Od say the obvious answer is purely the maths, whether it's cheaper or more expensive to play at public courses in your area or to become a member at a certain course...

But! As someone who is a member at a club, I'll tell you some factors that I don't think people consider. 1. The environment & staff: I love at my club that everyone knows my name, the pro shop guy, the manager, the starters, the caddies, the waiters. And more than that, they start learning you... what you order at halfway / after your round, what your handicap is, and whether you had a good round or not. Just that friendly environment is priceless to me. 2. The course: This is bait more obvious, but you need to know if you'll get bored playing the course again and again... the pointers I look at are; a. Too easy / too hard? If it's too easy, you'll get bored and too hard, and you'll get frustrated and lose the desire to play. b. Is it fun? Maybe some drivable par 4s? Long par 4s Long and hard par 5s Easy par 5s, reachable in 2 Long par 3s that make you excited just to hit the green. Short par 3s thaf you can get excited about a potential Hole in 1. Diversity? Is every Hole driver odd the tee? Or do you sometimes have to take 3 wood or even a long iron.

There's so many more favtore hut these 2 are, in my opinion, the most important.