''And... BCowan... I am not sure what club you belong to (or, as you phrased it, "play at") but it sounds like your owner/management/committee needs some work on the format/price/timing of your tournaments. Club-wide tournaments are the heart and soul of every GOLF club. We have guest-oriented events (member guest, British Open and Masters events)... we have serious golfer events (member member, club championship, match around). They are all sold out and everyone loves them.''
Oh really? My club has a 4 year waiting list, so I don't think they have to do anything. If you had any sense you would observe them as a case study. Do you really think those hard core golfers would quit your club if their wasn't all those gatherings you have? Just because they are sold out, doesn't mean you have a member that seldom plays and can't play his or her own course because of some club tourney. Beware of the silent majority. Our club has a member guest and club chump tourney. All one needs.
''Every successful club has about 25% of its membership who pay dues but play very rarely compared to the high volume players. If you include the cart fee as a dues increase that might just be the last nail in the coffin that causes them to resign. Every member who never plays is replaced by a member who plays ALL the time. Great for revenue... bad for course wear and tear. We do not have a revenue issue... we are concerned about accessibility and wear and tear issue (even at only 22k rounds per year).
There are less members of clubs now that play less than 10 times a year than there was 15 years ago in my opinion. Many of those people quit post 08'. You aren't describing a Golf Club, you are describing a Country Club. The market is speaking and it is saying that there is too many Country clubs and not enough Golf Clubs, that focus on just Golf. Also my club unlike my parents (who is doing really well with no debt or assessments) has ALL individual memberships. This enables a larger pie of potential private golfers who would be on the fence if no one in their family played golf. People with limited time, can justify paying for a low key private individual golf membership, but less can for a FAMILY membership one size fits all outdated model! Lavish family vaca vs. Family membership only dad uses.