March 7, 2025 • 39 mins
When Rachel Brown stepped into her role as Membership & Marketing Director at Evansville Country Club, she was ready to hit the ground running. What she didn’t expect? The world shutting down two weeks later.
Instead of waiting it out, Rachel and her team got creative—launching weekly videos, virtual content, and new ways to engage members even when they couldn’t be at the club. Fast forward to today, and she’s transformed how Evansville CC connects with its members, blending storytelling, digital engagement, and old-school hospitality into a modern membership experience.
In this episode, we dive into:
Her transition from Disney Cruises to private clubs—and what she brought with her.
The power of video and digital content in keeping members engaged.
How Evansville CC handled a multi-million dollar renovation while growing a younger demographic.
Why storytelling is the most underrated tool in club marketing.
Her approach to making club communication more fun, engaging, and personal.
Rachel is a master at making members feel connected, and her insights on marketing, branding, and hospitality are a must-hear for anyone looking to bring fresh energy to their club.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody, welcome to the Private Club
Radio Show, where we give youthe scoop on all things private
golf and country clubs Frommastering leadership and
management, food and beverageexcellence, member engagement
secrets, board governance andeverything in between, all while
keeping it fun and light.
Whether you're a club veteranjust getting your feet wet or
somewhere in the middle, you arein the right place.
(00:20):
I'm your host, denny Corby.
Welcome to the show.
In this episode, I am chattingwith Rachel Brown, who is
membership and marketingdirector at Evansville Country
Club in Indiana.
And when Rachel took themembership and marketing
director role at EvansvilleCountry Club, she was ready for
a challenge.
But what she didn't expect wasthe world shutting down two
(00:42):
weeks later because of, you know, a little thing called the
pandemic.
But instead of slowing down,rachel and her team got creative
and did some really cool stuff.
You know before it was evencool before it was even popular
by launching weekly videos,virtual content and fun and just
engaging ways to keep membersconnected, involved, even when
(01:03):
they couldn't be on site.
And her background is anythingbut typical for the private club
space.
She comes from Disney Cruises,where she learned the art of
hospitality, storytelling andmaking experiences feel magical,
and now she's applying thatsame approach to the private
club membership and marketingrole at Evansville Country Club.
So we dive into how shetransitioned from cruise ship
(01:26):
world and travel agents toprivate clubs, what she learned
from Disney about creatingmember engagement, how
Evansville Country Club handleda multi-million dollar
renovation and brought in a muchyounger demographic, and why
storytelling is the mostpowerful marketing tool a club
can use.
This is a fantastic, fantasticepisode.
(01:48):
I'm super stoked.
We're even going to be doinganother episode later in the
year on how to have epic hauntedhouses at your club.
So we're going to dive intothat on a whole different
episode.
But this is just full of bigideas, creative marketing
strategies and fun behindthescenes stories.
So I cannot wait to dive in.
Can't wait for you to dive in.
(02:08):
Before we do a quick thank you,a quick shout-out to some of
our show partners.
We have Concert Golf Partners,Kennes, member Vetting and
Members First, as well as myself.
Denny Corby the Denny Corbyexperience If you or your club
is looking for one of the mostfun member event nights.
(02:30):
There's excitement, there'smystery.
Also there's magic, mindreading and comedy and a ton of
crowd work.
So much crowd work.
If you'd like to learn morehead on over to DennyCorbycom.
But enough about that, let'sget to the episode.
Private Club Radio listeners todannycorbycom.
But enough about that, let'sget to the episode private club
radio listeners.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Let's welcome to the show, rachel brown it's like
you're guinea pig for thesigning up for your new schedule
and that worked totally fine,but I didn't get that other
email.
I was like I thought it was ittoo?
Speaker 1 (02:56):
yeah, no, it didn't send you a.
Can you check your spam whenyou get a chance?
Is it was?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
yeah, wasn't in there , absolutely, uh, I can check.
Can I exit out of this withoutuh?
Speaker 1 (03:07):
stay in here for now.
Uh, okay, you can tell me later.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I'll just say I'll check, I'll check and let you
know for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, yeah, no, okay, that's fine, don't like that.
How are things?
Doing good yeah good busy busy,good yeah how, how did you?
So we'll?
Uh, I, I just kind of gostraight into the interview so
we'll, we'll, we'll do ourinterview stuff and then
afterwards we'll just we'll talkabout some, some show stuff for
a few minutes.
