I agree with many of the things here, but my biggest thing is the vibe of the club/membership and how that matches your personality.
Maybe this is a result of getting older, but I’ve reached a point in my life where the names on the inside of the scorecard are more important than the name on the outside.
I switched clubs before the 2020 season in part because I just didn’t feel all that comfortable at my previous club. Now it’s a place that gets a lot of love from the woke crowd, but the combination of a small membership and a less-than-welcoming membership meant that I played golf alone a lot if I didn’t bring a game.
My new club is much busier and it’s a true golfers club. The people are there to play golf and people aren’t quite as concerned about where you work, etc. The vibe is just totally different and it is more comfortable for me. Is the golf course as good as the last place? It’s close, but probably a half step down (think second 100 in the Golfweek classic rankings vs. top 100). I have met a ton of good dudes and love my time there, even if you have to plan golf more than the previous place where you could just show up.