There is a tremendous population shift underway in our country with the various age and cultural demographic changes that will modify the way we do business in our private clubs well into the future. Studies have shown that our 65 year old age group will double from 40 million to 89 million and from 13 percent of the population to 20 percent by the year 2050. While this seems like a long way off, the impact that this means to our economic outlook, and how we do business in our clubs will be impacting and must be dealt with today.
A recent study from Stanford University on the longevity of Americans living longer in our society states that Americans will continue to “Age Up” for decades into the future. With medicine and wellness practices, Americans are living much longer. With this change, there will be a transformation of organizational psychology and club programming concepts that will have a major impact not only with government policies and programs like Social Security benefits and Medicare but us as club managers and CEOs of our organizations with how we conduct business.
The realization of what this means to the business of private clubs is significant. Our entire market is changing clubs across the country. As we experience continued growth of our “Waiting to Resign Lists” with members wanting to get out of the club, for various reasons, we must begin to pay attention to how we deal with this problem. As we all know, our clubs operate with dues as our primary source of income. Without this revenue stream, we will not be able to operate. Last year alone, over 400 clubs closed their doors for various reasons. This is an alarming rate of closures in which we need to be concerned about.
The aging demographics of our membership coupled with the current global financial crisis, along with our member’s investment portfolios shrinking by 25 percent or more is causing a major transformation of the wealth distribution in our clubs. The way we are conducting business today will be outdated in the very near future. Our senior members are living longer and are spending more time at our clubs, but they are spending less money.
Several clubs have discounted their dues for seniors in an attempt to keep this age group active at their clubs and off the waiting to resign list. The reasoning is that this membership group has already paid their dues so to speak, but as younger members soon realize that the senior group is using the club more than they are, there begins to be resentment among the membership creating different factions. The younger members are feeling like they are paying the way for the senior member.
We need to ask ourselves if discounting the dues for senior members is the business practice or not or are there other measures we can take to better deal with this concern. What programs do you have in place to meet the needs and demands of this aging group? Are these programs sufficient and do they add value to the lives of our senior members, giving them a reason to continue being members of your club? A term “Productive Aging” is becoming the buzz word amongst our aging members 50 years and older.
Many clubs are being proactive and are already planning for the next few decades and how to better serve their aging membership, while still recruiting younger members, which are the future of our clubs. There is no doubt that we have age and cultural differences in our clubs. Our senior members do not desire to dine or be near the younger members and their young children, so we must develop seating areas or dedicate specific dining rooms in our clubs to accommodate this need.
What other programs are we developing to better serve our aging membership? Below are several programming ideas for you to consider implementing in your clubs for this age group.
- Investment groups made up of members
- Book clubs - many clubs are creating their own personal libraries that are situated in unused areas of their clubs, which has become popular with members
- Wine clubs
- Travel clubs
- Hiking or outdoor recreation and fitness programs
- Cooking classes - heart healthy cuisine
- Organic gardening - several clubs are providing areas on club grounds for those members to have their own personal garden that they maintain
- Self-defense training - how to avoid an attack in the mall parking lot (hopefully not your club parking lot)
- Writing and poetry groups
- Member focus groups - to share cultural and local lore
- Hobbies and craft groups
- Health, nutrition and wellness classes
- Classes on how to retrofit your home to prepare for aging
- Outdoor stargazing events
- Fly fishing classes
- Cycling groups
- Card groups (besides bridge)
- Storytelling and oral history presentations - lecture series
- Mental exercise groups - crossword puzzle competitions
- Philanthropy groups - big brother and big sister groups
- Community outreach groups
- Volunteer groups - to clean up neighborhoods a side streets and waterways around your club
- Club historical preservation societies to gather your club’s history / archives
- Technology - computer classes
- Mystery theme dinners
- Comedy night
- Movie nights for families
- Pet grooming classes
- Pet obedience training (along with member’s and their kids as well)
- Care giver programs
- Club concierge services
- Car wash - on site to wash, wax and detail members cars
- Relationship building programs - (matching single members together)
- Etiquette and formal dining classes
- Retrofit your club with handicap accessibility
- Sport shooting - clays events
- Kayak and canoe clubs
- Bus trips to local museums, art exhibits and sporting activities
- Coffee shops - Wi-Fi Internet access in your clubs
- Music lessons - how many members would like to learn how to play the piano but feel they are too old to learn but are capable?
- Discovery nature center in your club
- Nature walks on club property - with signs marking plants and trees along with a nature walk book to identify foliage
- Natural healing and wellness classes
- Business center to include access to a club computer, fax machine, photo copy machine and so forth
- Genealogy research classes
- Recipe book - your club members personal recipes
- Club history book
- Club member personal history book - let your members tell their stories
- Shopping trips
- Photography clubs
Adding these types of programs for your entire membership to enjoy will support their need to remain as members ensuring the future of your club.
Don Vance, CCM, Master Club Advisors, Club Leadership Digest
Thanks and have a great day!
Ed Rehkopf
This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers — those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.
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Calling all kids! Grab a couple staff members to conduct weekly poolside games to include a penny dive, relay races (wet t-shirt, ride a noodle, etc.), ping pong ball Scrabble, etc. Most of the needed supplies are probably lying around the club or can be borrowed. Prizes can be as inexpensive as a 5 cent freeze pop! The kids will love it! Log onto 
What fun to come to the pool for a FREE (or inexpensive) cool treat! Once or twice per month, schedule a staff member to man a sno-cone machine or build your own sundae bar. You can rent a sno-cone machine for as little as $35 or buy your own! Providing ice cream and toppings is a bit more expensive, but worth the member satisfaction.
How about hosting a manicures and mimosa morning at the pool for the ladies? Hire a mobile spa service to conduct mini pedicures and manicures on the pool deck. The cost is passed on to members and the club can decide whether the mimosas are charged or complimentary. 