category decides what you get. A full golf membership includes the course. Social and sports memberships cover dining, fitness, the pool and courts, with little or no golf.
• Non-equity means you don’t own a share of the club. At TPC Summerlin, that also means members are not assessed for capital projects.

02

The private clubs, one by one

Membership types as of October 2026. Initiation fees, categories and waitlists change often, so use this table as a starting point. I confirm the current terms with the membership director before you decide.

03

You usually don’t have to live there

• Canyon Gate: open to anyone, whether or not you live in Canyon Gate.
• Anthem Country Club: you don’t need to live in the gated community, but new members are invited and sponsored by a current member.
• Second-home buyers: SouthShore, Las Vegas Country Club, Anthem and Spanish Trail offer national memberships for people whose main home is elsewhere. SouthShore’s requires a primary residence more than 200 miles away and includes 30 rounds a year. Las Vegas Country Club’s includes 30 rounds a year, and Anthem’s 24.
• The exception: DragonRidge is moving its golf membership to MacDonald Highlands homeowners. If that club is the reason you are buying, plan on a house inside MacDonald Highlands.

04

What happens to a membership when a house sells

Transfer rules differ from club to club and change over time, so get the answer from the club before you write an offer. Plan on applying and paying your own initiation fee unless the club confirms otherwise in writing.

• Ask whether the seller’s membership can transfer, and who pays any transfer fee.
• Treat club membership in a listing as a claim. Get the terms from the club, not the marketing.
• Check the waitlist for the category you want before you write the offer. Canyon Gate had Full Golf waitlisted in October 2026.

05

What to ask the membership director

06

How I handle it

Initiation fees, categories, waitlists and even who can join change often, so I don’t rely on last year’s answer. I schedule a meeting with the club’s membership director before we write an offer, usually while you are in town to see homes. What we learn can change which house, or which community, is the right one.

A recent example. A client wanted to join DragonRidge. During the home search we learned the club was moving its golf membership to MacDonald Highlands homeowners. We focused the search on MacDonald Highlands instead of the neighborhoods around it, so they would get the full membership.

07

Questions buyers ask