IN JANUARY, the National Club Association (NCA) filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief supporting an NCAmember club appealing an unfavorable lower court ruling in Florida. The ruling would have had an enormous negative impact on all clubs in the state, and NCA
“Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to help Mom do the dishes.” – P.J. O’Rourke I had the occasion to meet and speak briefly with libertarian humorist P.J. O’Rourke and attended a book release at the CATO Institute in 2018 where
THE CALL CAME in mid-September 2013, as I waited at a gate in a large mid- western airport. No one had died or been in an accident. No one was in labor. “Mr. Smith, your membership is approved and we look forward to seeing you
MAYBE YOU ARE FAMILIAR with writer and humorist Randy Cohen’s interview show, “Person Place Thing.” It is based on the idea that people are not particularly engaging when they speak directly about themselves but become so when they speak about something they care about. Guests
Clubs are unique within the hospitality world, offering a multitude of services under one roof that would normally be delivered by multiple stand-alone service providers. When you combine this specialized offering with the need to optimize and standardize service levels throughout an entire property, clubs
A scan of any metropolitan area will usually reveal a cluster of private clubs offering many of the same amenities and benefits—top-rated golf, racquet sports, fitness, swimming, social programming, events, dining and more—in addition to individual details on location, history and culture. While each club should be leveraging
Strategic planning has become important in most leading clubs, riding the wave of membership growth across the U.S. Long a proven tool of the best-performing private clubs, strategic planning brings intention and clarity to the board’s efforts. Beyond the textbook matters of sound strategy, five
Labor and Wage Pressure on 2022 Club Budgets In October 2021, Club Benchmarking conducted a survey aimed at quantifying the impact of labor shortages, hourly wage inflation and other economic pressures on 2022 club budgets and dues rates. More than 540 clubs responded, and the study findings were compiled in an industry report which
According to researchers in clinical psychology, the average person complains 30 times per day, and they are hurting themselves as well as those around them. Author and clinical psychologist Dr. Laura Markham recently wrote that when we listen to complaints, even our own, we become
As clubs continue to navigate through all the regulations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, another obstacle has emerged—surging inflation. When businesses began to re-open, consumers returned in force to spend money. This, combined with federal stimulus programs, a low interest rate environment, a soaring stock