I said this earlier in the thread, but I'll repeat it here again. Thank you for all the comments on this very helpful thread.
Just this past Saturday I was able to play with two prospective members, one 24 year old and one ~55 year old. After reading this thread and thinking about the issues quite a bit for this club committee, it was interesting hearing the different thoughts between the two. The 55 year old was mostly in the camp of "I don't really care about anything but the golf course" and the 24 year old cared about the golf course as well but also really liked the pool, fitness, clubhouse, etc. that came with it.
Also building off the 24 year old's comments, I think a major issue with these clubs is that many younger people feel that while the set-ups are great, they aren't going to feel welcome from the other, older, members. While I haven't found that to be a problem at my home course, I can understand how some memberships might be chilly to a younger guy or gal who wants to play golf early, in gym shoes, and a cart.
After talking to the 55 year old, I realized that it's unwise to join someplace (regardless of age) because of one facet of a club. As mentioned in earlier posts, if you only join a place for the golf course, only play golf, and go home...you're missing the entire point. What makes clubs great are the intangible aspects that can't be put on paper. It's heading into the bar after the round for a beer and seeing (and knowing) the groups that played around you. It's playing in season long events, making friends, and getting together with them later on a social level. So while I tried to convey that to the 55 year old, I'm guessing he will join another club down in town which offers less amenities, is golf only, and is cheaper to join.