Live in New York and don’t wanna drop $100K on a membership (and $20K in annual dues) to an exclusive golf club…well, you don’t have to anymore, thanks to Tour GCX , a new fractional golf club. According to Gary Rosenberg, Chief Marketing Officer of the company, the concept was inspired by Marquis Jet – and works in a similar way. A member applies, and if accepted, can buy a Tour GCX card for $6250, that is valid for 10 rounds of golf (each one a foursome) at local New York/Tri-State golf clubs over the course of one year.

Tour GCX launched in the spring of ‘04 with four golf clubs participating and about 50 members – at the end of ‘05, the club was at 400 members, with 15 clubs participating and over 1000 rounds of golf were played by members using the card.

Who joins? Commitment-phobic golfers? Maybe, but more likely a similar profile to those who join destination clubs: busy executive or small business owner, with a family, that enjoy golf but can’t find the time to make a membership at one club worthwhile – and probably prefers the opportunity to experience different clubs and courses.

Expansion planned: first in the Washington DC area, and then Chicago and Boston and a few clubs in business destinations, like Vegas and Florida. Looks like the fractional concept has broad appeal, from luxury homes to golf to handbags.

More on Tour GCX later – we want to try the club to see if we get treated as a real member would when we turn up to golf at one of the participating clubs. We also want to find out which clubs are participating – they are kept “secret’ until you join Tour GCX, presumably to save these exclusive clubs from the potential embarassment of needing to sell their tee-off times to a fractional program.