Welcome to the club
By Jeffrey T. Lavery
For years, a day at the links meant that fathers and husbands disappeared for hours at a time, returning only after the last hole was putted out and the final brew was downed.
That model has changed, with private courses across the region and the country catering to the entire family. New services like group clinics, spa treatments, theme parties and swimming lessons mean the entire family can spend the day at the club. And while the men and women members may still play 18 holes, more clubs are limiting membership for fast play.While private clubs have suffered in recent years from overbuilding of courses and dwindling membership, many people still view belonging to a club as a coveted badge of prestige. Earlier this year, Framingham Country Club settled a lawsuit awarding $262,000 to an applicant whose name was skipped on a wait list. The suit alleged that Mary Murray was passed over because she was a woman.
Currently, most clubs throughout the area have just the opposite problem: no waiting lists. As a result, experts say club managers need to adapt to survive.
"Many clubs are getting creative with membership options for the 35 to 40 year-old set," says Tom Landry, executive director of the Massachusetts Golf Association (MGA).
Tee times take back seat
The private golf industry reached its peak in the mid to late 90s, experts say, with waiting lists years long and construction of new courses rampant. Fueled by a number of factors, prospects seemed good for gaining and building membership.
For example, Tiger mania swept the nation. Young people were taking up the sport of golf at a furious rate, prompting the need for golf clinics and construction of more courses. A rosy economic picture bloomed as the dot-com era made millionaires overnight.
Then came the new decade, and things began to turn ugly for private clubs. As Tiger excitement cooled and the internet bubble burst, memberships dropped. Following the attacks on the World Trade Center, a more cautious consumer emerged, placing big expenditures like club memberships on the backburner. The economic downturn following 9/11 also led to a wave of corporate downsizing. Even those who survived the layoffs found themselves working longer hours, with fewer opportunities for a day at a private golf club.
At the same time, the building boom in public courses — many of them with posh facilities — gave golfers an alternative to the hefty membership fees for private clubs. Examples in this area include Cyprian Keyes, Blackstone Valley and Red Tail Golf Club.
Meanwhile, the number of private courses dropped from 4,810 in 1990 to 4,372 in 2005. Further, the core golfer — those playing 8 or more rounds a year — has been slow to rebound from its post 9/11 drop. According to the National Golf Association, the number of adult core golfers fell by about 300,000 between 2004 and 2005.
Combined with shifting priorities and an abundance of golf courses to play at, it’s clear the days of the quintessential old boys’ club are numbered. No more do husbands and fathers depart Saturday mornings for the golf course. In fact, many club managers report that the tees are wide open those mornings, namely because parents line the soccer field instead of the greens. Combined with dual income households limiting the time families spend together, fathers shy away from additional time away on the weekends.
"Golf courses need to look to other avenues to stay productive," notes Dudley Darling, president of the New England Chapter of the National Golf Course Owners Association. "Private clubs are hurting, even if they have a waiting list. It’s not what they were like 5 years ago."
Battling for members
With every private club in Central Mass. and Metro West offering different amenities, potential members have their choice for clubs. While some focus on golf with amenities second, other clubs were built with families in mind. However, a pool and a tennis court do not guarantee a successful club. With many private facilities resistant to marketing for fear of making current members question the club’s retention rate, membership directors rely heavily on word of mouth and references.
Hopkinton Country Club prides itself on family memberships, says club manager Tim Gordon. One of the newer clubs in the region, Hopkinton was founded in 2002. Since then, it has built a membership of 380 members, and has focused largely on offering amenities families will flock to, including a pool complex, swim teams, holiday parties and a kids’ night out.
"The club is an extension of their personal lives," says Gordon. "This is not an old-world, blue-blood club."
The model is working. Gordon notes that since its inception, membership has not gone down. With an average age of 42, the club has hit its targeted demographic head on, while corporate memberships are "few and far between," notes Gordon. An added benefit is the club’s location, falling midway between Worcester and Boston. The National Golf Foundation notes that 55 percent of core golfer play occurs less than 20 minutes from home, making central location a tremendous asset.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton has suffered a 30 percent drop in membership. Club manager Stephen Mingolla only has to look at guest and member play to know the numbers are down. While the facility offers a pool, tennis courts and walking trails, Mingolla maintains that in the course’s hay day, clients came for the course, and not the extras.