Uh, june, um, but so you gotinto the club space in a unique
(03:38):
time.
Was it right before, like like,did the pandemic hit yet, or
was it like just weird timing?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
So I had moved.
I was down working at Disneycruise line Um, and we, once you
work there for six months, youget a free cruise, which was
lovely.
So I took me and my threesisters and we went on the free
cruise.
And then I knew um at the time,because of circumstances, we
were going to be moving backhome.
So I was like, well, I'm goingto take this free cruise before
I quit.
(04:06):
So we took the free cruise andat that time we had just started
telling everybody, as they werecalling, to book cruises hey,
covid-19 is a thing.
Here's what Disney's doing toprevent that.
Whatever.
It was very not important, notpertinent to America at that
(04:28):
point in time.
So we went on this cruise.
I actually think I caught COVIDon the cruise, looking back, so
we moved home.
I was sick as a dog and I justthought I had really bad flu and
looking back, I'm like I'mpretty sure I caught COVID.
So we moved back right at theend of February.
I started March 2nd and March15th is when the country shut
(04:49):
down.
So I mean I had been there twoweeks.
I had barely met any members,because March is, you know,
you're not necessarily rightinto the golf season or summer
season yet or anything like that.
So just started and then it waslike, well, shut down, they let
go of all hourly people which Iwas hourly, and I was like, am
I going to be out of a job?
And Gary, the general managerat the time, was very nice and
(05:10):
he was like, no, we're going tokeep you on, we're going to
change your position a littlebit.
Um, which ended up working outin my favor because I hadn't
been there for very long and Ialready kind of got a little
promotion and so worked throughCOVID.
That was my first year, whichwas very neat because Lindsay
Meadors, who was the membershipand marketing director at the
time, she and I were like, okay,well, how can we keep members
(05:32):
involved?
So we came up with this weeklynewsletter that we did, and then
we did videos.
We called them fireside chatsand we would go, we'd record
intros and outros and then we'dgo and we'd show different
perspectives of you know, givinglessons, or like learning about
the honeybees that oursuperintendent keeps on the
(05:52):
course, or learning about thepool director and how they get
the pool set up.
So trying to kind of teachmembers maybe things that they
didn't know as well as I meanwe'd release those every couple
weeks, so I'd edit all those andput them together.
I mean they were like 20 to 25minute videos.
Members loved them because wewere just I mean, we were
hooting and hollering, we werejust having a good time.
I mean it was a lot of work.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
There's nothing else to do.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, no, nothing else.
I mean we were doing liketakeout and then, as the country
kind of slowly started to openup, you know we had guidelines
and masks and people could comeout and maybe walk Right Because
I mean golf was thankfully, Imean that was a big year for
golf, because that was somethingthat people could do outside.
So yeah, that was it was.
(06:37):
It was interesting.
It was a very interesting yearto kind of jump into country
club business.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
What did you know prior?
Like so, what was so?
What was your mindset or whatwas your frame?
Like, what was it like cominginto it?
Because you didn't work at like, what did you even know about
clubs prior?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Honestly, really nothing.
I mean, my family is not acountry club family and even my,
you know my grandparents,looking back like they both sets
of grandparents could have beencountry club people, but they't
.
So I mean, I just it's so funnybecause I've driven, I was born
and raised in evansville, soI've driven past this place so
many times, never knew what itwas.
I just thought, you know, itwas a golf course or pretty park
(07:15):
or something whatever.
And I might a pretty park.
Obviously you know that'sclearly clearly out of case to
be.
But I remember there were timesthat I'd drive by and I'd be
like what is this Like?
Cause it's right next to agraveyard.
So I, I just, I don't know, itwas just something that's like
you never really pay attentionto it until you work there.
And then obviously, you knownow it's like I can't believe I
(07:37):
ever drove past this place andthought it was like a park.
Please tell, please tell me youguys do an epic halloween party
being so close to a graveyard.
Yes, yes, so that is actuallythat's what we were originally
going.
I was going to try to call youand do a walkthrough of my
haunted house, um, because it'sjust the busiest time of the
year for me and I was like Ican't, I can't swing it.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Um, we're gonna have to circle back, though for
around the halloween time.
I'd love to see and hear that.
Yes, we will.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Yes yeah, but yeah.
So I I mean I had a teachingdegree.
