Frank Vain
President
Mr. Vain provides consulting and planning services to private clubs throughout North America. Through use of specialized services including membership surveys, strategic planning, operational analysis and facility long range planning, Frank assists club in developing individualized strategies for their unique situations.
Mr. Vain joined McMahon Group in 1988 and has more than forty years of experience in the management and development of hospitality properties including country clubs, city athletic and dining clubs and residential communities. Frank is Past President of The Country Club of St. Albans, a 36-hole country club located in Missouri, and he is a former partner in Concord Sports Club, a 1,700 member family athletic club in St. Louis. Frank was elected to the Board of the National Club Association in 2011 and served as Chairman in 2019-20.
Mr. Vain is a native of Philadelphia and graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is a featured speaker at the annual Club Managers Association of America World Conference, National Club Association National and Regional Conferences, Major Golf Associations and a regional chapter meeting of club managers and leaders.
Frank is a regular contributor to industry leading publications like Club Management, Club Director and BoardRoom. He was named the Gary Player Club Educator of the Year for 2012 and 2015 by BoardRoom. He is also a co-author of McMahon’s Club Trends, a recognized industry benchmark on the trends and issues affecting private clubs.
Posts by Frank Vain
Facility Planning: McMahons Process of Getting Club Projects Approved
Watch this video of Frank Vain, President of McMahon Group, explains McMahon Groups thorough process of getting large and small scale facility projects approved.
Read MoreFrom the Ashes Comes a Fun New Age Club – The Story of LuLu Country Club
This story of LuLu shows how important it is to develop clarity about how to position your club in your market area and to design the facilities to support that vision.
Read MorePhase NeXt: New Dining Facilities Open at Carmel Country Club
Carmel Country Club in Charlotte is a best-in-class example of net worth growth over the last 20 years. Working steadily from a strategic plan, the Club has invested in all areas of the member experience
Read MoreDo Club Members Want Golf Simulators?
Watch this video of Frank Vain, President of McMahon Group, explain how popular golf simulators have become in the club world and how your club can utilize its recent popularity.
Read MoreThe Most Important Club Activity When all Members are Considered
Watch this video of Frank Vain, President of McMahon Group, tell us why most members view dining as very important in their club experience.
Read MoreFacilities For The Future
While there is still a swirl of pandemic-induced uncertainty across the country, member feedback and usage patterns suggest that the social impact of the disease has been to accelerate lifestyle trends that were already underway.
Read MoreStrategic Planning: Why it’s the Boards Job to be Forward Thinking
Watch this video of Frank Vain, President of McMahon Group, explain why the Board should be visionary in the future planning for their club.
Read MoreFacility Planning: McMahons Process of Getting Club Projects Approved
Watch this video of Frank Vain, President of McMahon Group, detail McMahon Groups thorough process of getting large and small scale projects approved.
Read MoreOpen the Gates, Here They Come.
Gated community clubs are benefiting from a combination of powerful forces that will prove to be both transformative and enduring. This is the time for leaders to reinvent and reinvest so they can position their clubs and communities to blossom over the next decade.
Read MoreGetting Members out of Their House and to the Club Will be the Newest Form of Competition Facing Your Club and the Broader Industry
Life is no longer segmented into the neat parcels it once was. Rather than serving as a destination where members go to get away from the world, the clubhouse of the future should be an oasis where members go any time of the day or week to socialize, dine, play and recreate.
Read MoreClubs Have Been In Contraction, But There Are Opportunities For Clubs
Watch this video of Frank Vain, President of McMahon Group, explaining why the Board should be visionary in the future planning for their club.
Read MoreSeabrook Island Club’s New Horizon Plan Coming to Life
Like many of the clubs that were able to make improvements during the Great Recession, Seabrook Island outperformed its projections in membership, utilization and debt reduction, making the New Horizon Plan feasible.
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