Private golf clubs expanding, looking to non-traditional audiences

DALLAS — Golfing at private clubs is no longer just for Grandpa. It's actually big business with shifting demographics. And developments in the industry have its participants in Texas racing to adapt. "When you look at some of the investment that's been made in private clubs across the United States, it's really an attempt to address that," Arcis founder, chair and CEO Blake Walker told The Dallas Morning News recently. For evidence, look no further than Arcis Golf. In recent weeks, the Dallas-based, privately-held chain has been on an acquisition spree, having purchased top-shelf courses in Atlanta and Houston's Woodlands area. It's a demonstration of private golf's growing financial strength and cultural clout. "We're very disciplined from an investment perspective," Walker said. "Atlanta was the No. 1 market in the United States for growth for us. ... If you look at our specific growth on a forward basis, you'll see major metropolitan areas, infield locations." For the most part, the sport tends to skew older, with Baby Boomers and empty nesters making up a large portion of club memberships. But now, private golf club operators say they're being joined by younger, more diverse members including women, children and families. As membership demographics change, Arcis Golf is investing over $150 million in facility upgrades to ensure these macrotrends reveal themselves in everyday programming, Walker said. "Day by day, hour by hour," Walker said. "How does every member of that family participate?" The emphasis on younger players and the uninitiated is part of what David Pillsbury, the CEO of Invited Clubs, calls "a seismic shift in the dynamic of private clubs in the last decade." Pillsbury told The News in an interview that 10 or 15 years ago, there was "so much friction" in the golf industry that you had to "really know where to go" to become a member. Now, the game has much broader appeal: In fact, the CEO of Topgolf recently told The News that "every human being in America is our target." It's prompting golf clubs in the Lone Star State to invest millions, just to keep up with what Pillsbury called an industry "Hunger Games." MIMIC MOTHER NATURE Invited Clubs' TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney is undergoing a major $22 million renovation to reshape the greens and update the irrigation and drainage systems, in time to host the Byron Nelson Tournament in spring 2026. Renovations began in summer 2024 and include new turf grasses, six new tee boxes, and a smartphone-controlled irrigation system that the club's general manager Mike Kiesling called, "the best mimic of Mother Nature. What was once state of the art has become archaic in the last 20 years." Canyon Creek Country Club in Richardson, which is also owned by Invited Clubs, underwent an 18-month, $12 million renovation of its own back in 2023. "Everything is new, tee to green," Head golf professional Heather Stewart said. Structural updates include a multi-million dollar electrical irrigation system, drought-resistant grass, redesigned bunkers, and an expanded course length from 6,800 yards to 7,037 yards. Structural upgrades evolved into a full redesign to improve playability, with new tee boxes added to accommodate a variety of skill levels. "The design was meant to be a little bit more member-friendly so that if you played well, you were rewarded," Stewart said. "It rewards a good shot where before it didn't matter who you were or what you were, it would bounce off and go into the backyard." Yellow wallpaper out, mixology in Renovations at Canyon Creek evolved to meet the lifestyle demands of the whole family, as clubs become "more integrated into the daily lives" of members, according to Pillsbury. What was once a restaurant is now a fitness center. The underused catering space is now a contemporary dining room for date nights or casual bites — in keeping with what Arcis's CEO described as a shift in "the way people utilize clubs and what they do at the clubs." These improvements are more on-point with the themes stated at the top. Stewart said that renovations have "pretty much touched every area other than the locker rooms. We've seen a definite uptick in the members using the dining area." How members dine is getting an upgrade, too. General manager Lisa Neel said Canyon Creek Country Club now offers a mixologist who "can make you things with smoke." As for the former banquet room — it's now a kids' space. And the old yellow wallpaper is gone. "We have so many young families here and they want to be able to use the facility and have someone watch their kids while they do that," Neel said. "This was one of the things members were asking for." SUBURBAN FACELIFT Neel said cosmetic updates at Canyon Creek were added to "make the club look like the neighborhood." Like many homes in the area, the club was built in 1963 and much of the interior hadn't changed in the intervening decades. As Richardson zipcodes grew more attractive, Stewart said younger homeowners began "gutting [homes]" or "tearing them down." "We've got these two big monster houses that just have been built in the last two years, back there," Stewart said. Meanwhile, updates were made to mirror the changing suburbia. "We've tried to make 'us' look like 'that' instead of the old colonial look that the club used to be," Neel said. WHOLE FAMILY Craig Ranch hosts a mix of "families that are moving into that empty nester phase as well as younger members," Kiesling said. "… Both of the two members that recently joined are 29 and 35." "We've probably seen more younger families join in the last 12 to 18 months," TPC Craig Ranch Membership Director Allison Burrow said. Programming is changing to meet the needs of the whole family. Newer offerings include wine tastings, culinary experiences, couples golf and Women's Play Day on Wednesdays. At Canyon Creek, programming is even more expansive — think kids' summer camp, trivia nights, pickleball and Pilates. With more offerings, Canyon Creek is introducing new membership tiers from lifestyle and social memberships to racquet sports and golf memberships. Family-centric, lifestyle programming is becoming the standard for Invited Clubs' nearly 400,000 members. LIFESTYLE PLAY Arcis Golf is also going beyond programming to offer private and public golf club options. Eleven years ago, Walker pondered the future of golf, which he said was "predicated upon aging baby boomers." He added: "The question I ask myself is, 'What happens when those aging baby boomers age out? Who's going to replace them? If it's all private golf, it's not accessible." From entry-level, daily fee courses to high-end, private clubs, Arcis operates nearly 70 clubs across the country, with its most recent three-club purchase in Atlanta. Walker said prospective members are less concerned with "how many rounds of golf they're playing," and more interested in "gluten-free options", "Pilates", "health and wellness", and "a resort-style pool." "This is a lifestyle play for individuals," Walker said. "It's a quality of life." Golf is still an important part of the club experience, but Walker said it's "really the flywheel for the other amenities as it relates to the family." "I'm very excited about the future [of golf] with it skewing younger, more diverse, and slightly more female," Walker said. "I think that the future of golf has never been brighter, and I think that you're going to continue to see this momentum grow in the next five to 10 years from a golf standpoint."