Sean:
Re: Alison at Burnham, I don't find that situation hard to understand. I've been a member of Crystal Downs for many years but never officially a consultant there, they've brought in outsiders. Likewise, RTJ Jr. is a member of SFGC and Ben Crenshaw a member of Chicago Golf, but I am the consultant at those clubs.
The two primary reasons are:
a) Outside consultants always seem to carry more weight because they are outside the politics of the club, and
b) When you are a member of a club sometimes you would just rather play golf and not be bothered with work.