Crushing Club Marketing
Episodes
The Private Club Member Lifecycle: Balancing Legacy and Future
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Summary: In this episode, Ed sits down with industry leader Kris Butterfield Cance to explore one of the most urgent challenges facing private...
Private Club Leadership is Changing: A Conversation with Joel Livingood
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The role of the General Manager is evolving — and so are the expectations of private club leadership. In this episode, Ed Heil sits down with Joel L...
Inside the Mid-Year Golf Life Navigators Report: Trends Shaping Private Clubs
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Heil and Jason Becker discuss the insights from the Golf Life Navigators mid-year report, focusing on trends in private club membe...
The Culture Conversation Club Leaders Can't Ignore: Why Your Staff Should Shape Your Strategy
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Private clubs are no longer just competing with each other for talent—they're competing with every employer offering a flexible, supportive work env...
What Private Club Leaders Need to Know Before Producing a Club Video
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, Ed Heil and Steve Mulholland discuss the intricacies of video production, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and unders...
The State of Private Club Governance: Survey Findings and Solutions
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Private clubs often pride themselves on tradition—but without strong governance, even the most respected institutions can find themselves unprepared...
Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow: Dr. Bonnie Knutson on Creating Value in Modern Private Clubs
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What defines value in today's private club? It's not the square footage of your dining room or how fast your greens roll—it's how your members feel ...
Why Every Club Leader Needs a Crisis Management Plan
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
No club is immune to crisis, but most are unprepared when it strikes. In this episode, Ed Heil is joined by Andy Skoogman, a seasoned crisis communica...
The Impact of Behavioral Assessments on Club Culture: A Conversation with Jodie Cunningham
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Crushing Club Marketing, Ed Heil sits down with Jodie Cunningham, owner of Optimus Talent Partners and a certified Predictive Index...
Change Management: Why Communication is the Key to Private Club Success
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Description In this episode, Ed sits down with Bret, an expert in change management and communication, to discuss why successful club transfor...
Strategic Private Club Communications: Beyond the Club Newsletter
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode Description In this episode, we chat with Jackie Singleton and Kristen LaCount from The Country Club about their approach to club communicatio...
Private Club Waitlists and Member Attrition: What the Data Tells Us
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed talks with Jason Becker, CEO and founder of Golf Life Navigators, about emerging trends in private club membership and why clubs s...
From Committee-Led to CEO Driven: Modernizing Private Club Leadership
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat with Dave Porter, CEO and GM of Greystone Golf and Country Club, about how he transformed his club's governance from a tradit...
What Private Club Leaders Need to Know Before Capturing Golf Course Drone Footage
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk with Russell Bennett, a professional drone photographer specializing in golf course imagery, about the technical and artistic...
The Key to Successful Club Governance: A Discussion with Experts Denise Kuprionis and David Chag
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the big picture of club improvements, updating bylaws and reviewing governance is about as uninteresting and unsexy as it gets. Most club leaders ...
Navigating Private Club Finances: A Smarter Approach to Dues and Initiation Fees
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Assessments. They seem to go hand-in-hand with private club membership. Many clubs have voted to assess members for new amenities in recent years, and...
Cultivating a Thriving Club Culture: An Interview with Three and Jackie Carpenter
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the competitive landscape of private clubs, creating a strong, positive culture isn't just a nice-to-have—it's essential when attracting new memb...
Melissa Hansen: Elevating Private Clubs One Membership Professional at a Time [Ep. 40]
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Not long ago, a club's membership director was the receptionist at the front desk. As it related to new member acquisition, that person's primary job ...
Why Private Club Membership Directors Need to Sell
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The words Selling and Private Club Membership typically do not go hand-in-hand. In fact, most Membership Directors, wouldn't be caught dead saying t...
Lead Management to Fuel Private Club Growth [ep. 38]
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most successful businesses have a defined sales process. One that identifies the best prospects, converts them into leads and then nurtures those lead...
Why Your Club Website is the MVP of Your Membership Team [ep. 37]
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Websites are constantly evolving. No longer is your website an online brochure. It should be a critical part of your membership and marketing team. Re...
Managing Shifting Demographics in Private Clubs - John Schultz, CEO of Club Leadership Alliance
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
John Schultz, CEO of Club Leadership Alliance, has been around the block - a bunch of times! Prior to his current role, he was the GM for over 20 year...
Private Club Success in a Post-Pandemic World: Frank Vain CEO of the McMahon Group
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The private club industry enjoys a steady resurgence, with waitlists becoming the norm in markets across the U.S. Furthermore, experts predict the g...
A Private City Club Your Granddaughter Can Love [Ep. 34]
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the world of City Clubs, Jeff McFadden is well known and well-respected. As the CEO of the Union League of Philadelphia he has developed a national...
Conversational Marketing for Private Clubs [Ep. 33]
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You've seen them on websites and whether you choose to use them or not "Chatbots" and text communication is here to stay for the foreseeable future. O...
How Great Leaders Create Great Followers [Ep. 32]
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hiring outstanding people is really hard and keeping them can be equally difficult - especially if there are management or leadership issues. If you'r...
Managing Private Club Waitlists with Jason Becker [ep. 31]
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time in years, many private clubs have a waitlist for new members. For the clubs who have always had waitlists, this is nothing new. On ...
