diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/group-membership-button.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/group-membership-button.js.es6
index b5911799093..b27ce66f79c 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/group-membership-button.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/group-membership-button.js.es6
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import { default as computed } from 'ember-addons/ember-computed-decorators';
 import { popupAjaxError } from 'discourse/lib/ajax-error';
-import Group from 'discourse/models/group';
+import DiscourseURL from 'discourse/lib/url';
 
 export default Ember.Component.extend({
+  loading: false,
+
   @computed("model.public")
   canJoinGroup(publicGroup) {
     return publicGroup;
@@ -51,13 +53,12 @@ export default Ember.Component.extend({
 
     requestMembership() {
       if (this.currentUser) {
-        const groupName = this.get('model.name');
+        this.set('loading', true);
 
-        Group.loadOwners(groupName).then(result => {
-          const names = result.map(owner => owner.username).join(",");
-          const title = I18n.t('groups.request_membership_pm.title');
-          const body = I18n.t('groups.request_membership_pm.body', { groupName });
-          this.sendAction("createNewMessageViaParams", names, title, body);
+        this.get('model').requestMembership().then(result => {
+          DiscourseURL.routeTo(result.relative_url);
+        }).catch(popupAjaxError).finally(() => {
+          this.set('loading', false);
         });
       } else {
         this._showLoginModal();
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/group.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/group.js.es6
index a85025e410e..f14507c6abe 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/group.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/group.js.es6
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { ajax } from 'discourse/lib/ajax';
 import { default as computed, observes } from "ember-addons/ember-computed-decorators";
 import GroupHistory from 'discourse/models/group-history';
 import RestModel from 'discourse/models/rest';
-import { popupAjaxError } from 'discourse/lib/ajax-error';
 
 const Group = RestModel.extend({
   limit: 50,
@@ -202,7 +201,13 @@ const Group = RestModel.extend({
       data: { notification_level, user_id: userId },
       type: "POST"
     });
-  }
+  },
+
+  requestMembership() {
+    return ajax(`/groups/${this.get('name')}/request_membership`, {
+      type: "POST"
+    });
+  },
 });
 
 Group.reopenClass({
@@ -216,10 +221,6 @@ Group.reopenClass({
     return ajax("/groups/" + name + ".json").then(result => Group.create(result.basic_group));
   },
 
-  loadOwners(name) {
-    return ajax('/groups/' + name + '/owners.json').catch(popupAjaxError);
-  },
-
   loadMembers(name, offset, limit, params) {
     return ajax('/groups/' + name + '/members.json', {
       data: _.extend({
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/components/group-membership-button.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/components/group-membership-button.hbs
index fb1444bbf37..ed17b2a79bd 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/components/group-membership-button.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/components/group-membership-button.hbs
@@ -24,8 +24,13 @@
   {{else}}
     {{d-button action="requestMembership"
         class="group-index-request"
+        disabled=loading
         icon="envelope"
         label="groups.request"}}
+
+    {{#if loading}}
+      {{loading-spinner size="small"}}
+    {{/if}}
   {{/if}}
 {{else}}
   {{yield}}
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/group.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/group.hbs
index 95fcabb36a7..24afa5a0c70 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/group.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/group.hbs
@@ -43,9 +43,7 @@
         {{/each}}
       {{/mobile-nav}}
 
-      {{group-membership-button model=model
-        createNewMessageViaParams='createNewMessageViaParams'
-        showLogin='showLogin'}}
+      {{group-membership-button model=model showLogin='showLogin'}}
     </div>
   </div>
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/groups.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/groups.hbs
index 98faa7e4174..296324e7737 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/groups.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/groups.hbs
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@
 
                 <td>
                   {{#group-membership-button model=group
-                      createNewMessageViaParams='createNewMessageViaParams'
                       showMembershipStatus=true
                       groupUserIds=groups.extras.group_user_ids
                       showLogin='showLogin'}}
diff --git a/app/controllers/groups_controller.rb b/app/controllers/groups_controller.rb
index 1a027838d77..33b86d9e5b2 100644
--- a/app/controllers/groups_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/groups_controller.rb
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ class GroupsController < ApplicationController
     :mentionable,
     :update,
     :messages,
-    :histories
+    :histories,
+    :request_membership
   ]
 
   skip_before_filter :preload_json, :check_xhr, only: [:posts_feed, :mentions_feed]
@@ -136,16 +137,6 @@ class GroupsController < ApplicationController
     }
   end
 
-  def owners
-    group = find_group(:group_id)
-
-    owners = group.users.where('group_users.owner')
-      .order("users.last_seen_at DESC")
-      .limit(5)
-
-    render_serialized(owners, GroupUserSerializer)
-  end
-
   def add_members
     group = Group.find(params[:id])
     group.public ? ensure_logged_in : guardian.ensure_can_edit!(group)
@@ -238,7 +229,27 @@ class GroupsController < ApplicationController
     else
       render_json_error(group)
     end
+  end
 
