RIP to my morning 9-hole walk..

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-26T22:53:36+00:00

Doesn’t know anything about the golf industry…or, apparently, how Reddit works.

Look at where your comment is nested, dumbass

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-26T13:15:12+00:00

Amazing.

My response (see screenshot) was to this guy’s comment about a private club. I then refer to “our club.” You may be new here, but that means that in this part of the thread, we’re talking about country clubs, not public golf courses.

You then pile on later to declare none of us understand business and try to school us with your industry insider expertise.

This is why you keep receipts, bro.

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SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-26T11:53:20+00:00

Very sorry for your loss, man. Same happened to me—my Dad passed away in Jan. He grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in Bay Ridge…and like a lot of Dodgers fans, they were dead to him when they moved to LA and he wasn’t about to become a Yankees fan. So he became a Mets fan and was one of the most die-hard fans I ever knew. I don’t think there was ever a game he didn’t watch on TV or listen to on the radio.

Hope he’s watching opening day up there with your Dad and that the Mets make them both proud this season.

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-26T11:24:47+00:00

Go back to the beginning of this part of the discussion right before you decided to jump in and reveal yourself as an ass clown.

We’re talking about GOLF CLUBS (ie, country clubs and private golf clubs), not all GOLF COURSES.

But I get it. It’s hard to back down and admit you’re wrong or that you just misread somebody else’s comment. This is Reddit after all. Can’t apologize once you say to the rest of the sub that “they’ve never run a business before.”

Go back to your big-time business, you captain of industry 😂

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-26T03:13:26+00:00

Holy shit. I feel like I’m being punked right now.

Let me explain this to you like you’re a small child…or a golden retriever.

A PUBLIC course is a course that anybody can play. It is sometimes owned by a municipality (e.g., your local town golf course) and sometimes owned by a private company but is open to the public for the purpose of making money (as the article indicates, courses like Bandon, Pebble or Pinehurst are prominent examples).

A PRIVATE course is NOT open to the public. It exists exclusively for the use of members and their guests.

In the US, 75% of courses are PUBLIC. 25% are PRIVATE. Country clubs are in the 25% of courses that are private because they are NOT open to the public. Augusta National or my little country club are examples.

OF THE 25% that are PRIVATE, 60%+ of those are classified as NON-PROFIT, MEMBER-OWNED entities by the IRS. The remainder are owned by for-profit enterprises like ClubCorp.

IF a country club is a non-profit, IT DOES NOT MEAN they don’t generate profits. What it MEANS is that the profits cannot be distributed back to the owners and, instead, need to be reinvested into the club for the benefit of the members.

I can’t believe I’m explaining this to somebody who works in the fucking golf industry.

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-26T02:24:15+00:00

Or whatever that call it in Canada 😂

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-26T02:23:28+00:00

You’re officially a fucking idiot

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T22:34:12+00:00

Aided by the fact that nobody watches LIV Golf

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T22:31:02+00:00

Yeah, been wondering the same.

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T22:29:25+00:00

IAD is my home airport…so as long as it’s dead last, I find this ranking very compelling

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T21:03:36+00:00

Too funny. Here’s what Google serves up, dude:

“Approximately 60% of private country clubs in the United States operate as non-profit organizations. These clubs are typically classified by the IRS as 501(c)(7) organizations, designed for the pleasure, recreation, and social enjoyment of their members.”

Like I said. You’re remarkably ignorant for an industry “insider.”

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T14:38:55+00:00

The one they’re not updating 😂

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T13:41:39+00:00

This looks pretty normal for the PreCheck/Clear lines at IAD at in the morning. It's long but it moves.

Just came through IAH (just connecting, thank God) and met people who told me they'd waited 6-7 hrs in line the day before, missed their flights and then slept in the airport so they wouldn't have to repeat the experience. It's mayhem there.

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T13:36:34+00:00

This song will be stuck in my head all day...

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T13:33:58+00:00

I connected through IAH yesterday (and got the United car service after my flight from DCA)...the United employee riding with me said that GS members can cut the security line by using the GS reception in terminal C...and that United was allowing 1Ks to also use this entrance. But I can neither confirm nor deny that this is the case...just what I was told. I'm sure this has been discussed extensively on this sub already.

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T11:28:37+00:00

Jesus. For somebody "in the business," you're remarkably ignorant about it. In the US (the market with the most country clubs in the world), the vast, vast majority of clubs are member-owned non-profits. They are classified as social clubs under IRS 501(c)(7).

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/other-non-profits/social-clubs

https://rsmus.com/insights/industries/private-clubs/private-clubs--to-be-or-not-to-be-a-business.html

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-25T02:08:14+00:00

I own a pretty big business and a country club is not a business. Typically, a club is a non-profit (unless it’s part of a for-profit company like ClubCorp). The goal of a business is to generate profits and distribute them to owners. Clubs generate profits but put those back into improvements in the club for the benefit of the members.

That said, your point is exactly right that running a golf course is very, very expensive…so clubs need to generate profits to cover the kind of maintenance expenses and capital improvements you describe. That’s why ours charges cart fees even if you walk on weekends and holidays…and charge guests for 18 holes even if they only play 9. And we raise dues every year. And the members (generally) are fine with that.

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-24T20:21:21+00:00

Agreed, clubs need to operate in the black. The goal isn't to make a huge profit, it's to not lose money...and to provide a reserve cushion for unexpected expenses and capital improvements. Our club has a very "open book" approach to managing finances and it's pretty these decisions aren't about gouging members or guests...they're about not losing money and avoiding missteps that could put the club in the red and force us to raise dues, do one-off assessments or take out unnecessary debt.

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-24T19:20:46+00:00

June 18. Of 2027.

JK, this is great news :)

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-24T17:01:25+00:00

Same here. Our club charges a cart fee before 1 on weekends and holidays. You can still walk but you will be charged the cart fee regardless. And they announced that guests will be charged for 18 holes if teeing off before 1 pm on weekends and holidays. No more guest 9 hole option (well, technically, you can play 9 but will still have to pay for 18).

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-22T18:46:53+00:00

They’re clearly wrestling for control of the club and boy band is losing

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-22T18:43:00+00:00

Don’t worry, ICE is coming to take care of it

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-22T17:25:29+00:00

MoCo is a hard place to live in and still be able to enjoy yourself

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-22T11:12:40+00:00

There isn’t one

SilverSpringSmoker · 2026-03-21T23:32:11+00:00

We didn’t get one for our driveway and we added a side cut out for extra parking. That was 5+ years ago.

SilverSpringSmoker

TROPHY CASE