I had an education degree,that's what I was, that's what I
was going for, so nothing to dowith country clubs moved down
to disney, realized I liked, Iloved working with people, um,
and I also I like working withpeople who I love networking, I
(08:24):
love making connections, I loveworking with people who I would
aspire to be.
And you know, watching thesepeople, these leaders in our
community, helping them, whenI'm just kind of getting to
watch their lives and see howthey live, and it's like OK, if
that's where I want to be, ifthat's kind of a goal, if I want
to be someone who's a leader inmy community.
(08:49):
You know how do these peoplelive their lives, how do they
make connections, who do theytalk with, how do they network?
And so when I'm I mean I cameback and it was either I was
going to get a job in hospitalor a job here and I was like,
yeah, country club sounds fun.
And I really I had no knowledgecoming in of I don't even think
I had any preconceptionsbesides that it was, I don't
(09:09):
know, kind of stuffy.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
The weird thing is though you still ended up near
dead people.
It's like no matter what.
You're at the graveyard next toyou now the hospital.
People are dying to go theretoo.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
It was a Maybe I'm just cursed Way to eat down.
Maybe I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Yeah, so what was your first position in the club?
What were you hired to do?
What were you brought on?
What?
Speaker 2 (09:33):
was going to be the gig.
So administrative assistant iswhat I was brought on for.
And it's funny because theyactually they had I had applied
for the job because I knew inJanuary that I was going to be
moving home.
So I applied for the job and Iwas like, oh, country club,
that'd be neat Um, kind of fitswith the vibe.
Something I've been looking atat Disney was working for golden
Oaks, which is I don't know ifyou know what that is, but it's
a private residential area inDisney, um, where people have a
(09:56):
clubhouse, they have theirevents, whatever.
So I was kind of looking forthat.
So I felt like it kind ofaligned and they'd reached out
and they're like we'd love tointerview you, hire you.
And I was like, okay, well, Iwon't be home till the end of
February that's when I'm moving.
And they were like, oh, we needsomebody, like right now.
And I was like, oh, okay, sothey hired somebody else.
And then that person apparentlyworked for like a week, asked
for a pay advance and then quit.
(10:25):
So they reached back out to meand at that point I mean I had
had my interviews and stuff atthe hospital and they were like,
actually, if you haven't founda job like we'd actually love to
hire you, since you're home nowand I was like, well, I, I kind
of have a job possibly, but youknow, I'd consider it.
And we made something work.
And so, administrativeassistant, as soon as COVID
started, I since I was doing alot of the marketing and
(10:46):
communications with members theychanged it to administration
and communications coordinator,so I was sending out emails, I
was working on the monthlynewsletter, which was very small
because we didn't have a lotgoing on, but still trying to do
that, and then working withthose.
We called them weekly snapshotsand fireside chats.
We called them weekly snapshotsand fireside chats.
So that's what I did foranother year and then I took
(11:08):
membership and marketing andthat's what I've been then for
the last three, three and a halfyears.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
What a progression.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
It's membership, marketing and then club events.
I technically just kind of allwrap.
I mean, everything has to dowith membership.
Right, I'm onboarding, I'mbringing in new members, I'm
communicating with those members, I'm planning the events and
I'm running those events for themembers.
So I mean my, which is it'swhat I love, right, everything
is circled around growing andbuilding relationships and
(11:38):
connections with members andfinding out what they want and
how I can achieve that.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
So, yeah, so what's, what's the club like?
Is it like, is it a more homeyclub?
Is it a more like?
Tell me about the club likewhat's what's its roots, what's
the history, what's the because?
Because I did do it a littlebit.
It looks like you do.
You guys have a, yeah, have a.
Have a wait list now.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Not, not currently.
So it's really.
It's really just for golfing Umcause we just did our
renovation.
We had a huge multimilliondollar renovation.
We brought Bo Welling in.
He was the architect.
He is Tiger Woods architect Umbrought him in.
Read it pickleball and I'll getinto all that.
(12:19):
But there was a wait listaround when all of that was
happening.
After the dust settled and theboard kind of figured out, you
know how many golfing memberscan we have?
We're we're at a point where wedon't.
We're close.
We're close to a waiting list,but we don't currently have one.
My swim and racket and mysocial members.
I can take on lots more.
We're sitting around 750members um for memberships total
, yeah, yeah.
(12:39):
So it's nice because it's youknow, I've seen.
