Clubs-within-the-club create pride in belonging.
By Patricia Baldwin
Illustrations by Selçuk Demirel
The name is descriptive: clubs-within-the-club. The instructions are simple, although some assembly might be required. But gather a few members of like mind and inspiration, add some sticky stuff — like passion for a pastime — and you have a fun, cohesive group of folks with a purpose. In other words, clubs-within-the-club provide the Elmer’s Glue-All for the world of private clubs.
Or as Glenn Thompson, manager of the Commerce Club in Greenville, South Carolina, more eloquently tells new members: “A club-within-the-club is one of the keys for you to connect.”
Certain clubs-within-the-club, such as a book club, bridge club, breakfast club, wine club, garden club, Executive Women’s Forum, investment club … and so on, can be found in many clubs.
Many of these groups focus on sports, such as golf, tennis, swimming, jogging, cycling, squash, racquetball, and … (is poker a sport?). Seattle’s Columbia Tower Club offers its Outdoor Connection group for members interested in such adventures as white-water rafting trips or snowshoeing.
Mary Lou Montulli used to be intimidated by “everything about golf.” Even after lessons with a pro, the member of Shadowridge Country Club in Vista, California, would not play with anyone except her husband. Enter the Nifty Niners, a group of women golfers of varying levels and much support and enthusiasm. Not only does Montulli now play golf regularly, she has organized a bridge club at Shadowridge.
And, in addition to its traditional golf associations, Walnut Creek Country Club in Mansfield, Texas, has organized a Retired Men’s Golf Association and a Ladies Evening Golf Group.
Indeed, clubs-within-the-club know no age limits — witness the Kitchen Science club for kids at Morgan Run Resort & Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
Some of the club groups are unique. Know what (or who) a MetVet is? Or a Green Angel? Can you do the Machacado?
WHAT’S YOUR INTEREST?
Participation in clubs-within-the-club varies from several hundred, such as the 700-strong Men’s Golf Association at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, California, to a few members. Member Paul Lahr reports that eight members comprise the travel club at Shadowridge Country Club. They’ve been to Nevada, Mexico, and Arizona and are exploring a trip to Ireland. They also plan an annual “Golf Safari” where the focus is on having fun, not winning.
Speaking of travel, the ski club at Philadelphia’s Pyramid Club takes to the slopes annually, usually with a trip overseas. And the Coto Riders at Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club in Orange County, California, ride their motorcycles to various destinations across the United States.
Many groups fill voids or fulfill expectations of private club membership. Honolulu’s Plaza Club launched a film club, which had an Oscar party on the calendar. The Platinum Club at Eagle’s Landing Country Club in Stockbridge, Georgia, provides a forum for retired women to socialize and plan outings. At Spring Valley Lake Country Club in Victorville, California, young mothers in the Mom’s TimeOut Club receive free baby-sitting services while they enjoy a weekly lunch.
Berkeley Grier founded the Vintners Club, now in its third year at the Commerce Club, to enhance her knowledge of wine. Some 30 members now gather for monthly tastings and good deals from local distributors. “I’ve met more members through my involvement with the Vintners Club than in my nine years as a member,” she says.
Other clubs-within-the-club serve special purposes, such as the 50th Anniversary Committee at Brookhaven Country Club near Dallas.
Phyllis Wasserman of Porter Valley Country Club in Northridge, California, knows firsthand that clubs-within-the-club are not only great for members, they just plain “do good.” The president of the Ladies’ Auxiliary reports that, instead of the usual member-guest golf tournament format last year, women club members invited guests to participate in the Rally for the Cure, a golf event supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure in its mission to eradicate breast cancer. The 90 participants raised $21,000. This year, the men have asked to participate.
Sometimes, the “within” moniker breaks out. Late last year, the Porter Valley Masters, comprised of adult swimmers, dominated their first foray into “official” competition with the largest team presence and cheering section — not to mention 24 first-place awards and nine second places. Member Amy Lau, president of PVM, says that, although the club is officially registered as a U.S. Masters Swimming club, the group “feels like an extended family.”
DOWN TO BUSINESS
Some clubs-within-the-club really mean business. Kevin Marshall, director of membership at Canyon Gate Country Club, notes that networking is key to doing business in Las Vegas. La Cima Club in Irving, Texas, has added a twist to the traditional business practice with “speed networking.”