"People are always asking, "What else do you offer?" notes Mingolla. "The family package is what they’re looking at."
While Pleasant Valley offers flexible membership plans, such as spreading the membership dues over a set time period, Mingolla pledges that the course will not go through a fire sale. Some courses will offer substantially reduced rates to quickly build membership. Last May, Mount Pleasant Country Club in Boylston halved its initiation fee to entice new members. Mingolla notes that this can lead to strife between older members who may have joined at higher rates.
Instead of slashing prices, Pleasant Valley uses other models for revenue generation. After selling off property surrounding the golf course, upscale housing has sprung up around Pleasant Valley.
Clubs like the International in Bolton hold a reputation as a haven for corporate memberships. While still largely the case, Barry McNutly, director of membership marketing, says the club is making strides to become more family friendly. After corporate members like EMC and Fidelity dropped their accounts in a post-Enron era where expenditures are heavily scrutinized, the International has made plans for a pool and exercise facility, notes McNulty.
At Tatnuck Country Club in Worcester, club president Todd Wetzel prides the club on not being behind the eight ball like other facilities. Wetzel cites family-orientation as they key asset to the club, an atmosphere it fostered before the graying of the population. "Our average age in 1995 was 60," says Wetzel, "and now its 50."
Similar to Hopkinton Country Club, both Quail Ridge Country Club in Acton and Hudson-based Charter Oak broke ground in the early 2000s when memberships boomed. However, while initial interest soared, many members cancelled and returned to the Boston area, notes Charter Oak club pro Jeff Niejadlik. As a means of revenue generation, the club stays closed one day a week for outside outings like weddings. "You need other sources than membership dues to support a club," says Niejadlik.
At Quail Ridge, however, drawing more members remains the goal. Some of the amenities include an expansive swimming pool area where wait staff serve loungers chilled orange slices and a full-scale gym in the club’s Family Center. Parents with children are the targeted group, says Mike Donahue, general manager. "People who want a ‘good old boys club’ can look elsewhere," notes Donahue. Currently, the facility has no clubhouse, an essential ingredient for building a social atmosphere. However, once Quail Ridge reaches its targeted goal of 240 members, construction will become more feasible, says Donahue.
Maintaining or creating an identity at private golf clubs remains the key selling point to drawing members. Whether its serving a client base expecting a challenging golf course, a clean swimming pool or privacy to meet with clients, keeping those customers happy is key.
Jim O’Leary, golf professional at Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg notes that the club becomes your whole life. Coming to a golfer’s funeral, he jokes, will be "the guys who walked the fairway together."
Keeping members happy
As clubs look to the future, it’s a numbers game. Every area club maintains a fine line between going too low and too high on membership. Too high, and suddenly a round of golf take more than the preferred 4 hours. Too low, and the club may be forced to increase rates. These days, it’s a matter of careful recruitment through direct mailings and word-of-mouth.
For area members, the efforts made on management’s end to keep them comfortable are noticed. At Pleasant Valley Country Club, it’s the setting that makes membership money well spent. Louis Ciavarra, a managing partner with Bowditch & Dewey, uses the club for both work and pleasure.
"It’s like having a vacation spot five minutes from the house," says Ciavarra. "The staff never fails to impress so it’s great for both family and business clients."
Meanwhile, the family oriented environment at Hopkinton Country Club remains the key ingredient for Lou Papadellis, owner of Golf Unlimited in Ashland. Flexible options for how many holes he wants to play and plenty of entertainment value for his wife and kids make Hopkinton a win-win, but convenience beats all.
"At a public course, you have to deal with tee times and leagues," says Papadellis. "I can go whenever I have time. In fact, I plan to go today."
Jeffrey T. Lavery can be reached at jlavery@wbjournal.com
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