This is so interesting. Club membership in my city is a powerful social signal, but even the nature of the signal is insider knowledge. As in, only if you’re in the right social circle would you know that Club A is generally impenetrable if you’re not from the our particular southern state, while Club B will admit well-connected incomers but only if you can match the (still very southern) vibe. Meanwhile, if you’re from New Jersey, you could own a fleet of Gulfstreams and your only shot would still be Club C.
Do you guys let outsiders in if they break bread over time? Talking to people I’ve learned that endurance is an important currency when it comes to private clubs (sometimes even more so than money!)
Club A is just a nonstarter if you’re not from this state in my experience, in part because it requires 5 member references. Beyond that, I think there is some ability to get in with sustained effort, but the cultural fit aspect is real. It’s all Tuckernuck dresses and Berckman’s Place logo tumblers and casual familiarity with high-end shotguns.
Southern social status is a weird and unique thing. Ask me some time about the signaling associated with bespoke children’s classroom Valentines or the hierarchy of private lakes on which to summer…
We owned a house in Virginia and my father and I both went to school there which I know is not really considered the south but I went to school with lots of southerners… you’re giving me ideas!!
Carson, this is fascinating. I have been a member at a couple of private clubs in the Chicago area; apparently I just bumbled in. I had no idea such consultants existed. Your articles always open my eyes to another way of life.
I doubt very much you “just” bumbled in! I think when people have a natural ease about them, it helps them in these types of processes. Wanting it too much may be exactly the reason why some people need to hire a consultant 😆
Carson, fascinating! After plastic surgery consultants, another strange RPS profession
It seems like a low status flex to need a member club consultant. If I were a member of a club, and I'm not (unless you count a co-op which can be like a club for better or worse), I wouldn't want to add members who had to resort to these services. For the most part clubs are selling exclusivity and these advisors cut against that.
And most (all?) of these places require a member (sometimes more than one) to sponsor you, someone who actually knows you professionally or personally. I don’t see how these services would get around that?
They all know a litany of members in the club, keep track of who matters (in country clubs, seniority) and who is in good standing. Basically, their careers start because they were networkers/well-connected to begin with and then they looked for a way to monetize it (my takeaway from speaking to them).
Also, it is still a “cottage industry” but it is so much larger than I thought it was!
There’s an important distinction that sometimes gets lost in coverage of “exclusive” clubs — the difference between member-owned institutions and proprietor operations dressed up in the language of exclusivity.
I’m a member of two old-line clubs, one founded in 1868 and another in 1911. Members govern both, collectively owning the institution. They elect boards and officers, set dues democratically, and act as stewards of something that will outlast them. The club has primacy over any individual, a distinction that creates a fundamentally different social compact, one rooted in civic obligation rather than consumption.
The newer generation of “exclusive” clubs are hospitality businesses. The owner sets the culture, extracts profit, controls membership composition as a branding decision, and can sell the asset. Members who paid substantial initiation fees have no governance rights and no recourse. The velvet rope exists to serve the brand, not the community.
What I find particularly distasteful about the proprietor model is that it commodifies the appearance of exclusivity while hollowing out its substance. A $200,000 initiation fee to Aman Club buys access to a luxury hotel amenity with a membership wrapper. It does not make you a steward of anything. The high price is the gatekeeping mechanism because there is no other filter — no lineage, no institutional relationship, no genuine vetting of whether you are someone the existing community wishes to admit.
Old-line clubs have always had relatively modest fees precisely because money was never the primary filter. An unlimited checkbook without the right standing gets you nowhere. Institutional continuity cannot be manufactured.
I was actually going to mention Maidstone as an example of an old line club but ended up editing out that sentence. 😅 The fee structure is less of what I’m interested in fwiw.
Actually, this is so varied across the board. A lot of the members club in palm beach are the most expensive in America (not counting golf clubs) and frequently exceed $550k! They have been around for 100+ years as well. I agree with you about the newer members clubs running like hospitality platforms but this is definitely varied, and I think it is more location dependent
I’m uncertain. To me it’s a significant difference. But I’m biased. I like the old style members clubs where one takes on stewardship of the institution for future generations. I don’t doubt that the newer hospitality-proprietor clubs are luxurious and enjoyable. But they are a different model.
How was that? I tried to do a story on a private club last year and the PR firm they had hired was essentially to help them not have stories done on them 😆
“I don’t care about any club that would have me as a member.” Groucho Marx.
And certainly not enough to hire someone to help me get in!
Carson. Groucho and his Jewish buddies were personna non grata Los Angeles CC. Sooooo They started their own . Hillcrest CC.
I did a story about golf clubs and it included Hillcrest! Didn’t realize that about Groucho though. Gorgeous property
Jewish Comedians at Hillcrest had a Round Table. They were all golfers who were not allowed LA Cc , BelAir, Rivera . I’m a BHills expat. 5’sister
raised Roman Catholic (I’m fallen from grace🤣.
I asked the waiter at Eighty Six if I could steal the knife and he said he'd look the other way (I didn't).
