Creating the Made-to-Order Club

At Houndslake Country Club, members pay only for activities selected from what Houndslake calls its a la carte menu.

by C&RB Staff (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
January 2010
 

In February 2009, Houndslake Country Club in Aiken, S.C., sought to combat the effects of the recession by reducing its initiation fee and offering deep discounts to new members. But Houndslake soon discovered that it wasn’t the only club in town trying to bolster its membership numbers through these types of deals.

So it decided to take its membership drive a step further. The club eliminated its $2,500 initiation fee entirely and reduced its monthly dues, which ranged between $78 and $270, to a flat rate of $52.50. From there, members pay only for activities selected from what Houndslake calls its a la carte menu.

A round of golf? That’s $20.

Tennis or swimming? Another $5 per activity.

Members who pay $125 on top of the monthly dues can waive the golf surcharge and play all the rounds they want, reports The Augusta Chronicle.

Houndslake’s General Manager, Jeff Howell, explains that the club could no longer expect members to come to them in the current economy. “We needed to do something now, before it was too late to do anything,” Howell told The Chronicle. “Our membership had not grown in six or seven years, and was going down the past two or three years. We said, ‘We’ve got to change that trend.’ “

In the 10 months since starting the a la carte menu concept, Houndslake has added more than 300 members, with more than 100 choosing the golf upgrade.