David,
I do regret going there, but given I have exactly zero skin in the game, I don't have any motivation to help Ballyneal and its ownership other than by paying dues for the right to play golf with my friends and family. If Ballyneal were on the brink of closing down, that would obviously impact me, but the club seems to be in excellent shape.
In the end, I was supporting Chris's statement that clubs in fact don't compete, since despite lacking in beds, carts, number of courses and food (the food really is excellent there) and amenities, all of which are difficult/impossible to refute, Ballyneal has been able to find plenty of guys willing to sign up for that brand of golf. And if CJ is turning away guys who don't fit, they are clearly in it for the long haul too. Both will be great turnaround stories.