FROM THE EDITOR

Oh, to be a kid in 2008.

I don’t quite come from the “kick the can” generation where all there was to do in those warm-weather, after-school hours was to punt around a piece of litter. But my summertime shenanigans had more to do with water balloons, chasing friends (and, more often, getting chased) through the neighborhood, and the always climactic stubbed bare toe, than any of the activities that kids have available to them today.

Nowadays, kids — and especially club kids — have so many possibilities, and thankfully very few have anything to do with spending time alone with anything electronic. Most of the country clubs now have their fast-tee courses in place and several have even added water parks where families can enjoy time together. Kids don’t necessarily have to be shipped off to summer camps; you can drop them off at the club for day camps and still have quality family time in the evenings. We offer an overview of some of the summer fun clubs are offering this year in our cover story.

Getting your kids involved at the club is about so much more than just keeping them occupied while you’re at the office though. And it’s not dissimilar to what I learned during my barefoot days in the old neighborhood. Even while I was trying to avoid a balloon ambush, I was getting a sense of community. I was finding my place to belong. And that security of belonging has followed me through my life. It’s the reason we all became members of clubs in the first place — to have a place outside the home, beyond the job, where we fit.

The great part is your kids won’t know it’s happening while it’s happening. They’re just having the times of their lives. They’re just being kids — laughing, running, swimming, imagining. But even today when I feel the swish of a water-filled balloon in the palm of my hand, the memories come back of that first feeling of community, that first moment of belonging.

Create some new memories with your family at your club this summer, and let us hear about them.

Louis Marroquin
Managing editor
privateclubs@clubcorp.com

Photography by RJ Hinkle of Quad/Photo.