The Mother of Invention

Filed in archive Golf Business on February 15, 2007

Courtesy: Thornhill Golf and Country club

There's a private club in Toronto that has launched an innovative program.

The club's general manager calls it a "win-win" situation.

But, first, some background to put this article in context.

A corporation called ClubLink exists in Canada whose purpose is to provide memberships in a pool of 36 different high-end private courses in Ontario and Quebec.

The company began in 1993 and has grown into the second largest collection of member clubs in the world and boasts around 16 thousand members.

In many ways, it's modeled after Club Corp in Dallas

Very simply, ClubLink's thinking is that avid golfers will want to play a variety of courses with one membership, rather than be restricted to playing just one club.

The formula has proven successful enough that individual private clubs have felt the heat.

One of them, Thornhill Country Club in Toronto, has responded.

Thornhill has a magnificent Stanley Thompson-designed course that is mature and challenging. It hosted the Canadian Open half a century ago.

Robert Dawes is the general manager. He saw the impact that ClubLink was having on not just his club but others in the Toronto area and devised an idea.

He spearheaded a program to involve four private clubs and allow all members to play at any of the four clubs.

"I did it to provide an alternative to ClubLink but one that was straightforward, without different levels of membership. I wanted it to add greater value to a new member. Our memberships are not insignificant (in cost) so you want to be able to tell a prospective member why he or she should join your club."

Private clubs provide a sense of community, he told me. "Sure there are other great courses but there's nothing to bond that person to that particular facility".

Rob told me that the program, which involves Thornhill, Summit, Weston and York Downs, has been a hit.

"We launched it two years ago and it's been hugely successful monetarily. But it's also been successful by providing exposure for other people to come to our clubs and for potential members it's a chance to showcase each of the clubs and help them make an educated decision."

I asked him if the program wasn't like circling the wagons and he readily agreed.

"Sure it is. We can all sink together or we can swim together. All four clubs loved the idea and we implemented it."

Rob also quickly admitted that ClubLink has what he called "the perception of a huge advantage".

"So someone might say to me, 'why should I join your club when I can join ClubLink and play other clubs?' But a lot of ClubLink members will tell you what they (ClubLink) promise and what they deliver are two different things. We have no grading system. All four clubs are treated equally.

Rob may have a point. I looked at ClubLink's site and tried to understand the membership pricing. There are different levels which involve different clubs and there are extra costs if you want to play a course that is in a higher membership level than your own.

Like any private membership, there are also annual dues - again, based on your level of membership - and food and bar minimums.

But ClubLink does boast a lot of fine courses to choose from. If you can figure out their membership packages. There appears to be a lot of fine print there.

Here, then, is a story about one private club with a beautiful course, trying to find a way to stay economically viable in the face of enormous corporate competition.

It's a lot like the David and Goliath story. But we don't yet know who the winner is.

Tomorrow: How private clubs compete against BMW.