The Centre Technology Club at the Centre Club in Tampa, Florida, has exploded since its inception about a year ago. In January, the members rolled out a Web design contest for local high school students that will benefit the charity Voices for Children.
At the Crescent Club in Memphis, Tennessee, Women on the Move is the largest club-within-the-club, averaging about 65 attendees. The Crescent Club also supports “SEE” (Successful Entrepreneurs Engage), providing business networking for business owners. Member Jon Lopez conceived a similar concept, the Business Owner’s Club, at the Commerce Club in South Carolina. He says that, by limiting the group to owners who utilize W-2 or 1099 employees, “we are able to create a much stronger dynamic than is typically seen in other business groups. Since only serious business owners take the time to attend each month, we are able to discuss individual concerns that other owners already have addressed and resolved.”
Another specialized business group concept is the Real Estate Club Table at the Pyramid Club in Philadelphia. Jay White, the member who co-chairs the group with Greg West, says meetings are attended by members with a variety of interests in real estate — engineers, lawyers, title company execs, developers, architects, appraisers, investors, consultants, brokers, headhunters. “The connection we have with this group is the general sharing of intellectual knowledge and the ability to get to know each other’s business expertise,” White explains.
Then there are the groups for young executives that have burgeoned in recent years throughout the ClubCorp family of clubs. Joe McLoughlin, also a member of the Pyramid Club, says he is naturally a “connector.” Still, his involvement in the club’s Young Executive Committee has helped him broaden his “centers of influence.” He adds that his frequent use of the club and his participation in small group activities help him “solidify the relationships with my business partners.”
But it is the Business Alliance concept that has found its way into clubs across the country — including suburban golf havens such as Braemar Country Club, and sophisticated city-center clubs such as Chicago’s Metropolitan Club.
In the Dallas area, Bob Maher envisions 12 local Business Alliance groups forming a literal alliance by offering reciprocal attendance and rotating meetings each month to a different participating club. Maher, the immediate past president of the Business Alliance at Brookhaven, says the group has published a business directory of members who will offer other members discounts on their products and services.
“We want to keep business within the club,” Maher notes. “The feedback has been consistently positive.” He attributes the popularity of the alliance concept to the fact that an independent businessperson can “easily become isolated.”
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Clubs-within-the-club are about many things, but not isolation, as many members attest. These clubs are about camaraderie and wide-ranging interests.
“I have met people I might otherwise not have met,” says Nancy Leasure, a member of the quilting, bridge, and book clubs at Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville, California. “I am able to connect with them when I see them in other settings.”
And Lou and Debbie Skubic helped revitalize Coto de Caza’s wine club. Their efforts have been so successful that the club-within-the-club has had to limit attendance at its events — first come, first served, as they say. Lou Skubic concludes, “If you are willing to be involved, you will be rewarded by having a much better club.”
Patricia Baldwin is former editor-in-chief of Private Clubs. She teaches journalism at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
• Green Angels. Started as beginner golf clinics for women at California clubs, including Morgan Run Resort & Club (Rancho Santa Fe), Mission Hills Country Club (Rancho Mirage), and Porter Valley Country Club (Northridge), these groups have continued for playing opportunities, friendship, tournaments, dinners, and even spa days.
• The Machacado Club. These folks from the WestLake Club near Houston gather monthly for a Mexican breakfast. Conversation ranges from politics to family — and even happenings at the club.
• MetVets. This group at The University of Texas Club in Austin started as a way for former Metropolitan Club members to connect at their new club. The initial purpose long forgotten, the group has grown and accepts newcomers who embrace “good food, libation, and conversation.”
• V.I.C. The Voluntary Improvement Committee at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, California, improves facilities and conditions for golf members.
THE IDEA WITHIN
Clubs-within-the-club are reminiscent of matryoshkas. The famous handcrafted Russian nesting dolls also are used metaphorically, as a design paradigm, known as the “matryoshka principle” or “nested doll principle.” The “similar object within similar object” concept appears in the design of many natural and man-made objects, such as the layering of clothes or the design of tables, where a smaller table sits within a larger table and a yet-smaller one within that.