New house, new mortgage, and I'm still debating a $6K/yr golf membership — sanity check
TL;DR: 26M healthcare worker (HOOPP pension), new homeowner as of late Sept, ~25% savings rate at income floor even with a golf membership. Deciding between a $525/mo country club (10-yr initiation commitment) and a $228/mo budget course (1-yr waived-initiation rate). Leaning toward the budget option for year one, then reassessing once real house costs are known. Is that the right call, or am I overthinking something the numbers already answer?
Background
26M, work in healthcare, HOOPP defined benefit pension (7–9% of earnings contribution, employer matches + adds ~26% more, no max).
Partner (same age, also healthcare, same pension) and I closed on our first house — bungalow, $740K purchase price, 20% down, variable rate mortgage at 3.55%. Closing late September. All house costs excluding the down payment are split 50/50. We'll be merging finances soon.
Long-term goal is a phased retirement rather than a hard stop — I work in a field with a lot of flexibility in hours, and I like what I do. The goal is working because I want to, not because I have to.
No kids planned. Travel is a real priority (not yet built into the budget below). Getting a dog within the next year. Planning to marry within 5 years. None of this is modeled yet, but it's coming.
Income
Guaranteed salary: $87K/year at 26.25 hrs/week. I regularly pick up extra shifts, realistically closer to $100K/year, though it's hard to predict exactly how much. Hourly rate rises 4%/year for the next 3 years until I hit the top of the grid; after that the whole grid moves periodically with inflation.
Take-home floor (guaranteed shifts only, after HOOPP deductions): $4,400/month. Realistic take-home most months is higher ($5,000–5,100) — I'm stress-testing against the floor.
Monthly budget — post-closing (my share only)
Category Amount
Mortgage + property tax + estimated utilities (my half) $1,883.00
Estimated home maintenance (1%/yr of $740K, my half) $308.33
Home insurance (est. — moving from ~$10/mo renter's policy) $70.00
Car insurance $225.00
Gas (fuel) $150.00
Internet (covered by credit card rewards) $0.00
Total Bills $2,636.33
Food (my half of groceries + eating out) + personal/misc $656.34
Total fixed + typical variable spend $3,292.67
(Gas dropped since we're planning to live closer to work post-move. No debt.)
That leaves $1,107/month (25.2%) surplus at the income floor, or ~$1,764/month (34.9%) at realistic income, before any golf membership.
The two options
Option A — Fancier country club
Dues: $4,279 + HST Initiation: $750/yr for 10 years F&B minimum: $550/yr (my share) HST applies to the full membership cost, not just dues: ($4,279 + $750 + $550) × 1.13 = $6,304.27/yr = $525.36/month Dues increase to $5,300/yr after age 40 5 min from home, 5 min from work
Option B — Budget private course, 1-year rate
Dues: $2,420 + HST = $2,734.60/yr, initiation waived year 1 (otherwise $600/yr for 10 years) Under-29 rate — increases annually until I'm 35, up to $4,330/yr eventually Year 1 total: $2,734.60/yr = $227.88/month 6 min from home, 15 min from work What each does to my savings rate Scenario At income floor ($4,400) At realistic income (~$5,057) No membership $1,107/mo (25.2%) $1,764/mo (34.9%) Option B (budget course) $879/mo (20.0%) $1,536/mo (30.4%) Option A (fancier club) $582/mo (13.2%) $1,239/mo (24.5%)
Option A leaves ~$582/month of margin in a guaranteed-shifts-only month — a 13.2% savings rate. Option B holds up better at the floor (20.0%). Neither is "unaffordable," but Option A leans more on picking up extra shifts to stay comfortable — which is realistic for me, and if shifts ever dried up I could pick up additional work elsewhere in my field.
Phased retirement context
Combined post-down-payment invested assets: ~$109K, plus whatever we save between now and end of September.
We'll also have home equity — putting $148K (20%) down on a $740K property in a medium-high cost-of-living area just outside the GTA.
Target retirement spending isn't nailed down precisely, but travel is a big priority.
My actual HOOPP estimate (from the pension portal, assuming no future raises, current work pattern held to 55): $61,980/year at 55, just for me. My partner earns slightly more and is projected at $88,700/year at 55. Combined: $150.6K/year household (today's dollars) from age 55.
Mortgage is scheduled to be paid off in 2051.
Our non-house assets ($109K), growing at 7% real with zero further contributions, would reach ~$775K by 55.
I don't think there's a bad option here. I know some non-golfers reading this may think spending this much on golf is silly, but for me it's therapy, exercise, social time, and networking — something I genuinely look forward to, and I play 100+ rounds a year.
We've always been frugal, which is part of how we got here. Part of me feels guilty even considering the nicer club — it feels like lifestyle creep — but looking at the numbers, I think we could comfortably afford it. Assuming no kids, no job loss, and zero additional investment beyond what we already have, we'd still end up with a paid-off house, ~$775K in savings, and ~$150K/year in pension income by 55.
My instinct is that the financially smart move is the 1-year, initiation-waived budget option, then reassess. I'm making a lot of estimates right now about a house I don't own yet — in a year I'll have a much clearer picture of my actual budget and could join the nicer club then if it still makes sense.
Thanks in advance — questions and pushback both welcome.