One of my best friends works inthe country club business too,
so I've seen and she's been inKentucky, north Carolina, south
Carolina, so I've seen hercountry clubs as well and I like
ours much, like Evansville it'sit's yes, it's a small city but
it has this big club feel to it, but it's not like massive,
(13:00):
like it's.
It's it's that good, best ofboth worlds where it's like it's
small enough that it feels youknow you're not walking by,
going.
Who is that?
I don't know that person, likemost of the members know each
other, but it also doesn't feelit's like, wow, there's only 300
people here and you know it'slike I said, it's the best of
(13:21):
both worlds where you've gotthis big club feel.
But it's also has this homey,very intimate setting where you
know these families, you'rewatching them grow up and we're
shifting younger as ademographic, which is very neat,
just as membership directorgetting to witness that and
bring in new members.
A lot of my new members are intheir thirties, right, and so
we're watching this age gap ofyou know, where the average age
(13:41):
was 60.
And now it's, I'd say, probably35, which is harder for our
older generation.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Right, I was going to ask how are the older members
taking it?
Has it been a little bit of?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
a yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
And I ask that because in the research you guys
have a nice like aquatics areaand stuff and I know sometimes
that tends to pull some youngerpeople in and maybe I don't want
to say defer older, but likeyou know, members at that point
will understand if they're agood fit or not.
So how is?
Speaker 2 (14:11):
that done.
So, yeah, I would say it wasbuilt.
I think it was 2009 is when theaquatics center was built.
It was built, I think it was2009 is when the Aquatics Center
was built and then, obviously,with the new construction
(14:34):
project we just did, we havefour brand new tennis courts and
four brand new pickleballcourts, because pickleball is
obviously expanding and blowingup as a sport within the country
.
But the older members it'sstill very multi-generational,
which helps.
So a lot of these older members, their kids are some of these
younger members and theirgrandkids.
So that's always somethingthat's super helpful.
But you do have those oldermembers that are like I'm used
to wearing a sports coat and atie to dinner and this family
(14:54):
next to me is wearing jeans andwhat the heck?
That's not country club, Right?
You know?
I mean our, our general manager, Gary, who'd been here for 40
years.
He just retired last June, sowe have a new general manager,
Ralph who I know, obviously.
Yep, I was gonna say you knowRalph really well, but I mean
they wear suits, right.
(15:14):
So you still have that sense ofyou know.
No, we're not trying to justturn this into an everyday
casual place, but we do need topay attention to our
demographics and what they wantand what align with the
membership needs of.
Yeah, it is a little bit moreof a casual feel, it's more of a
family friendly feel to it, butthat ensures future generations
(15:36):
and it ensures that our club isgoing to keep growing.
It's not just going to die out,because I've seen that.
We saw that happen during COVID.
Right, there were a couple otherclubs in town that were just
older members and so they justdissolved.
Right, they didn't last.
You had a couple of them comehere.
But I'm glad that as we trendyounger obviously you know I'm
(15:57):
on the younger side, so it'slike it's fun to plan these
events for these people and getto know them on a personal level
as well.
But I am also excited that thatmeans the future of our club is
more secure, because you've gotthese kids who are going to
grow up now and then jointhemselves and continue on their
family generationals here hereso yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
So so what have you and the club done to alleviate
those older it's like thoseolder members that are like, oh,
I'm used to dressing up like,have you done anything to kind
of ease that a little bit?
You have like a separate area.
Have you done anything toaddress that?
Speaker 2 (16:31):
yeah, so for the longest time, literally up until
actually this december, denimwas still not allowed on the
second floor.
So that was always still just avery formal you know, upstairs
for Sunday brunch or for eventsupstairs right, no denim is
allowed, except for, like, onthe 4th of July.
We make that casual.
However, the board just decidedthat, you know, based on
(16:56):
membership surveys and ourdifferent committees that we
have, they decided that thisyear was finally the year to do
away with that because we'llhave golf outings Tasteful denim
.
Yeah, exactly, yes, yes, sothat's what we've moved to,
where children, anybody under 18, isn't allowed on the grill
(17:19):
side, which is more of ourformal side, to kind of make
sure.
You know, hey, if you want tohave a quiet night, if you want
to come out and not hearchildren and, and you know, be
able to kind of dress up becausethat's how we've, that's how
we've advertised it is, you knowit's date night, dress up, you
know, be, be classy, be formal,come out, and so that night,
(17:40):
specifically, is dedicated totry and kind of appease those
members.
