Feeling the Squeeze, Exclusive Country Clubs Get the Common Touch

Source: Washington Post

UNIONTOWN, Pa. -- Their standing dinner reservation at the country club is for 6:30 p.m., because at least that much never changes. Every Wednesday night, Charles and Mimi Cluss dress in pleated slacks and suit jackets and drive to the manicured playground where Uniontown's elite have gathered for 101 years. It is like a "second home," Charles says of the place where he finalized deals for his lumber company and hosted weddings for two daughters. Except on this night in mid-May, he no longer knows what to expect.

"I wonder if it will be loud and rowdy," Charles says.

"I wonder if they will still have the crab legs," Mimi says.

Last month, Uniontown Country Club opened its dining room to the public for the first time -- a change that has blurred the social hierarchy in this mountain town south of Pittsburgh. The economic crisis and shifting demographics have left Uniontown, population 13,000, without enough wealthy residents to sustain a private club, so now UCC caters to the everymen it was created to exclude. Instead of handpicking its members from a waiting list, UCC advertises in the local paper, has relaxed its dress code and features a menu designed for what the new chef calls "budget-conscious eating." Out: the filet mignon for $30. In: super nachos for $7.95.

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The same shift is affecting country clubs everywhere, including in the Washington region, where some have cut initiation fees, others have eliminated them and a private Ashburn club opened to the public just last week. The National Golf Foundation has identified more than 500 clubs at serious risk of closing, and a recent survey of club managers showed that twice as many members resigned during the past 12 months than during a typical year.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/20/AR2009052003790.html?hpid=artslot

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:nopity: Awww, they have to admit the riff-raff.

To some extent it is merely an acceleration of a phenomenon that has been going on for years. The exclusive nature of these clubs has been a turn off for new members for some time. With the proliferation of quality "pay for play" golf courses, private pools, and a general wealth of recreation facilities, the "need" for private clubs and their recreational facilites has fallen off. The membership has aged in general and the result is that many clubs have been closing or "going public" in one sense or another. Shifting demographics in certain areas has had impacts as well.

Country Clubs on the downslide, as well as organized religion, bowling leagues, Moose Club, Kiwanis.

Hell, even the VFW can barely get new members, even with tens of thousands of potential new members being created as I write this.

The younger folk just aren't into joining, or being exclusively attached to any specific one thing.

As an old soldier still on Active Duty, I joined VFW, but get nothing from them except their magazine and then constant letters telling me my renewal notice needs to be sent in....

These days, your job, provided you have one, takes up too much of your time & energy to think about joining a club where you have to make yet another commitment. Corporate America expects you to be at their beck & call. After being expected to give, give, give all day, many people just want to go home & be left alone, or just be with family & friends.

"I wonder if it will be loud and rowdy," Charles says.

"I wonder if they will still have the crab legs," Mimi says.


yes, old white guy and old white lady, it will be a biker bar from hell, complete with topless dancing servers, and a knife fight going on in the corner.

fucking morons.

My 14yo Freshman son, played golf for his High School team this spring, which means he and I are learning the game of golf. He's much more serious about the game than I am, but we are both having tons of fun. Everytime we go out to play, especially if we take two of his Scout Troop buddies with us I think of Caddyshack. It is truly a hoot, especially since we walk the course and not use the electric carts. In our area high school team plays on a slew of local, public courses, some of the schools home courses are private CC. The kids play their expecting better courses, some are, some aren't but it is fun watching. Especially if we are at a private CC for a match/tournament. You see the members run and hide, the unwashed have descened upon us and will ruin the course.....

When they start letting in Jews and blacks, then we're all in trouble. :sarcasm:

I have to agree with a post on "Progress Not Congress" that this article should have been published in the Onion. What a joke.

http://progressnotcongress.org/blog/?p=1199

A few, maybe.