By way of background, I now live adjacent to Seven Eagles, the gated part of the Quail Hollow Club subdivision. I could easily walk to the course if I could jump a wall and cut through a couple of yards. To get in the "legal" entrance, I'd have to go about 3/4 mile. That having been said, I question the assertion that Quail is member-owned. I know it's organized as a business corporation, following Augusta National's model. I had always assumed that Johnny Harris (maybe with some family members) owned the course. I do know some members personally, so next time I see one of them I'll ask. It was started by Harris's father as a club home for new comers to Charlotte who couldn't get into the older, established clubs.
I have never played the course, but walked it many times during the tournaments there and been to social events in the clubhouse. I would not want to play it day in and day out as "my club." The atmosphere as best I can tell is very corporate. I just found out that one of the members of my course, who is running for our board, joined from Quail three years ago (though I don't know if he quit Quail, too). Here's a quote from his candidate write up (for what it may be worth): "Having had the good fortune of long-term membership at Quail Hollow and Yeamans Hall, I joined [our club] three years ago. I immediately fell in love with the culture of the club, the group play, the clear primacy of golf above all else, and the camaraderie of so many different but overlapping circles of friends." Personally, Quail would do nothing for me. Also, I have an aversion to sports gambling, mostly because I think it detracts from the nature of sports and has "fix" potential.