+  def request_membership
+    unless current_user.staff?
+      RateLimiter.new(current_user, "request_group_membership", 1, 1.day).performed!
+    end
+
+    group = find_group(:id)
+    group_name = group.name
+    username = current_user.username
+
+    post = PostCreator.new(current_user,
+      title: I18n.t('groups.request_membership_pm.title', group_name: group_name),
+      raw: I18n.t('groups.request_membership_pm.body', group_name: group_name),
+      archetype: Archetype.private_message,
+      target_usernames: username,
+      target_group_names: group_name,
+      skip_validations: true
+    ).create!
+
+    render json: success_json.merge(relative_url: post.topic.relative_url)
   end
 
   def set_notifications
diff --git a/config/locales/client.en.yml b/config/locales/client.en.yml
index 673c0d08000..f4f41434969 100644
--- a/config/locales/client.en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/client.en.yml
@@ -407,9 +407,6 @@ en:
         full_name: 'Full Name'
         add_members: "Add Members"
         delete_member_confirm: "Remove '%{username}' from the '%{group}' group?"
-      request_membership_pm:
-        title: "Membership Request"
-        body: "I would like to apply for membership in @%{groupName}."
       name_placeholder: "Group name, no spaces, same as username rule"
       public: "Allow users to join/leave the group freely (Requires group to be visible)"
       empty:
diff --git a/config/locales/server.en.yml b/config/locales/server.en.yml
index 6fa05371483..94070e7a367 100644
--- a/config/locales/server.en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/server.en.yml
@@ -274,6 +274,9 @@ en:
       trust_level_2: "trust_level_2"
       trust_level_3: "trust_level_3"
       trust_level_4: "trust_level_4"
+    request_membership_pm:
+      title: "Membership Request for @%{group_name}"
+      body: "I would like to apply for membership in @%{group_name}."
 
   education:
     until_posts:
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index 99f87cdf682..6b94848c0fe 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -430,7 +430,6 @@ Discourse::Application.routes.draw do
     get 'activity' => "groups#show"
     get 'activity/:filter' => "groups#show"
     get 'members'
-    get 'owners'
     get 'posts'
     get 'topics'
     get 'mentions'
@@ -442,6 +441,7 @@ Discourse::Application.routes.draw do
     member do
       put "members" => "groups#add_members"
       delete "members" => "groups#remove_member"
+      post "request_membership" => "groups#request_membership"
       post "notifications" => "groups#set_notifications"
     end
   end
diff --git a/spec/integration/groups_spec.rb b/spec/integration/groups_spec.rb
index 788d72c1b1f..f5ab5fc75ba 100644
--- a/spec/integration/groups_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/integration/groups_spec.rb
@@ -151,26 +151,6 @@ describe "Groups" do
     end
   end
 
-  describe 'owners' do
-    let(:user1) { Fabricate(:user, last_seen_at: Time.zone.now) }
-    let(:user2) { Fabricate(:user, last_seen_at: Time.zone.now - 1 .day) }
-    let(:group) { Fabricate(:group, users: [user, user1, user2]) }
-
-    it 'should return the right list of owners' do
-      group.add_owner(user1)
-      group.add_owner(user2)
-
-      xhr :get, "/groups/#{group.name}/owners"
-
-      expect(response).to be_success
-
-      owners = JSON.parse(response.body)
-
-      expect(owners.count).to eq(2)
-      expect(owners.map { |o| o["id"] }.sort).to eq([user1.id, user2.id])
-    end
-  end
-
   describe 'members' do
     let(:user1) do
       Fabricate(:user,
@@ -555,4 +535,41 @@ describe "Groups" do
       end
     end
   end
+
+  describe "requesting membership for a group" do
+    let(:new_user) { Fabricate(:user) }
+
+    it 'requires the user to log in' do
+      expect do
+        xhr :post, "/groups/#{group.name}/request_membership"
+      end.to raise_error(Discourse::NotLoggedIn)
+    end
+
+    it 'should create the right PM' do
+      sign_in(user)
+
+      xhr :post, "/groups/#{group.name}/request_membership"
+
+      expect(response).to be_success
+
+      post = Post.last
+      topic = post.topic
+      body = JSON.parse(response.body)
+
+      expect(body['relative_url']).to eq(topic.relative_url)
+      expect(post.user).to eq(user)
+
+      expect(topic.title).to eq(I18n.t('groups.request_membership_pm.title',
+        group_name: group.name
+      ))
+
+      expect(post.raw).to eq(I18n.t(
+        'groups.request_membership_pm.body', group_name: group.name
+      ))
+
+      expect(topic.archetype).to eq(Archetype.private_message)
+      expect(topic.allowed_users).to eq([user])
+      expect(topic.allowed_groups).to eq([group])
+    end
+  end
 end