Membership Question For Today: When is a Club No Longer a Club?

ANSWER:  When no one there knows your name (not the Board, Manager or other members).

Club membership is personal. It is not just about playing golf, tennis, swimming or dining. It is about people, friendships and enjoying life with people we like and have something in common with. Who likes to play golf or tennis alone or dine by themself? No one!

The biggest threats to a private club’s existence are when it becomes impersonal, is too business-focused on eliminating operating losses, has a Board that’s arrogant in how it governs, doesn’t listen to members’ wants, and no longer pursues a social purpose of bringing members and their families together. 

At McMahon Group, we serve over 2,000 clubs of all sizes and types. We see what makes great clubs—and why clubs fall from greatness. The key factor for a club’s success, no matter what type of club it is, is providing social connectiveness among members. 

For dining clubs, the biggest challenge is not necessarily having the best food, but to provide the best place to enjoy good food and have members connect socially. A dining club that doesn’t provide members with good social interaction just becomes a restaurant that charges dues, and will never be successful.

Likewise, a golf club that just has a good golf course without also promoting strong social interaction among its golfing members is really just another place with 18 holes. If that’s all a member wants, there are plenty of golf courses without dues. But a good golf club knows how to make itself member-friendly—because the best part of being a member is the fun we have being together before, during and after playing golf, as we build friendships for life.

The Board and Manager’s Responsibility

So what can we do as managers and Board members to build and foster a member-friendly club that attracts and retains members by promoting strong social bonding among them?

It all starts at the top with the Board and management team, who need to work together to create a friendly club atmosphere and culture that is so contagious, members can’t wait to be at their club. The Board has to communicate a member-first attitude that defines and promotes the club as the place where members and their families want to be. The club must have friendly policies, good facilities, high-quality services and good communication that keeps members informed and encourages them to participate on committees and serve on the Board. 

A Truly “Special” Touch

From managers and department heads to every staff person, the emphasis must always be on being friendly and helpful to members and their families. A good example of a staff-driven success story is what my grandson, Drew, recently accomplished at the Little Harbor Club in Harbor Springs, Mich.

Drew works in the club’s most casual restaurant that serves hundreds of members daily. When a certain lady member often had complaints about the food in this very popular dining room, Drew took it upon himself to please her. He crafted a special sandwich that she loved so much, she promoted it and called it the “Drew Special.” She now raves about the club’s food, eats there all the time and tells all of her friends to try the “Drew Special.”

This was just another great example of how a little bit of love and care can help to build a great club that good managers like Little Harbor’s General Manager/COO, Jed Avery, CCM, promote through their leadership (see more about Little Harbor’s successful approach to staffing and building a service-first culture in the August 2026 McMahon Report). 

To make sure your club remains a true club, the secret to success is to not just be a place with a golf course, tennis courts or a restaurant. Add a big dose of fun and social connectiveness generated by the Board, management and membership, and you will end up with one of the best clubs for everyone to enjoy. 

Remember: “Building friendships for life among your membership also keeps them members for life in your club.”