I have been lucky to get to see it all, across many different cultures.
I got to many places through the back door / side door as a twenty-something student, and I learned a lot from that. Most of the things clubs do to create a great "experience" for guests are entirely unnecessary. Like, the lobster for lunch at The National is great [and I absolutely love lobster], but when I'd go there in the off-season and the professional and the caddiemaster were up for a pleasant chat and then went and watched me hit off #1, arguably that was a BETTER experience than all the hoopla. Some places insist on putting on a show for you, others treat everyone like they belong there.
Some of the preceding comments require a whole lot of $taffing, and if you're not a golf factory with a lot of players every day, having staff to cater to everyone's whims is going to make the place unprofitable. An operation like Stonewall where a few people do everything is hard to beat, but it also requires that members are comfortable enough to do some things for themselves instead of having someone at their beck and call.
Also, since no one has mentioned it yet, including Zac, 
the most important employee is the golf course superintendent. Having a guy who grows good grass is one thing; having one who also loves the game and sets up the golf course appropriately is worth its weight in gold.
P.S. Everyone talks about avoiding slow play, but it's hard to do. If someone had the stones to be a two-ball club like Brancaster or Rye, I would join in a heartbeat.
Spot on post.
Having a flexible, go with the flow staff is important, but as Tom points out,so is member selection and "training"-especially as they are expressing interest in the club.
As our owner often says, "we are not the 4 Seasons-we are family"(The Hotel, not the Landscaping Co,)
i.e.people are often more than willing to do things for themselves if they are made comfortable and empowered to do so-but some may politely seek assistance, and it should be readily available.
Palmetto(prepandemic)There is rarely a F&B person behind the counter-grab n go and record or report it to pro shop as you walk out.
At the Bridge we have always tried to not bury the customer with bag drop/arrival service, but have someone subtly available for those in need, which is a trickly line with our clientele-the pandemic showed us that many were quite happy to load and unload their own push carts and clubs, and happily play without caddies-or even on course water and F&B.
So much so that we are doing away with mandatory caddies, something I have always wanted to experiment with, and the pandemic allowed.
For the record, our caddies had their most successful season ever last year-the first year caddies were NOT mandatory-as those requesting caddies tend to be far more generous than those obligated to take caddies.
However, we will not allow the substitution of a cart for a caddie and retain our over 65 or medical requirement for carts. The myth is that "mandatory caddies" are required for a functioning program, but I see no need to tax those who don't (always) want them to satisfy the needs of those who do.
There is a formula for retaining enough caddies and it simply has to be adjusted based on good record keeping and of course having a certain number of members that can go either way on taking a caddie.
A caddie program also presents a great opportunities to provide invaluable service for the local youth community, which is a lot more work and schedule juggling, but the rewards far outweigh the effort.Again, member flexibility is key here as the rounds aren't always played when the youth are available so multiple options have to be explored.
The biggest key Tom hits on is the importance of the Superintendent-absolutely the most key employee in terms of not only the obvious things as construction/grow-i and maintenance, but also his zest for the game.