What Prospective Members Want to See on Your Club Website (Based on 50,000+ survey responses)

What do you think prospective members of your club care most about when researching clubs and communities online? If you asked your membership director, what would he or she say? Typically, we’ll hear things like, the golf course. Our amenities. Or, the old standard, our location.

Well, the truth is, most clubs are guessing. They have no real data to back it up, it’s just a hunch, or a “he said, she said” form of information gathering.

There’s good news, you don’t need to guess anymore. Golf Life Navigators recently released eye opening research that should change how every private club thinks about its online presence. They surveyed more than 50,000 prospective golf club members to understand what actually motivates people to join clubs and, critically, what information they're looking for when they research clubs online.

The findings reveal a significant gap between what clubs showcase on their websites and what prospects actually want to know.

Two Types of Motivation Drive Club Selection

Let’s begin with a significant, yet not-so-obvious aspect of the club research process. We all have internal and external motivational factors and the research brings these things up to the surface.

In the report, GLN considers the external motivations to be the tangible, physical attributes of your club. When Golf Life Navigators asked prospects to rate what mattered most, here are the top 5 items that rose to the top:

• Quality of the club overall (59%)

• Golf amenities specifically (58%)

• Friendly culture (55%)

• Beauty of landscaping (53%)

• Physical location of the club (51%)

Notice that "friendly culture" ranks higher than financial investment (46%) and just below the physical beauty of the property. Your future members want to know if they'll fit in, and they're looking for evidence of that online.

The internal motivations reveal what prospects are really seeking from club membership beyond the physical amenities:

• High levels of service (52%)

• Social interactions (45%)

• A place when I retire (43%)

• Quality of the club (42%)

• Rest and relaxation (41%)

These are intangible motivations that are more closely connected to a feeling or an emotion. This list matters because it tells you what your website copy should address. These aren't questions answered by photos of “golferless” golf courses, empty patios, or lists of amenities. This requires empathic writing that could include storytelling, member testimonials, and imagery that helps prospects envision their life at your club.

What This Means for Your Website

What’s even better, and more useful, Golf Life Navigators developed an AI model that analyzes how well your club website addresses these motivational factors, and gives you a grade! They scored Olde Cypress Golf Club, as an example, and the results are instructive.

Olde Cypress scored 82 out of 100 (the average club scores just 70). But even a strong-performing club had clear opportunities for improvement.

Where Olde Cypress excelled:

• Golf amenities (9/10) – detailed information about the course and practice facilities

• Socialization (9/10) – emphasis on social events and year-round calendar

• Weather/Location (10/10) – clear messaging about Naples climate and proximity to beaches

Where they could improve:

• High levels of service (7/10) – no staff profiles or service guarantees

• Financial investment (7/10) – limited transparency about costs and value

The lesson here isn't that Olde Cypress is doing something wrong. It's that even clubs doing well have blind spots when it comes to addressing what prospects want to know.

Five Things Your Website Should Showcase

Recognizing that clubs have unique brand standards and guidelines as it relates to their online presence, here are some general recommendations for what belongs front-and-center on most private club websites, and what does not:

Share Your Culture

Remember, 55% of prospects cited "friendly culture" as a key motivator. Empty dining rooms and perfectly manicured fairways don't communicate culture. People do.

Your website should show members engaged in club life—families at poolside, foursomes on the course, couples at dining events. When prospects see real people enjoying themselves, they can imagine fitting into that picture.

Consider adding member testimonials that speak specifically to the culture. Not "The golf course is great" testimonials, but stories about how members found their community, made unexpected friendships, or discovered that the club became an extension of their family life. And by all means, avoid stock photography.

Service Philosophy and Staff Presence

Service ranked as the top internal motivator at 52%. The staff is typically the first friend group new members have, yet many club websites forget to feature them.

Clubs worried about being too "sales-y" often overcorrect by removing all human elements from their websites. But prospects want to know who they'll interact with. Staff profiles, behind-the-scenes content, and clear articulation of your service standards can help establish trust before a prospect ever sets foot on property.

Transparent Information About Investment

Financial investment ranked at 46% for external motivation. The research shows prospects want this information—avoiding it on your website doesn't make them less curious, it just sends them elsewhere to find answers.

You don't need to list exact initiation fees on your homepage, but providing clear context about membership value, what's included, and how your club compares to others in the market can actually qualify prospects more effectively. A downloadable membership guide that requires minimal information in exchange (just a name and email, perhaps) can capture interested prospects while giving them the information they're actively seeking.

Social Programming and Member Life

With 45% of prospects motivated by social interactions, your events calendar and programming should be prominently featured. But don't just list what's happening—show why it matters.

Instead of "Wine Club meets the second Thursday of each month," try "Our Wine Club has become where some of our newest friendships have formed—members lead tastings, share travel stories from wine regions, and even organize trips together." Tell the story!

The Golf Life Navigators research shows prospects are specifically interested in:

• Travel programs (50%)

• Wine tasting (47%)

• Music events (42%)

• Cooking classes/experiences (40%)

If your club offers these, make sure they're visible on your website.

The Lifestyle Vision

With 43% of prospects motivated by finding "a place when I retire," your website should speak to the lifestyle your club enables. This doesn't mean you need a section titled "Retirement Living"—in fact, that will probably alienate younger prospects.

Instead, focus on the life stage transitions your club supports. Content about multi-generational membership, "building your granddaughter's club," and member stories about finding their place as life circumstances changed can resonate with prospects planning for their next chapter.

The Real Competition for Member Attention

Remember, clubs aren't just competing with other clubs. You're competing for discretionary spending against luxury travel, premium dining experiences, boutique fitness memberships, and a dozen other ways affluent consumers can spend their time and money.

Your website is often the first—and sometimes only—chance you have to make the case that club membership delivers something these alternatives can't. The Golf Life Navigators research shows exactly what that case needs to include.

The clubs that understand what prospects actually want to see online will have a significant advantage in attracting the next generation of members. The data is clear. The question is whether club leaders will act on it.