A lot of the comments here seem to assume that only the rich play golf. I'm from a golfing family (don't play myself) and that is definitely not always the case, at least in New Zealand. Sure you'd get doctors and lawyers playing but the bulk of the club would be middle class people making well under the equivalent $100k. Certainly not people who can afford to drop say $1000 casually.
I just asked my relatives what the rule is at their club (which is fairly nice/expensive as clubs go) and they said "In the old days the club would shout the bar, at our club new the club pays $150 and you pay the rest. So normally people wait till few have left before buying". So just a single round of drinks. I've found similar bits in the rules of other clubs
For instance my local club ( http://www.akaranagolf.co.nz/akarana_join.php in the middle of Auckland ) charges $1875/year ( $NZ but close enough to $US) for a full member while the club I used to play at ( http://taierigolf.co.nz/?page_id=49#membership a bit out of a smaller city ) charges $650/year. You could play all year for just that amount.
I just asked my relatives what the rule is at their club (which is fairly nice/expensive as clubs go) and they said "In the old days the club would shout the bar, at our club new the club pays $150 and you pay the rest. So normally people wait till few have left before buying". So just a single round of drinks. I've found similar bits in the rules of other clubs