I love those knives and need to do a full interrogation of Eugene of how they were conceptualized and how he got them!
This is so interesting. Club membership in my city is a powerful social signal, but even the nature of the signal is insider knowledge. As in, only if you’re in the right social circle would you know that Club A is generally impenetrable if you’re not from the our particular southern state, while Club B will admit well-connected incomers but only if you can match the (still very southern) vibe. Meanwhile, if you’re from New Jersey, you could own a fleet of Gulfstreams and your only shot would still be Club C.
Do you guys let outsiders in if they break bread over time? Talking to people I’ve learned that endurance is an important currency when it comes to private clubs (sometimes even more so than money!)
Club A is just a nonstarter if you’re not from this state in my experience, in part because it requires 5 member references. Beyond that, I think there is some ability to get in with sustained effort, but the cultural fit aspect is real. It’s all Tuckernuck dresses and Berckman’s Place logo tumblers and casual familiarity with high-end shotguns.
So interesting! I will be doing a summer getaway place, and I definitely think you’ll have some good ideas
Southern social status is a weird and unique thing. Ask me some time about the signaling associated with bespoke children’s classroom Valentines or the hierarchy of private lakes on which to summer…
We owned a house in Virginia and my father and I both went to school there which I know is not really considered the south but I went to school with lots of southerners… you’re giving me ideas!!
I started building a membership club compare chart with initiation fees and requirements - if I can dig it up I’ll email it to you 💌
So fun!!
Carson, this is fascinating. I have been a member at a couple of private clubs in the Chicago area; apparently I just bumbled in. I had no idea such consultants existed. Your articles always open my eyes to another way of life.
I doubt very much you “just” bumbled in! I think when people have a natural ease about them, it helps them in these types of processes. Wanting it too much may be exactly the reason why some people need to hire a consultant 😆
Carson, fascinating! After plastic surgery consultants, another strange RPS profession
It seems like a low status flex to need a member club consultant. If I were a member of a club, and I'm not (unless you count a co-op which can be like a club for better or worse), I wouldn't want to add members who had to resort to these services. For the most part clubs are selling exclusivity and these advisors cut against that.
And most (all?) of these places require a member (sometimes more than one) to sponsor you, someone who actually knows you professionally or personally. I don’t see how these services would get around that?
They all know a litany of members in the club, keep track of who matters (in country clubs, seniority) and who is in good standing. Basically, their careers start because they were networkers/well-connected to begin with and then they looked for a way to monetize it (my takeaway from speaking to them).
Also, it is still a “cottage industry” but it is so much larger than I thought it was!
There’s an important distinction that sometimes gets lost in coverage of “exclusive” clubs — the difference between member-owned institutions and proprietor operations dressed up in the language of exclusivity.
I’m a member of two old-line clubs, one founded in 1868 and another in 1911. Members govern both, collectively owning the institution. They elect boards and officers, set dues democratically, and act as stewards of something that will outlast them. The club has primacy over any individual, a distinction that creates a fundamentally different social compact, one rooted in civic obligation rather than consumption.
The newer generation of “exclusive” clubs are hospitality businesses. The owner sets the culture, extracts profit, controls membership composition as a branding decision, and can sell the asset. Members who paid substantial initiation fees have no governance rights and no recourse. The velvet rope exists to serve the brand, not the community.
What I find particularly distasteful about the proprietor model is that it commodifies the appearance of exclusivity while hollowing out its substance. A $200,000 initiation fee to Aman Club buys access to a luxury hotel amenity with a membership wrapper. It does not make you a steward of anything. The high price is the gatekeeping mechanism because there is no other filter — no lineage, no institutional relationship, no genuine vetting of whether you are someone the existing community wishes to admit.
Old-line clubs have always had relatively modest fees precisely because money was never the primary filter. An unlimited checkbook without the right standing gets you nowhere. Institutional continuity cannot be manufactured.
Another good example is the Maidstone Club, where I regularly frequented with my ex, and the estimated initiation fee is $500k :)
I was actually going to mention Maidstone as an example of an old line club but ended up editing out that sentence. 😅 The fee structure is less of what I’m interested in fwiw.
Actually, this is so varied across the board. A lot of the members club in palm beach are the most expensive in America (not counting golf clubs) and frequently exceed $550k! They have been around for 100+ years as well. I agree with you about the newer members clubs running like hospitality platforms but this is definitely varied, and I think it is more location dependent
(Do you think it’s worth me writing about this distinction more? Do you think people would be interested?)
I’m uncertain. To me it’s a significant difference. But I’m biased. I like the old style members clubs where one takes on stewardship of the institution for future generations. I don’t doubt that the newer hospitality-proprietor clubs are luxurious and enjoyable. But they are a different model.
The British model, even the newer ones, are attempting to be like the older ones. They are aiming for multi-generational memberships
Fair point. Some old line clubs especially if they are golf clubs have very high fees.
I still remember when the PR firm I worked for was hired to handle Liberty National. lol.
How was that? I tried to do a story on a private club last year and the PR firm they had hired was essentially to help them not have stories done on them 😆
🤣 sounds about right