Your shortcoming, Brent, is that you don't have the same objectives as some of the members and because there are a lot of fixed costs involved in providing services, your choice not to avail yourself of them for additional fees means that those who value these things will have to pay more. It seems that aligning interests, preferences, and the means to pay for them is at the root of the problem. As Chris Johnston told me last year, one has to find a club where they "belong". Perhaps it is those members who cornered you who might wish to find a more suitable place to enjoy a wide variety of services. Here, Dallas CC has a very busy bar and dining room (or so I am told). My club, sometimes me and my golf companion are the only ones there at 7:30/8:00. (TEPaul's golf is a big world theory).
Roger's suggestion on carts make a lot of sense to heavy users and makes his life a lot easier, but it might (I am not that familiar with the Charlotte golf market) result in him losing some members. Being that the costs of maintaining a golf course are also highly fixed in the relevant range I am talking about here, it becomes a question of whether the additional revenues from the higher cart-included dues are sufficient to offset the loss in membership. I can report that at my club of over 20 years, when the management company imposed mandatory riding for premium times (mornings of weekends, holidays, and tournaments), they lost a bunch of members, quite a number who rode most of the time anyways. That might not be the case in some markets and at the top tier clubs, but to the extent that golf for most folks is considered a discretionary expenditure if not a luxury, I suspect that any major dues increase would be met with some resistance and attrition.
The whole issue of push carts is best seen in this context. For the most part, clubs which are financially sound and don't have silly affectations about looking like a muni probably don't pose a problem unless supporting a caddie program is an issue. As Don Mahaffey cleverly notes in Part II of his interview, extolling the health benefits of walking is something that should be stressed more. With so many upscale private clubs now offering extensive workout facilities, this might be the way to toehold push carts into being a viable choice for their members. Unfortunately, I am not seeing many young people who want to walk these days.