What strikes me here is the different business models, different models for different markets, or perceived markets. The trick is figuring out which model fits your market. I'm looking at this strictly from a dollars and cents/sense standpoint. There's the Board that figures what they want is what the market wants, but they turn out to be wrong, either on account of wishful thinking or not caring. One USA model is that you pay an initiation fee of $XX,000, not refundable, and then monthly dues. You can quit when ever you want, stop paying dues, and be done with it. If you want to get back in the same club, you get back on the end of the wait list and start fresh when your number comes up. This works great when the demand for the club/course is high. But at the other end, daily fee, municipal or privately owned, can work, too, if the demand is there. It's good that we have all these options. Gaza, Ukraine? Not so many options.