Strategic Club Marketing Straight from School [Ep. 30]
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
By developing and implementing a strategic digital communications approach to the club's marketing and communication, Cathy Zehms has created a conten...
Private Club Marketing Driven by Innovation in a Pandemic [Ep. 29]
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to keep your private club membership thriving during a crisis? Engagement and innovation. That's what Dave Porter and his team at Gr...
The Crisis This GM Faced Helped His Club Through the Pandemic [Ep. 28]
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When Minnesota golf courses were forced to close at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Joel Livingood was already preparing for the next step. It'...
The Impact of the Coronavirus on the role of the Membership Director [Ep. 27]
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, private clubs, like most businesses were cast into a future of uncertainty. One role that proved to ...
What Club Marketers Should Know About Neuromarketing and New Members [Ep. 26]
26 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If the goal of private club marketing is to influence thinking and behavior, then a basic understanding of the brain can increase the chances of succe...
Adding "Traction" and Structure for Private Club Management [Ep. 25]
21 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Turning Your Club Communications into a Member Engagement Asset
12 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Chris DeConna is a marketing coordinator and graphic designer at The Ranch Country Club in Westminster, Colorado – and he's changing the game for cl...
Talking Twitter with Hazeltine Superintendent [Ep. 23]
19 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Getting your club to buy into the idea of social media and starting a Facebook or Twitter account is challenging enough. Getting your staff to partici...
How Overcommunication Helped This Club Grow Membership During Renovations
11 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Proactive communication using social media and video kept the team at Pelican Isle Yacht Club ahead of the conversation when it came to a multi-millio...
Club Marketing for Multiple Generations
06 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
You want a younger membership yet you need to retain your existing legacy members, as well. But each demographic has different needs and interests. Wh...
How Strong Leadership Can Propel Your Club Marketing Efforts
01 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Adapting to a changing industry is difficult no matter the business, and the private club industry is going through that today. The Country Club in Br...
The Right Match: Online Process Connects Clubs and Prospective Members
23 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What if finding your ideal golf club was like online dating? You get matched with the club that's right for you based on location, commonalities, and ...
Choosing a CRM that Works for Your Private Club
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The sales cycle in the private club industry can be a long one. It might even take years from the time a prospective member expresses interest to the...
Making Video Accessible for Your Club
09 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling like you're always one step behind in your marketing efforts? If you're a club marketer, you're probably nodding your head. It's a perpetual ...
From Boomers to Millennials: Club Marketing Across Generations
01 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connecting with your target audience is essentially the purpose of marketing. The challenge is, relating to an audience that continues to evolve. From...
Financial Sustainability for Clubs Starts with Solid Club Operations
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The road to sustainability for private clubs is one that requires vision and discipline, according to Professional Club Marketing Association Founder,...
Creating a Sales Culture: Experiencing Exponential Growth at Columbine
06 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Columbine Country Club just outside of Denver Colorado has experienced exponential growth over the last three years due to what Director of Sales and ...
What Facebook's Changes Mean for Your Private Club (Shanna Bright)
16 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this year, Facebook changed its algorithm to eliminate spammy content and reward content that is actually interesting to people. In this episo...
Creating a Video Strategy to Grow Revenue and Reduce Expenses
10 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Look around online and it's hard not to see video - in your social media feeds and on websites and yet it's not enough to produce one video and post i...
Building the Perfect Club Website (Joe Jerome)
25 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When did you last update your club website? If it's been more than three years, you're likely not realizing the full potential of your online presence...
Search Marketing Isn't Just "Golf Club Near Me" (Mike McAnally)
18 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Do you still expect people to find your club by typing "golf club near me" into their favorite search engine? That might have worked in the past, but ...
Bold Leadership: How Robert Sereci Drives Innovation at Medinah
11 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Sereci has a unique background and a unique approach to leadership as the general manager at Medinah Country Club, just outside of Chicago. Med...
Effective Communication: Skills to Help Your Club Thrive
04 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When things go wrong, we like to point the finger at people or policies, putting the blame on individual personalities or misguided plans. But more of...
Storytelling for Clubs
29 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Storytelling has become popular vernacular in the marketing world, and why not? We love stories! Especially stories that inspire us or make us feel so...
Drone Footage at Your Club : DIY and Hiring a Pro (Flight Creative)
21 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Breathtaking aerial videography used to cost thousands of dollars to capture, but with drone technology that has changed. Thanks to drone videography,...
Email Marketing that Engages
14 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What's your email strategy for your members and for prospective members and club clients? Is it spray and pray? Do You have a routine schedule for c...
Blogging Basics for Clubs
07 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's been proven for years that businesses that blog receive more leads than those that do not. Even businesses like private clubs are benefitting fro...
Transforming Internal Communication to Drive Member Engagement
30 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How does a club with more than 130-years of history transform its member communication and drive engagement? With tremendous vision, team buy-in and p...
Telling Your Club's Story Through Branding | Derek Sussner
26 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Derek Sussner, President of Sussner Design Company shares his insights on how clubs can leverage their best stories through branding. Branding is abou...
Hazeltine National Golf Club Grows Membership, Events, and Catering Every Year | Ruth Glaser
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We're joined by Ruth Glaser, Director of Sales and Marketing at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, MN. After implementing inbound marketing best ...