[alenbarbaf]

I was in a kind of similar situation , and I chose to leave the course.

In Augusta there is a course that I won't name that for years was semi-private, but in a rather exclusive way. It was a really nice play to play. I joined there in the mid-80's, as it was transitioning to a more public venue. It still had a strong membership, maybe 350 members, when it was bought by a retired Northern doctor, who brought in his son to manage the operation. Bottom line was, his son was an obnoxious jerk who didn't care if he offended the membership, expecting public play to keep them profitable. The membership dwindled and dwindled, but for a while the public play kept things floating. The final straw for me was when they added a restaurant minimum, which wasn't that high but the snack bar didn't count toward it, and the restaurant food just wasn't very good. I think it was a final straw for others as well - when I left membership had fallen to around 140, and it wasn't too long after I left that the ownership changed hands. That was 20 years ago, and while the course is still a pretty good track, it has always struggled since.

The bottom line is, if a club has members, the members absolutely have to come first, and customer service remains a key for any business that provides not one of life's necessities, but one of it's pleasures. DD, I hope your club learns that lesson, but it sounds like they are slow on the uptake. Good luck finding a golf home.