Who Gets the Season Tickets and Country Club Membership in a Houston Divorce?

When you’re facing divorce in Texas, questions about valuable lifestyle assets like season tickets and country club memberships can feel overwhelming. These aren’t just recreational perks—they represent significant financial investments and social connections that both spouses may want to keep.

Under Texas community property law, assets acquired during marriage typically get divided equally between spouses. However, season tickets to the Astros, Texans, or Rockets, along with prestigious country club memberships, are more difficult to divide.

Fortunately, Texas courts have established clear guidelines for handling these high-value recreational assets. Whether your season tickets are worth thousands or your club membership represents decades of social and business connections, understanding your rights can help you make informed decisions about your future.

At Roger G. Jain & Associates, P.C., our Houston divorce lawyers understand how much is at stake during a divorce. As your attorneys, we’ll identify all family assets, including season tickets, country club memberships, private hunting club memberships, marina memberships, and more. We’ll go over exactly how Texas family courts handle these types of assets during divorce proceedings, and what steps you can take to protect your interests.

Common Recreational & Lifestyle Assets in Houston Divorces

During a Houston divorce, couples often overlook valuable lifestyle memberships and entertainment assets. These recreational investments can represent tens of thousands of dollars in value and may appreciate significantly over time, making proper identification and valuation critical to a fair settlement.

Some of the most common ones we see include:

• Season tickets (sports, theater, concerts)
• Country club memberships
• Golf club memberships
• Boat slips and marina memberships
• Timeshare ownership
• Hunting club memberships
• Wine club memberships
• Private box seats or suites
• RV resort memberships
• Vacation rental shares
• Professional/social club memberships

How Texas Community Property Law Affects Season Tickets

Texas follows community property rules, which means assets acquired during marriage belong equally to both spouses. This includes season tickets purchased during the marriage, regardless of whose name appears on the account.

The court will consider several key factors:

• Purchase Date: Tickets bought before marriage remain separate property. However, if you renewed or upgraded tickets using marital income, those improvements become community property.
• Payment Source: Season tickets paid for with separate funds (inheritance, pre-marital savings) may remain separate property. But using joint accounts or marital income makes them community assets.
• Use During Marriage: Courts look at who primarily used the tickets. If one spouse consistently attended games alone or for business purposes, this could influence the division.

Country Club Memberships Present Unique Challenges

Country club memberships (as well as hunting club memberships) in Houston can cost $50,000 to $200,000 or more for initiation fees alone, plus ongoing monthly dues. These memberships often carry significant social and business value beyond their monetary worth.

Texas courts treat club memberships differently based on their structure:

• Individual Memberships: If the membership is in one spouse’s name and was purchased before marriage, it typically remains separate property. However, if marital funds paid monthly dues or covered improvements, the non-member spouse may claim partial ownership.
• Joint Memberships: These are clearly community property and subject to division. The court must decide whether to award the membership to one spouse or order its sale.
• Corporate Memberships: Business-owned memberships add another layer. If one spouse owns the business, they may retain the membership, but the other spouse could receive compensation for their community property interest.

How Courts Value Season Tickets and Club Memberships

Figuring out what your season tickets and club memberships are worth takes some work. Texas courts look at several things to get the right price. For season ticket holders, they might consider what similar seats cost today, how much tickets have gone up in value over time, and how many years are left on your contract.

If you have a country club, golf, or hunting club membership, the courts might look at what new members pay today to join, how much penalties are for quitting the club, and any other perks associated with membership.

Sometimes judges will rely on professional appraisers hired by the parties to value expensive memberships. This happens most often with exclusive clubs where it’s hard to find good price information.

Division Options Available to Houston Couples

Texas family courts have several tools for dividing recreational assets fairly:

1. Buyout Arrangements: One spouse keeps the tickets or membership while paying the other spouse half the appraised value. This works well when one person values the asset more than the other.
2. Sale and Division: The court may order the couple to sell season tickets or resign from the club, then split the proceeds. This approach ensures both parties receive equal monetary value.
3. Offsetting Assets: The spouse keeping the tickets or membership receives fewer assets elsewhere in the divorce settlement to balance the division.
4. Alternating Use: Rarely used but possible for season tickets, this arrangement lets each spouse use the tickets for specific games or seasons.

Protecting Your Lifestyle Interests During Divorce

When you’re getting a divorce, you’ll want to gather records showing how tickets or memberships were purchased, renewed, and used during marriage. Bank statements, credit card records, and attendance logs all provide valuable evidence.

Don’t trust online calculators or generic estimates for your valuable memberships. Professional appraisers understand the unique rules and market dynamics of Houston’s exclusive clubs and premium ticket packages. Your Houston divorce attorney will work with these professionals to uncover the real value of your recreational assets.

Season tickets and country club memberships involve both significant financial value and personal attachment. The division process can become contentious, especially when these assets represent decades of social connections or business relationships.

We will work to protect your memberships, season ticket packages, and other recreational assets. However, sometimes trading a country club membership for other marital assets creates a better overall outcome.

Contact Our Houston Divorce Lawyers

An experienced Houston divorce attorney at Roger G. Jain & Associates, P.C can help you understand your rights, properly value these assets, and develop strategies that protect your interests. We can also identify whether your tickets or membership qualify as separate property, potentially keeping them out of the division process entirely.

Don’t let valuable recreational assets slip through the cracks during your divorce. Contact our Houston divorce team today to schedule a consultation and protect your valuable recreational assets. Call us at 713-981-0600 or fill out our confidential contact form to learn more about your legal options.