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Industry News & Trends

The 15 Most Exclusive Private Clubs in America (2026)

From Augusta National’s invitation-only fairways to the Union League of Philadelphia’s peer-voted city club ranking, these are the 15 most exclusive private clubs in America for 2026 — and the admissions playbook every club marketer can borrow from them.

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Industry News & Trends

The September Circuit: Salon Privé, Monza and What Driving Clubs Learn From Europe’s Concours Month

September’s European concours circuit — Salon Privé, the Monza Grand Prix, and Chantilly — is a masterclass in scarcity, recognition and cross-generational programming. Here’s what American driving clubs, from the Royal Automobile Club to Ten Tenths Motor Club, are already borrowing from it.

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Industry News & Trends

Labor Day in the Mountains: Telluride, Aspen and the Shoulder-Season Membership Window

The Telluride Film Festival and Jazz Aspen Snowmass turn Labor Day weekend into the single best mountain club membership fall window of the year. Here’s how Snowmass Mountain Club, Telluride’s Racquet Club, Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis, and AspenX are already capturing it.

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Industry News & Trends

Opening Meet: How Hunt and Equestrian Clubs Turn Fall Season Into a Recruiting Calendar

The Hampton Classic just closed, Burghley and the Valkenswaard leg of the Global Champions Tour open this weekend, and equestrian clubs are entering the only season that matters for recruiting. Here’s how Belle Meade Hunt, Green Spring Valley Hounds, and three other hunts turn opening meet into a documented hunt club membership pipeline.

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Industry News & Trends

Club Championship Season: Marketing Your Member Championship to Prospects, Not Just Members

The Walker Cup proves the amateur pipeline still sells. Your member championship is the same story, running on your own course, and almost none of it reaches the prospects your club needs next.

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Industry News & Trends

Platinum Clubs of America 2026: How the Designation Actually Works

0 Of all U.S. private clubs earn Platinum 0 Total Platinum Clubs (2025–2026) 0 Selection criteria evaluated 0 Program founded by John R. Sibbald Country Clubs 150 Golf Clubs 50 City Clubs 50 Yacht Clubs 30 Athletic Clubs 20 300 clubs total, representing the top five percent of U.S. private clubs, according to Platinum Clubs […]

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Industry News & Trends

NFL Player Golf Handicaps 2026: The Complete Ranked List

0 Lowest active NFL handicap (Brett Kern) 0 Josh Allen handicap (2026) 0 Travis Kelce handicap (2026) 0 NFL players in AT&T Pebble Pro-Am field history Ryan Succop +2.6 Brett Kern 0.4 Adam Thielen 0.6 Jake Elliott ~2 Josh Allen 3.5 Aaron Rodgers ~6 Patrick Mahomes ~8 Travis Kelce 10 Skill index inverted from handicap […]

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Membership Growth & Sales

Admission by Achievement: The Explorers Club Model Every Members Club Should Study

New York’s hardest door costs less for a year than a night out at the clubs charging six figures. The gate was never money — and the mechanics behind it are worth stealing.

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Club Profiles

Where the NFL’s Best Golfers Actually Belong: Inside Football’s Private Club Memberships

Tom Brady at Seminole. Tony Romo at Maridoe. Larry Fitzgerald at Whisper Rock. Where the NFL’s most serious golfers actually hold bag tags — and the three-membership pattern that runs through the league.

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Member Retention & Engagement

The Mid-Year Member Survey: What to Ask, What to Skip

The summer survey window is the best moment to course-correct before fall budgets, capital planning, and election cycles. The questions that surface real friction — and the ones that just produce a binder no one opens.