Staff Housing Makes a Comeback
At member-owned clubs across the country, staff housing is making a comeback. From coastal resorts to mountain golf clubs, facilities that once phased out employee residences are building them again.
The reasons are economic. High-end clubs require experienced staff who can deliver personalized service—from remembering members’ preferences to maintaining exacting standards. Meanwhile, housing costs in desirable locations have risen sharply. A dining room or housekeeping supervisor often cannot afford market-rate housing near clubs located in affluent zip codes.
The gap creates operational challenges. Long commutes lead to fatigue and turnover. Seasonal workers struggle to find short-term rentals. As a result, clubs competing for quality staff have found that offering housing provides a significant recruiting advantage.
Modern staff housing looks different than it once did. New facilities typically include private bedrooms or studios, shared common areas, fitness centers, and amenities like laundry and Wi-Fi. Some clubs have renovated historic cottages on their grounds; others have built new apartment-style complexes. Rent is usually subsidized or deducted from paychecks at below-market rates.
For employees, the arrangement offers obvious benefits: reduced housing costs, eliminated commutes, and built-in community with coworkers. The tradeoffs are also clear: less separation between work and personal life, housing contingent on employment, and limited control over living situations.
For clubs, staff housing solves multiple problems. It stabilizes the workforce, reduces tardiness and absenteeism, and makes it easier to fill positions requiring early mornings, late nights, weekends or seasonal availability. It also represents a significant capital investment—we’ve seen the cost for staff-focused facility projects range from $5 million up to $20 million. At the same time, for some clubs it is not even on the radar.
The model isn’t new; it’s a return to historical practice. Country clubs and estates once routinely provided staff housing, a norm that faded in the late 20th century as suburban development and car ownership made commuting viable. Rising housing costs have reversed that calculation.
Whether this trend expands depends largely on local housing markets. In areas where workforce housing remains affordable, clubs continue to rely on commuting staff. But in high-cost markets where clubs struggle to maintain service levels, staff housing is increasingly viewed as infrastructure—as essential as the clubhouse kitchen or maintenance facilities. As a result, it has now become an essential part of many clubs’ long-range strategic planning as well.
About Christian Clerc, AIA
Christian has been in the construction, architecture, and planning fields for over 20 years and has been involved in all aspects of McMahon services during his 10 years with the firm. He has drafted Master Plans, written strategic plans, and presented improvement projects to memberships. In addition to training and supporting new staff across several departments, Christian works closely with Club planners and leadership to develop innovative services that help clients in a rapidly changing world. He developed the survey benchmark by analyzing years of membership surveys, which now serve as a backbone to McMahon’s membership analysis and industry-wide assessments.
A respected industry voice, Christian is a featured speaker for the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) and the National Club Association (NCA), as well as a featured author in industry publications. He holds AIA membership and LEED AP BD+C credentials, further demonstrating his commitment to sustainable and innovative design practices.
Christian graduated with honors from the University of Dallas in Texas with a bachelor’s degree in physics, where he served as treasurer and social chairman of the men’s rugby club. He participated in undergraduate astronomy research in Wooster Ohio, Pitkin Colorado and at MIT’s Haystack observatory. After working in construction, he returned to school and graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis, earning two graduate degrees in Architecture and Urban Design. As Graduate Architecture Council treasurer, he established the first funding mechanism for the annual Year End Show (YES), showcasing recent graduates’ work. He presented façade research on phase change materials in Hong Kong China and façade adaptive reuse in Delft Netherlands. He is a registered architect in several states, most proudly in his home ‘Show-Me’ state of Missouri.
Christian’s professional achievements are rooted in his core values. His faith, wife Lauren, and their five children are at the heart of his life, fueling his pursuit of excellence in all spheres. This foundation drives his passion to create positive change at home and in the wider world. Christian and Lauren contribute to their church’s Marriage Enrichment ministry, and he has served on parish councils. His community engagement has extended to various professional organizations.