Sunday brunch is also stillvery has like a formal feel to
it as well, which a lot of ourolder members attend.
They'll come after church, sothey're in their church clothes,
and even a lot of our familieswho come to Sunday brunch
because they're coming fromchurch, they're going to be
dressed up already as well.
So I know Sunday brunch andSaturday night date night have
(18:02):
kind of become little specialplaces for some of those older
people.
Some of the older people don'tcare, some of them are wearing
jeans and they're totally finewith it, but you do have those
one or two individuals who wouldjust love to see everybody in a
suit and tie.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Yep.
Sometimes those pair of jeansare more than that dude's suit
Yep.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
And that is the whole point that was brought up is
you just never know.
You never know that pair ofjeans could be $1,200.
And then that's offensive tothat person if you tell them
that they can't wear that.
You know what I mean.
You get into that whole becauseeven your younger demographics,
it's like well, maybe they'respending their money on
different types of fashion, andwho am I to tell you what types
(18:45):
of fashion you know?
It becomes a, becomes a littlefine line that you have to be
careful of.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I think it boils down to what you guys did, which is
expectations.
It's hey, this is this reasonon this date, for this, because
of this.
Anytime else we'll do blah,blah, blah, but for certain
times, no, yeah, expectationsit's good, it's real good.
Yeah, it sounds like you guysdo a lot of fun stuff and unique
stuff and are progressive,which is really good.
Has the club always been thatway, or have you seen it maybe
(19:13):
shift a little bit more sinceyou've been there?
Like did you when you firststarted?
I don't want to say it wasmaybe stuffy, but has it always
had that little bit of feel ofopenness I don't even know if
openness is the right word orhave you seen it maybe shift
with the pandemic time?
Speaker 2 (19:38):
I was going to say it's hard, because I feel like
when I started, I didn't get ayear of experiencing what it was
like before the pandemic, so Ican't say your stories too much.
Yes, I was going to say, ifanything, it has to do with
maybe who's over club eventsbefore me.
Um, and she had been there fora very long time and the
experience that I did have withher and her last year there
which was like 2020, kind ofinto 2021, you could just, I
(19:58):
mean, she'd been doing it for along, long time and it had
gotten to a point where, youknow, she had had a kid and was
just kind of shifting herself ina different direction in her
life.
And I understand because Iwould, if I was doing it as long
as she had been doing it, Iwould probably get to that point
too.
But you could just tell it waslike we're just going to do the
same old same and, if not, likethis is, this is what we have.
(20:22):
We're not, we're not lookingfor new things, we're not
looking to change things per se.
And so when I took over, I waslike, well, I've got ideas and
I've.
You know, I've been here andI'm seeing these events.
I can see already how I canbetter them as they are, but
I've also got new ideas.
So, for example, our daddy,daughter dance and our mother
(20:44):
son night, new ideas.
So, for example, our daddydaughter dance and our mother
son night.
Those are two events that wehave in February and March every
single year, and the daddydaughter dance was always just
men wear suits, girls dress up,it's just black and pink.
That's the theme.
There isn't really a theme.
You know.
You come, you eat dinner, youdance, and mother son night was
always superhero night.
The same signs were used, thesame signs were used, the same
(21:06):
decorations were used, andthat's all well and fine, but
for me I'm like, why would wenot change that theme every
single year, right?
So just for examples, for motherson night, I've done star wars
night.
We've had light.
We've had lightsaber fights.
I did harry potter last year,so everybody got sorted into
houses, I had a sorting hat, wedid wand duels.
(21:27):
There's just so manyopportunities.
This year I'm doing dinosaurs.
It's a dynamite night forMother Sun night.
There is a company here inEvansville, they're called
Feller Express.
They have life-size, realisticmechanical puppets that are
dinosaurs and I've booked themand they're going to come out
(21:50):
and these boys are going to get.
I mean, they look extremelyreal, I'm so excited about it.
So it's like that or like formother or father daughter, right
, I've done this year I'm goingto the moon and back.
But I've done fancy, nancy,I've done under the sea, I've
done fairies, I have peoplecoming in, right.
I mean, my goal is to makeevery single one of these events
a unique experience.
