By: Tripp Vistica
April 21
Ridgeway Country Club member, Janet Ticer, used to spend her day’s socializing with friends while her husband played golf before they would enjoy dinner together at Germantown Country Club. When Germantown closed, Ticer was sad, but noticed a lot of her friends many friends from Germantown were joining Ridgeway and decided with her husband to join Ridgeway as well.
“It’s been a great transition,” Ticer said. “Better than expected, actually.”
Fortunately for new members like Ticer, Ridgeway Country club offers special membership prices for members moving from another club, better amenities, access to more clubs and the club is located close to where Germantown Country Club was located.
Currently around the world, country clubs are filing for bankruptcy and closing down, and golf is not the problem. It is a combination of clubs financially overextending themselves and not adapting the rules and dues of their club to attract younger members.
A major way Ridgeway Country Club has adapted is the costs of their membership dues. Not everyone pays the same price for a club membership, because Ridgeway offers all kinds of deals and are willing to work with prospective members on the cost of joining the club.
Research done by Kelsey Lawrence for city lab.com, says, “Millennials are open to joining a private-membership-club.” In the same article, president of Golf Property Analysis, Larry Hirsch, told the Dallas Morning News, “Country Clubs are not doing a good job of welcoming Millennials.”
Ridgeway Country Club membership director for the last 25 years, Eileen Consolo, said, “In my experience, country clubs have to reinvent themselves and Ridgeway is prime example of that.”
“Part of the problem is that members are in their 60’s and 70’s with health problems and they’re not playing as much, so they drop their membership,” Consolo said. “It’s trying to get those younger members in, but most younger members under the age of 40 are two income households, but if you want to survive in the country club business, you have to make changes.”
Ridgeway Country Clubs vary their membership dues to attract younger prospective members. Attracting members from the Millennial generation is a major priority for private clubs, because it is hard for a lot of Millennials to justify paying for a private club, despite the amenities and activities the club provides.
Ridgeway Country Club’s head golf professional, Keith Penke, accepted the same position he held at Germantown Country Club, because of relationships he built over his 18 years as the head gold pro at Germantown.
“Here at Ridgeway Country Club, we’ve probably got 600 to 650 members, so you almost become like family those members. That was the saddest thing about leaving Germantown Count Club when it closed,” Penke said. “We had over 500 members at Germantown, and we’re very lucky that a lot of them came over here to Ridgeway. But out of those 500 members, only maybe a fifth came over here, so hopefully the relationships with the other 400 members won’t disappear. However, it’s not going to be as easy to keep those relationships together as it was when you see them every day.”
“My favorite part of being a golf pro is the relationships you build,” said Penke.
Ridgeway Country Club has been around since 1861 and is still around today due to their adaptability. Ridgeway is $13,000 over in membership dues while other country clubs are filing for bankruptcy or closing down.
Ridgeway Country Club’s dining hall at the end of the club’s entrance.
Inside Ridgeway Country Club’s dining hall where members have access to breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. Members can enjoy their meals while watching programs on multiple television sets.
Ridgeway Country Club offers a driving range that features a heated indoor facility. Golfers can hit practice shots when the temperature is cold and stay warm, because of the individual heaters located inside the indoor driving range.
View of Ridgeway Country Club’s golf course from the outdoor dining terrace. Members can enjoy a meal while taking in an amazing view of a beautiful golf course.
Ridgeway Country Club members can enjoy the view of the golf course’s waterfall from the outdoor terrace, the golf clubhouse and the golf pro shop. The waterfall poses a threat for a golfer’s score due to its location on hole 10.
Cost of a Country Club
Dues, Golf Course Maintenance, Dining
Dining 12.00%
Golf Course Maintenance 26.00%
Dues 62.00%of a Country Club
Tripp Vistica 