The Future of Private Golf Clubs in America

Much was written in 2007 about the challenges facing private club operators. Reports cited declining memberships, decreased utilization and even club closures. But we wondered, just how common are these problems? Are they narrowly contained to the relatively few clubs that were being written about, or are the problems much more widespread? To answer these questions, the NGF undertook a national study of private golf clubs. We surveyed hundreds of club operators in order to determine the scope and seriousness of the problems facing private golf. The results of our study are contained in this report.

Additional Information

Report Excerpt

Most clubs, regardless of their current financial health, are trying a variety of things to improve their situation including: 1) offering special membership arrangements; 2) making capital improvements; and 3) introducing new or expanded programming.

Clearly, what works for one club may not work for another. It all depends upon a club’s unique situation which is affected by many factors such as its positioning in its local golf market, area demographics, the quality of its golf course, clubhouse and other amenities, etc.

The biggest difference between successful and at-risk clubs is in the area of special membership offers. At-risk clubs are much more likely to be discounting and offering new membership types in an attempt to replace lost members.Many successful clubs are also trying these things, but less often and less desperately.