What Do Members Want?

Some club leaders believe that it is a fool’s mission to try to understand what members want.

In fact, it is quite simple…you need to ask members what they want. Michael Gregory and Dr. Eric Brey at GGA Partners can tell you with certainty that developing a broad and deep understanding of members’ wants, needs, expectations, and fears is a matter of faithfully applying proven practices of attitudinal research.

Dr. Brey, a PhD-accredited professor at the University of Wisconsin – Stout, is an expert at leveraging analytics to implement dependable customer-centric strategy and hone it on what truly impacts satisfaction. And it all begins with asking members what they want. Sometimes referred to as qualitative analysis, members’ viewpoints are normally collected within small groups and sometimes validated in expanded follow-up listening sessions. In his work with GGA, Dr. Brey has implemented this science within private clubs where understanding members’ attitudes are so important.

In order to measure what matters are of greatest importance to a given club’s members, attitudinal surveys prove to be a trustworthy tool. Establishing the proportion and intensity of members’ attitudes has become even more important in a time when members want to know that their viewpoints were taken into account.

Gregory, having worked at GGA since 2007, is expert at administering private club surveys. He emphasizes that attitudinal surveys in private clubs are essential because the relationship between the club and its members is an emotional and often intense one. In recent years, club leaders have become more reliant on member surveys as the sophistication of such surveys goes deeper into members’ viewpoints. Not the stuff of satisfaction surveys, an attitudinal survey seeks to quantify and measure members concerns and expectations, willingness to fund certain capital projects, and identify the characteristics – by analyzing underlying data – to provide club leaders with clearcut insight into what members want. Five factors that are consistently revealed in member surveys include:

 

  1. When factures occur in private clubs, they are often on the lines of gender and generation.
  2. Normally, the most satisfied members are the newest and the least satisfied members are the most tenured in the club.
  3. Older (in age) members are least supportive of capital projects and debt.
  4. Younger members are eager to see regular capital improvements.
  5. Women tend to be most alert to the club’s value system…”are we what we claim to be?”

Insights vary from club to club and require careful and objective analysis of underlying demographic data to enable the board to understand how members align and differ on certain topics. Dr. Brey advises careful analytical discipline and measurement. “There is no substitute for patient and transparent data analysis,” he says.

At the end of the day, Brey and Gregory confirm that it is possible to know what members want. One simply needs to ask the right questions in the right way.

This piece was authored by Henry DeLozier, Partner, for the National Club Association‘s Winter 2023 Issue of Club Director Magazine. 

Connect with Henry – henry.delozier@ggapartners.com

GGA Partners Joins ClubWorks’ Network of Excellence

ClubWorks adds world-class management consulting firm to its platform of best-in-class companies, and expands its strategic leadership team with the acquisition of GGA Partners.

 

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA, March 7, 2023 – ClubWorks, a premiere private club and high-end hospitality-focused professional services platform, elevates its rapidly expanding service offerings with the acquisition of GGA Partners (GGA), a preeminent international consulting firm and trusted advisor to many of the world’s most successful golf courses, private clubs, resorts and residential communities.

Through this investment, ClubWorks will help accelerate the expansion of GGA’s service offerings to the ClubWorks client network, including strategy and operations consulting services, transaction advisory services, as well as executive search and advanced analytics services while expanding the firm’s market-leading research efforts. GGA’s leadership team will add further expertise to the ClubWorks Board of Directors, who are committed to the continued growth of this professional services platform.

“The unmatched strategy, finance and analytics expertise of GGA will benefit our clients immensely and makes them the perfect addition to our impressive portfolio of ClubWorks companies,” said Michael Leemhuis, Chairman and CEO, ClubWorks. “This acquisition furthers our mission to build a world-class professional services platform while adding some of the best strategic minds in the private club and hospitality world to our leadership team.”

As part of the Clubworks’ Network of Excellence, GGA will retain its highly respected brand, leadership team and professional staff to continue delivering high-quality, impactful strategic solutions to its clients. The additional resources and synergies afforded through the ClubWorks platform will also be incredibly impactful for the broader investment, real estate, hospitality, municipal and association related market segments currently served.

“This investment is strategic on many fronts, as the collective experience and expertise of the ClubWorks companies will help GGA better serve our clients by addressing often requested, and required, services by clubs and hospitality businesses around the globe,” said GGA Founding Partner Stephen Johnston “Our existing clients will continue to be served by our entire GGA team, now stronger than ever, and will have access to even more exceptional research, support and additional services.”

About ClubWorks
Formed in January 2022, but combining more than 100+ years of history and operations, ClubWorks is a growing professional services platform dedicated to the private club and high-end hospitality industry that is building an esteemed “Network of Excellence” across a variety of service offerings. Through its subsidiaries, Peacock + Lewis, JBD JGA Design and Architecture, Visionary Spectacle Studios, and now GGA Partners, ClubWorks is focused on providing top-quality deliverables and a best-in-class experience to its growing base of global clients which includes private clubs, restaurants, high-end hospitality, and select high-end residential clients. For more information on ClubWorks, visit www.clubworks.com.

About GGA Partners™
GGA Partners is an international consulting firm and trusted advisor to many of the world’s most successful golf courses, private clubs, resorts and residential communities. They are dedicated to helping owners, asset managers, club and community leaders, investors and real estate developers tackle challenges, achieve objectives and maximize asset performance. Established in 1992 as the KPMG Golf Industry Practice, their global team of experienced professionals leverage in-depth business intelligence and proprietary global data to deliver impactful strategic solutions and lasting success. For more information on GGA, visit www.ggapartners.com.

Media Contacts

ClubWorks
Henry Wallmeyer
President & COO
hwallmeyer@clubworks.com
202-400-1825

GGA Partners
Craig Johnston
Managing Director & Partner
craig.johnston@ggapartners.com
647-822-8972

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