Where: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y.
Why: One of the most exclusive clubs on the East Coast — if not the nation — “Shinny” draws flocks of celebrities to play on this old-money course.
Signature Hole: The “Redan” — the famous par 3 seventh hole challenges even U.S. Open professionals.
Watering Hole: The porches of Shinnecock’s sprawling clubhouse are the perfect setting to get the club’s most popular drink: a Southside.
Cost: Initiation fee: $75,000; annual dues: $9,000
Who: Jimmy Buffett
Where: Bayonne Golf Club, Bayonne, N.J.
Why: A beautiful private ferry — complete with TVs and a bar — goes from Battery Park straight to the Scottish-links-style course.
Signature Hole: The par 4 16th hole, called “Heaven’s Gate,” offers stunning views of Manhattan.
Watering Hole: Bayonne’s bar, nicknamed “The Lighthouse” because it resembles one, overlooks Manhattan and the Hudson River.
Cost: Initiation: $200,000; annual dues: $20,000
Who: Nate Ruess of Fun, Nick Jonas
Where: Sherwood Country Club, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Why: Errol Flynn’s 1938 film Robin Hood (Sherwood Forest, anyone?) inspired the course, which sits at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Signature Hole: The 459-yard par 4 hole 13, which is bordered on the right by water, or hole 6 – “a rascal,” says a pro.
Watering Hole: The Men’s Grill (on the grounds) may draw herds of parched golfers, but women aren’t allowed, so the real fun is across the street at Robin’s Pub.
Cost: Initiation fee: $160,000; annual dues: $7,300
Who: Kenny G, Will Smith, Justin Timberlake
Where: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Why: Riviera — or “The Riv” — knows the way to a music executive’s heart: Management allows cellphones on the course.
Signature Hole: The 311-yard par 4 10th hole requires a nervy approach to a narrow, bunker-lined green.
Watering Hole: “Finding a member to let you into the [Riviera] clubhouse is almost as hard as finding one to get you a tee time,” jokes one music executive.
Cost: Initiation fee: $250,000; annual dues: $15,600
Who: Johnny Mathis, Irving Azoff, Robby Krieger
Where: Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Nashville
Why: This public, 18-hole Opryland Resort course is ideal for musicians. A private club doesn’t make sense when you’re on the road 100 days a year.
Signature Hole: The scenic par 3 14th hole goes over water and includes rock bluffs. Top that, Putt-Putt.
Watering Hole: With room for up to 300 people and breathtaking views, the antebellum-style Clubhouse at Gaylord Springs is reason alone to play the course.
Cost: $75 per round
Who: Steve Cropper, Will Pugh
Where: Vanderbilt Legends Club, Franklin, Tenn.
Why: “Legends,” a 36-hole, 750-member course, attracts a strict golf crowd: It has an excellent practice facility and no tennis or swim outlets.
Signature Hole: The par 4 10th hole on the south course is notorious locally for its difficulty.
Watering Hole: At Legends, it’s more about the golf and less about the boozing. There’s a clubhouse bar, but one member calls it “nothing special.”
Cost: Initiation fee: $15,000; annual dues: $6,000
Who: Alice Cooper, Vince Gill, Hank Williams Jr.