All Responders:
Thank you for reading that long-ass post and it is buoying to hear that my thoughts have traction with a part of this community. Because, selfishly, that is all I'm interested in; Golf and GCA to be stewarded well and moved away from the "disposable" leisure that all entertainments are becoming. THAT has a greater chance to halt things in our universe - because one day, another economic climate may come along and people will REALLY wake up to the notion that, "Holy shit, even though I make $260K a year, I can't afford to dump 15% of that into a golf club...I've got to fill up my oil tank, repave the driveway, save for kids' college, devote time to my elderly parents AND walk around" They'll think of it then like quitting smoking..."God the money I save" unfortunately, they should be thinking that now and go for small quality on a tight, well-proven staff, minimal on extraneous services. The recession was a tremor and some clubs are licking those wounds and/or finding out the real impact to the membership.
Mark F. - I included Chefs as a category of "high income" on two basis: a) they are usually #4 in the club structure of pay, b) I have never heard a figure lower than $70,000 for a returning chef in this area, and I know two who are in six figures right now. This does not mean that you are incorrect to express alarm at my category - it was just contextual.
Mike S. - Mike with all respect, it is not too much club talk...many of the actors on all sides of the fence I'm encompassing are good, nearly lifelong friends and we know what people make, what they say they make, and how much they pay to belong to a club. You do highlight an interesting, uncovered feature of the climate, the individual average club member, in consultation with his accountant...
A. First i would say that the accountant IS the guy who gets it economically (this is a luxury!) but doesn't get it contextually and when you see some 200-400K CPA with a shingle and a private club membership, I'll show you a guy who doesn't have a nickel more spent than his dining minimum, and knows to the penny how much of his treasury each day at the club costs. A guy like that shouldn't belong to a private club like most of the 300 in the Met Area.
B. But you were referring to his client so...one untold feature of these Westchester-Fairfield-NJ-LI of clubs is the disparate incomes INSIDE the CLUB itself, any club. My last employer club had a fairly standard (there isn't such a thing but generally)kind of economic demographic, with 10% of the membership in the eight figure annum area, 20% in the seven figure area, 30% in the high sixes, 40% in the lower and mid sixes, which included the retired and standard medicine or law professionals.
B1. Further complicating this dynamic, you had 33% of the club who got in when initiation and dues were peanuts (on a gross basis) 33% who got in and don't think one way or the other about the relativity and 33% who got in in the last ten years who paid up to 3000% more than some fellow members. No matter which income bracket you came from, it pisses you off that you paid $125K to get into this place and the guy who paid $5K is also voting to take away the car wash and the ice towels, as expenses are too high. It makes you madder still to know that initiation was only $85K just three years ago, and they raised them so steeply in the halcyon 02-07 days to draw capital from the newly-minted to pay for the new tee boxes, green restorations and oil furnace.
B2. This creates an economically-sensitive environment that destroys the good and just sense of luxury with which, I think, most should approach this aspect of life and recreation. The worst thing that happens is that no matter what you got in for, what you earn, what you paid, how you tip, what you can honestly devote to a luxurious commodity...now there is a two level class war going on - and something like tip money or a reduction in services or an increase in services or devotion of services is not treated as an insignificant gas of luxurious largesse, but an economic and/or emotional value. The six figure folks believe that life and income should stop at the water's edge of the club gate and even though the 6 million dollar man pays Johnny the Caddie more than he does, I should still assign Johnny to Six figure man because their difference should not walk through the gates. What utter bullshit for Johnny and his Caddiemaster. Meanwhile, Six-Million dollar man goes, "what the fuck? I paid more last year to get in here than six figure man paid in the last 10 to belong here...I love Johnny, he helped me win the president's cup and he's the only one who can tell me where my elbow is at impact. fuck, can't I get something I want for all this money?" and the cycle begins...all have forgotten THAT THIS IS A LUXURY, A LUXURY!!! And this is one stark, generalized problem...tell me a nuance, I'll tell you where it comes from.
C. What your response doesn't address or target Mike is that whether you agree with my terms of what it is to burn money, I don't see you arguing that private club membership (and the largesses therein) and even Golf itself is not a luxury. do you refute that? I'd be interested to hear if you have a take on that. Because if it is a luxury, then understanding the nature of what goes on in the accountant's office with the individual club man is irrelevant...leave the club is what me and the accountant are likely to say, you unfortunately don't have the money.
c1. and to those of you already in, once in, looking to join a private club, I say the same thing I did last night...if you can't throw in the furnace then don't...if you don't want nouveau riche assholes coming i nto raise your expenses then don't let them in, but also forego their capital infusion to build new greens, have kiddie pools, day care nights, valet parking and fresh flower beds every season or again, take your money and find another way to spend it.
I love Golf, I breathe and draw nourishment from it in al manner of ways and I have sincere affection for most all I've encountered in this realm, but when you forget it is a luxury, you have gone off the rails.
I believe that Starbucks makes coffee better too, unfortunately some think that because it is a private club, that club should at least as well as a multi-national conglomerate...and your costs go up, even though no better has been rendered...in fact, it is a bother. and ocne agin, we forget that this is a luxury...nothing is free or a bargain, unless you don't pay for it.
cheers
vk