AS 2020 begins, we always like to focus on the outlook for the future. What trends are emerging? What innovations are happening at clubs across the country? What is driving member engagement and recruitment?
Private clubs are continuing to evolve. From back-in-the-day as they catered to just men, to the enlightenment that women are just as important in a membership, and now the children (and grandchildren) of members are a key demographic that leaders must serve to help maintain a healthy membership. In fact, the next generation expects you to do more for and with their kids.
Those millennials are now having children, and they want to do more with them and have them around much more than previous generations. Babysitting, which has been dismissed by the older generation, is a service the younger members expect at a club. If you don’t have it, younger people feel you are outdated.
Clubs in 2020 and beyond will start putting even more emphasis on every aspect of their facilities and programs for children and grandchildren of members. Facilities will expand beyond an empty/unused space for babysitting to designated rooms for children, like a game room or study room. These rooms will have computers, video games, gaming tables, etc., along with high speed Wi-Fi. One of the more popular spaces in clubs today are the indoor simulators that not only let you play golf courses from around the world but have catalogs of video games of all types for kids to play. Outdoor areas will also be increasingly popular with playgrounds, spray areas at pools and sports courts/fields if space allows.
As with all aspects of private clubs, programming will be the key for having successful activities for children. The facilities will provide you with the foundation, the programming will drive it home. From youth-focused golf professionals to offering personal training for your teenage athletes, these are the areas where you can enhance your programs for children and make an impact with their parents.
Serving all members of the family will be critical for club success. Being able to properly serve the children and grandchildren will be essential for attracting and retaining members. Also keep in mind, you are grooming the next generation of members, so make it a memorable experience for the young ones and their parents.
Bill McMahon, Jr., is vice president of McMahon Group, a full-service private club consulting firm that has served over 2,000 private clubs around the world. He can be reached at [email protected] or visit mcmahongroup.com.
