JM,
What is the nature of how current clubs go down? Is it a battle to the end? Or is it some entity swoops in and buys it up for whatever future purpose?
Seems to me its almost always the latter...
Down at Dutchess in Poughkeepsie, it went down as:
1.) Controversial clubhouse expansion (which was beautiful)
2.) Lost members
3.) Increased dues and fees
3a.) Corporate memberships that brought in "opportunists" who coarsened the experience without contributing to the clubby social atmosphere
4.) New, outside exploitative clubhouse management company that
4a.) Milked the new state-of-the-art kitchens for catering and
4b.) Rented out the new clubhouse for outside events
4c.) Ticked off the members as their new expensive clubhouse was no longer usable to them
4d.) While increasing drink prices and metering pours
5.) More lost members
6.) Purchase by outside entity
7.) Try at CCFAD
8.) No more members, no more goodwill
8.) Shuttering course
It wasn't like they didn't try to save themselves, but once blood was in the water the sharks swarmed.
And it all goes back to the clubhouse.