22 CLUB CULTURE Culture refers to the unique character and atmosphere of a club, shaped by its history, leadership, policies and member interactions. It encompasses the club’s values, traditions, level of activity and social norms, which influence everything from dress codes and behavior to the overall environment and sense of community within the club. A club’s culture can evolve over time due to changes in leadership or significant events, such as the pandemic, which has prompted many clubs to reevaluate and often modernize their practices to attract a broader and more diverse membership. Understanding a club’s culture is crucial for assessing its economic potential and ensuring it meets the expectations of both current and prospective members. From a golf course architect’s perspective, knowing and understanding the target market is essential. Assuming the club is an existing one (versus a new course), not only does it have a culture, but that culture is likely to evolve, to some degree, and change with the generations. For instance, if the club caters to serious, highly skilled golfers, they may want to make the course more challenging. If it is more of a family club, making the course playable is a likely goal. Given the high level of confidence (and investment) most clubs place in their architect, they can have a significant impact in transforming it and most importantly the architect needs to be able to push back, when appropriate, at overzealous board members and greens chairmen who think they’re going to host a major championship or become the most exclusive club in town, even when the club and course aren’t suited. We encourage any club to have a culture analysis done so they understand the proper market position both now and in the future. One question that clubs need to consider is how sustainable the pandemic surge in golf is, long term. We’re seeing some signs and trends, but we don’t know yet. Plenty of clubs are incurring substantial debt to make these improvements, and I Larry Hirsh of Golf Property Analysts explains the importance of understanding the character of a club when evaluating its course design. Considering the culture Larry Hirsh Larry Hirsh is the president and senior consultant at Golf Property Analysts, which is a leader in golf and club consulting, valuation and brokerage.
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