ON THE UPSWING Private golf clubs are maintaining, growing memberships

By Anna Faller

Many businesses have been forced to adjust as a result of an increasingly difficult market and surging growth in the Grand Traverse region. But how has the private sector fared? TCBN spoke with four private clubs – Crystal Downs (Frankfort), Traverse City Country Club (Traverse City), Kingsley Club (Kingsley), and the highly anticipated High Pointe Golf Club (Williamsburg) – for a run-down of membership updates and growth during economic flux.

Crystal Downs is one of the best-preserved authentic designs of famed golf architect, Dr. Alister MacKenzie.

“We get a lot of notoriety for that,” Club President Mike Huget said. “We don’t need to market (the club), because people love to come up to the course.”

Now approaching its centennial, Crystal Downs’ reputation consistently earns accolades in publications like Golf Magazine for its natural, hilly terrain overlooking both Lake Michigan and Crystal Lake.

As a private club, membership is capped at about 300 member-owners with voting rights, in addition to junior, senior, and life categories. The club’s membership has remained at full capacity since the late 1980s. Huget estimates the waitlist for membership at about eight to 10 years long.

New members are admitted when an existing member resigns; which, Huget notes, is exceptional, as resignation is permanent and carries significant cost to its members, many of whom prioritize the community Crystal Downs provides.

It’s because of this low turnover rate, combined with Crystal Downs’ longevity, that external factors like market trends don’t much impact club operation, Huget says.

“We’ve been through many econom - ic downturns, and (people) still figure out a way to keep their memberships,” Huget said.

This, he says, is largely attributable to the club’s membership demographics, the majority of which skews over 50, and are therefore more financially stable.

The usual seasonal influx of golfers is all in a day’s work, says Huget.

“We just ride (the course’s) reputation and try to take as good care of (it) as we possibly can,” he said.

As one of the region’s oldest leisure facilities, Traverse City Country Club prides itself on evolving with the community.

“We feel we’re in a unique position as a club, in terms of location, as well as the variety of activities and opportunities we offer,” CFO Diane VanderVeen said.

Consequently, the club has gained nearly 240 new members since 2019, most of whom are younger families. That boom, explained Director of Membership and Marketing Susan McElduff, is largely attributable to intra-club advertising via current members.

“(They) are our greatest asset in introducing new people to the club,” she noted. In fact, she said, new applicants almost always arrive with a member referral.

“We’ve really grown as a club (that way),” she said.

McElduff also stresses the club’s diversity as a draw for new members.

“What we are here is a community of people that enjoy the same types of experiences,” she said.

As such, the club has altered its facilities to include a new fitness center, several dining options, and even a tee box for golfing children.

“We want to be able to service anyone who wants to be part of the community here,” she added.

The club – established in 1915 – has recently installed a new outdoor pool as well as begun a remodel of the clubhouse’s upper level, which is slated for completion next January.

Moving forward, the club anticipates moderate growth, with the primary focus on its current members. For VanderVeen, this means maintaining a manageable enrollment.

“We want to respect the tradition of the club, and be able to be here for the people that live here,” she said.

Kingsley Club’s growing membership attracts players from outside the region.

“Since 2020, we’ve noticed an influx of new members with primary or secondary homes in the area,” said General Manager Justin Mack.

Kingsley Club, which opened in 2001, was designed in the tradition of Europe’s oldworld greens. As such, the course itself – a firm and fast property shaped by glaciers – is the keystone of the club, which current members advertise through relationships with potential applicants.

Other factors at play, said Mack, include the course’s consistently high national ranking as well as the club’s relaxed environment – which, in contrast to other facilities, does not adhere to strict tee times.

Though most active members are workforce-aged, averaging just under 50 years old, Kingsley Club’s demographics include a wide range of locations, backgrounds and occupations.

Mack says that the club is nearing its membership cap, a number he anticipates achieving early next year.

“More people are playing golf and realizing how fun the game can be,” said Mack. “The Kingsley Club is no different, and we anticipate 2023 to be another great year.”

High Pointe Golf Club in Williamsburg, defunct since 2008, is slated for revival, with tentative plans already underway for launch in spring 2024.

Florida golfer Rod Trump (no relation to the past administration) told the TCBN he learned of the available property and subsequently fell in love with it after visiting Traverse City for eight weeks in 2021.

“I’d never played it, but I heard (renowned golf architect) Tom Doak talk about bringing it back on a podcast,” he said. “That was all I needed.”

Since then, the project has sparked considerable buzz. Now, with more than 600 hopeful applicants already in the club’s database, a foundation is being laid for High Pointe’s resurrection.

“Whether they’re fans of golf architecture or passionate about (the game), I think the golf community has been compelled by the story’s uniqueness,” he said.

The reincarnated High Pointe, Trump said, will be an invite-only club, with commitments already in place for 27 of 30 founding members. In addition, the club plans to accept 50-75 “home” applicants (e.g., those with residence within 100 miles), 250-275 national members, as well as 20-25 globally – some of whom are coming from as far as the U.K. and New Zealand.

Plans include revitalizing the best of High Pointe’s original 18 holes, coupled with several redesigned cups. Notable features include the property’s trademark sandy soil and rolling topography, as well as nuanced service elements, like on-site lodging for 32 guests.

“Our goal is to bring golf to the area that’s unprecedented in northern Michi gan,” Trump said. “And I believe we’re well-positioned to achieve that.”