A report by the Midland Reporter-Telegram indicates that The Racquet Club, Midland CC, Green Tree CC and more were not only resistant to the effects of depressed oil prices in the region, but many have growing waiting lists, due in part to a population surge.
Country clubs in Midland, Texas have gone nearly untouched by the local economic slowdown. Despite depressed oil prices, club membership numbers have remained at capacity, in some cases with years-long waiting lists, the Midland (Texas) Reporter-Telegram reported.
With ridged caps on membership numbers, many of the clubs have remained exclusive through the population surge. The Racquet Club, established in 1959 just south of Midland College, has a waiting list upward of 50 families, according to General Manager David Schmidt. Its membership initiation fee is $17,500 with monthly dues set at $395, the Reporter-Telegram reported.
“The last person who had gotten in had been on (the waiting list) for a year or two,” Schmidt said. Racquet Club limits its membership to 325 families. The last time the facility had vacancies without a long waiting list was four years ago. “Our membership is pretty static; our business stays pretty static. Just due to the nature of our smaller membership and being in the development here, we typically don’t see much fluctuation.”
Midland Country Club, the city’s oldest club with roots going back to 1927, caps its golfing membership at 725 and is currently undergoing an $8.3 million renovation and addition to its golf course. But if the club has seen any attrition in its membership numbers in the recent past, it’s not due to the price of crude, according to General Manager Don Beaver Jr.
“I know everyone’s always concerned about the price of crude, but the people that belong to this club, they’re not the individuals who are going to go, ‘oh my gosh, we need to stop being a member,’” Beaver said.
Conversely, Midland Country Club sees somewhat of a rise in business during a downturn, the Reporter-Telegram reported.
“If anything, we see a little bit of a bump in business because people may not be traveling as much. They may not be going overseas, or they may not be going to other destinations as much, but they’re still going to play golf, they’re still going to go out for dinner,” Beaver said.
Moreover, other clubs with significantly higher membership caps have accumulated waiting lists over the past few years. Green Tree Country Club, founded in 1980, limits its capacity to 850 and has had a waiting list for the last three years, according to Dianne Wright, membership director. The most recent member to gain admittance to the club spent eight months on the waiting list, the Reporter-Telegram reported.
Odessa Country Club, located between Odessa and Midland along Faudree Road, maintains 1,150 members with a one- to two-month-long waiting list. The club’s list began about a year ago, according to Victoria Gryder, membership director. While the economic downturn has challenged many sectors of the local economy, the country club business hasn’t seemed to be impacted, the Reporter-Telegram reported.
“It hasn’t affected us, people are still submitting new applications,” Gryder said. “(Business) has pretty much stayed at a high. We pretty much stay busy all the time with events no matter what’s going on. We have maintained a pretty high level of activity.”
Ranchland Hills Golf Club, which opened in 1949, maintains its numbers at about 600 to 700 members. It has no ridged cap but reached full capacity last summer, according to office manager Margie Terrett.
“We only have 18 holes on the golf course, so we still have really busy times even with the change in the oil price,” Terrett said.
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