Research Outline

US Private Club Industry

Goals

To provide information on the US private club industry, including the number of people attending private clubs and their total spend in both New York City and the US.

Early Findings

Private Clubs

  • Approximately 30% of all golf clubs in the US are private. This equates to 4,400 facilities.
  • There are 2.1 million private golf players in the US. This is 9% of the adult golf-playing population. 6% of this population is considered mass affluent.
  • Economic influences on private clubs include consumer confidence, housing prices, and government spending.
  • Private Clubs began experiencing declining revenues in 2009. To combat this they have reduced labor and operating costs, attempted to attract more members, deferred capital projects, reduced maintenance, eliminated little-used offerings, and extended the seasonal shut-down.
  • The income from initiation fees has declined across the US between 25-50% at most private clubs.
  • 8.5% of private clubs charge $5,000 in initiation fees. 7.3% charge $5-10,000, 8.2% charge $10-20,000, 5.9% charge $20-50,000, and 3.7% charge over $50,000.
  • The demands of consumers on private clubs are changing. Consumers are now looking for family-centered activities, the opportunity to connect, outdoor adventure, healthy experiences, and interaction with a diverse range of people.
  • The top three trends in food at private clubs are locally grown produce, bite-sized desserts, and organic produce.
  • The total revenue for golf and country clubs in the US in 2019 was $24 billion.