[Carl Rogers]

I think a key for me is a sense of permanency - same staff for years - same members you see all the time in the clubhouse - etc etc - I think the active membership needs to be fairly low to achieve this ideal balance. Certain clubs have this nailed - not entirely by design, I'm sure but some of it will be. Not a big active membership meaning plenty of times on the time sheet, familiar faces etc.  ......

If we are all committed to the up, down and all over the place nature of the global economy, then how can or does permanency exist?  For many if not most, I think the temporary "consumer" nature of the new private club is here to stay.

Or has the ranks of the permanent "aristocracy" thinned out as the old bunch has died off?

[PCCraig]

A lot of factors go into a great club, but ultimately it comes down to the membership and staff. Each are equally responsible for running and maintaining the culture of said club.

Oh, and bartenders that pour a really stiff drink and a nice tap beer selection helps. 

[Mike Sweeney]

Precisely, Pat.

The best clubs are "golf clubs without real estate". The focus is on golf and members. They play where they play.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Ah, yes, I should have known that a member would assume that the members deserve credit for the great work done by their staff.  Yeah, it's the members who are responsible for all the times a great staff goes over and above.  It's the members who deserve the credit when their guests walk away thinking "wow, the staff here is unbelievable".  It's the members who get to pat themselves on the back because they were wise enough to hire the bartender who knows everybody's drink and have it ready as soon as they come off 18, and still remember a guest's drink (and of course his name) the next time the guest comes to play from the last time he was at the club. 

Yeah, all that work by the staff that makes a club great is really just a reason for the members to pat themselves on the back some more.  Uh, huh.  Right....

Shivas,

What you don't get is that it all starts from the top in any organization.

Or, as Bill McBride states, with supervision.

At an iconic club, the staff was the worst there was, discourteous, abrupt, lazy and arrogant, to the guests and members.

Complaints began piling up.

A new manager was hired.

Subsequently, the staff went through a metamorphasis and by reeducation and replacement, became marvelous, courteous, efficient and cordial.

That didn't happen because the staff decided to change their ways

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