So, even if you come to Easterbrunch or the haunted house or
(22:12):
mother son night or fatherdaughter, even if you come every
single year, you're not goingto be bored, you're not
necessarily going to know whatto expect and you're going to
enjoy yourself, right, because Imean it does these events.
Because you're working in thecountry club business, where
you're not dealing with newpeople all the time.
Right, you have new members comein, sure, but it's like, why
would I want to do the same old,same old?
(22:34):
They saw this last year, right,at some point you're going to
stop impressing them and my jobis to make you happy and, to the
best of my ability and the bestof my budget, to make you happy
and, to the best of my abilityand the best of my budget,
impress you right and make youwant to be here and to have fun.
And, for those people whodidn't come, look and see and be
(22:57):
like man.
I missed out.
I should have been there, right.
That's my whole goal.
So I don't want to say too muchthat it's changed, because I
feel like it was already kind ofthe demographics themselves
were trending younger when I gothere.
But I do feel like in my areaof events specifically, that has
drastically changed since I gothere.
And not to say that it neverwas amazing before, I just feel
(23:20):
like, especially with COVID too,that didn't help.
It just kind of got into a lull.
I just feel like especiallywith.
COVID too.
That didn't help.
It had just kind of gotten to alull and I was able to step in
and, thankfully, bring my newideas and be able to put them
into play, which is which isneat, because you don't always
get to play out your ideas.
But with Gary, and now withRalph too, I mean, they both
trust me a lot and give me thefreedom to try new things, and
(23:45):
sometimes they don't always work, but most of the time it turns
out well and that's just a greatexperience all around.
So what?
Speaker 1 (23:52):
what have you tried that hasn't worked, and why
didn't it work and how come itdidn't work?
What do you no, no, no, meaninglike what do you describe as
not working or unsuccessfulCause?
I think some people you know,especially when it comes to
events, let's just say they tryone thing once and for some
reason there was like a lowturnout, like ah, it was a bad,
but it's like no, just because alot of people didn't show up
doesn't mean it was a bad event.
There's external factors, couldhave other stuff going on, but
(24:17):
as long as those people whoshowed up and had a good time.
That's why I was asking so whatevents didn't work?
and why didn't it?
What was your why for it?
Speaker 2 (24:26):
So the one that comes to mind that is kind of now
infamous around ECC is I havetried to throw an adult tiki
party down at the pool and Itried 2021, 2022, 2023, all
different months, all differentdays, and when I say that there
(24:48):
was a tsunami, all three ofthose days and all three of
those years and everything Imean and, and most of my most of
the time when I'm setting upevents, right, like I show up to
the club and sweats, like Isweats or leggings, like I'm not
trying to set up these eventsbecause I go all out, right, I'm
up and down ladders, I'mhanging up things, I'm extra,
(25:09):
I'm not doing it in heels, right, so I always so I'm, I'm down
at the pool all day long, I'mcreating tiki lanterns and I'm
hanging up lays and like justall the different things.
Right, we're prepping a pig, webuy a huge pig and it's being
smoked and it's got the apple inits mouth and everything.
And just three years in a row,like I said, one was in June,
one was in July and I thinkanother one it was either late
(25:32):
July or early August huge storm,winds, my decorations are going
everywhere and I'm just, likeyou know, the first year it
happened.
You're like, man, that's sadCause we had a huge turnout, we
had a huge list of people signedup.
So next year I'm like, okay,well, we're going to try this
again because we had people whowanted to come.
(25:53):
Same thing happened and I waslike, oh my God, oh my God, okay
.
So then the I remember 2023Gary's like are we doing that?
And I was like, do we have to?
Like I feel like it's cursed,like I just don't, I don't think
it's meant to be Gary.
And he was like, well, we haveall the stuff, like let's try it
.
Sure enough, it's raining.
And I'm, I'm just.
I just remember I was like, Iwas like I'm, we're not doing
(26:13):
this anymore, ever again.
And I just I just like we tookeverything down.
Most of the things broke onthat last one because the winds
were so bad.
I remember I jumped in the poolbefore I left to just like
cleanse myself of whatever thetea curse was, and we had not
tried it since.
So that's one of the thingsthat it's like.
Was that event itself a failure?
(26:34):
No, I actually think that itwould have been super cool and,
technically, one of those years,it had stopped enough to where
we did let some people come out.
I mean, the decorations weredown and all of those things.
I mean we didn't get to do anyof that, but those people that
were there, they did have fun,but it's one of those things
(26:56):
where we've just let that die.
