Country clubs are trying out new business models to lure millennials who are forgoing memberships, CityLab reports.
If cost isn’t the only deterrent for the generation burdened with student loan debt, many young people are put off by the image of the country club. Not to mention the rich history of racial and religious discrimination that accompanies many such organizations.
There were more than 5,000 full-service golf and country clubs in the U.S. in the 1990s. In 2010, there were about 4,100, and now that number has dipped below 4,000. A 2014 study commissioned by the National Club Association found that club membership was down 20% from 1990.
Back then, around 9 million adults aged 18 to 34 played golf, according to the National Golf Foundation. Today, that number is closer to 6.2 million. The research firm IBISWorld found that from 2011 to 2016, golf-course and country-club revenue grew by a little more than 1% annually
To draw Millennials, many clubs now feature more non-golf amenities—especially health and wellness options like gyms, personal trainers and yoga classes. Tradition Golf Club in La Quinta, California, reported that its fitness center had hosted guest lecturers as well as being the kickoff point for biking groups and planned area hikes.
Some clubs are doing away with initiation fees, breaking the fee down into installments, or offering a one-year trial membership.
“We offer a young professional membership that offers the exact same features and benefits as our membership, only it reduces the monthly dues significantly for those under 40,” says Kristine Roberson, the membership and marketing director of Woodbridge Golf & Country Club in California. “For the 21-to-30-year-olds, it’s reduced about 50 percent, and for the 31-to-39-year-olds, it’s reduced 40 percent.”