We've just laid that to rest inthe graveyard and we're just
letting that be.
Otherwise, I don't really feeltoo much like any theme hasn't
gone over well or any new eventthat we've tried.
We had another one or turf careextravaganza that we were
trying to host last year.
A lot of them.
When I say they didn't work, itwas because of those outside
(27:17):
factors that you were talkingabout.
So we're going to have thisturf care extravaganza.
We wanted 200 plus peoplesigned up.
It was going to be awesome.
We're going to have a bonfire.
We had a band booked fire bandthe day before and we're like,
well, okay, can't do thatanymore, never.
And I mean the whole thing wascentered around like Jeff was
going to have this huge bonfirewith his band and s'mores and
(27:38):
hot dogs and all that.
And it was like, okay, anotherpig, we got another pig, um, and
so couldn't have that right.
We, we moved that and that wasactually two years in a row.
It wasn't a fire ban the firstyear, but it was.
I think it was some sort ofinclement weather that we
couldn't do it.
So most of the time when we havean event that doesn't work well
(27:58):
or maybe it doesn't turn outright, a lot of it is those
outside factors.
It's not because it didn'tnecessarily align with the
membership.
Um, thankfully that's somethingI feel like.
They have tried.
A lot of those things maybethat didn't align.
So the the kind of rundown thatwe have now do always seem to
go well with the membership.
We do try to throw in a newevent, like the Tiki party.
(28:19):
That was new, right, we try tothrow in something kind of new
every single year to try.
But yeah, tiki Party, that's ano-go.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I don't think I'll ever do one.
You realize as soon as youleave, they're going to try it
and it's going to be a huge hit,like the best weather ever,
Probably.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
I'll be like you know what post about it, whatever.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Just don't invite me.
Yeah, exactly, I don't knowabout it, any events that you
thought of or came up with, andit just was like a big hit.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
It was a new thing, it was like a big hit and now
it's like an ongoing thing yeah,so one of and I can't take full
credit for it because it wasactually our superintendent and
he'd gone to another club andthey had this like indoor putt
putt um area and so we westarted that.
So the pro shop guys, theyhelped me, um, they, they design
(29:10):
a course throughout.
The club goes upstairs,downstairs, all the things.
So it's called it's the ecccarpet classic.
We've had it two years now.
This will be the third um.
I normally do like aglow-in-the-dark room where one
of the rooms is just completelyblack light with neon and stuff
like that.
That's super fun.
So that's coming up I thinkMarch 14th is when I have that
(29:31):
and that's a super funexperience, something new that
we tried, that's.
That's really awesome.
Um, haunted house is my baby Um.
That was.
We used to do haunted hay rides, which was out between like
seven and eight and they wouldget a tractor and we'd have a
movie out there and a buffet andthey'd get on the tractor and
(29:51):
kind of just do a little pathand they'd hang some ghosts and
stuff in the trees.
Then when we had theconstruction project, they were
like, well, we can't do that outthere.
So what are we going to do?
And I don't know if it wasstupidity or ingenuity, but I
was like, well, I could build ahaunted house, um, and I did.
(30:13):
And now I've built three and ifI ever want to go into any
other sort of business, I thinkI could make a living building
them.
Um, I just don't know if I'dwant to.
We're not doing one this year.
I told Ralph, I said Ralph.
I need a break Like I need.
Um well, so it's, it's also abudget thing, it is, it is, it
(30:36):
is.
I think he was relieved to hearthat as well.
He was like that's fine, let'sdo it, let's he goes.
I want you to take the hauntedhay rides and turn that into
something different, and we'llgo back and forth every single
year Because, I mean, it costs apretty penny.
But you know, the first yearGod loved me, I was just.
You know, I'm putting thingstogether, I'm figuring it out.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
The last two, years, though I mean I am, you know not
to brag I am so proud of them.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
You're going to have to send me some videos and
pictures.
I was going to say most of themembers would say that it's
better than the cities.
That's impressive.
They were legit.
I had so much help.
My family God love my family.
There's a lot of events that Iwouldn't get done here without
them, because they come andthey're willing to help me.
My mom plays Mrs Claus.
(31:28):
My little sister who works here.
She's the Easter bunny I mean.
So my family helps out a lot,but they helped out with the
haunted house a lot.
They're in the haunted house.
I use different, you know, mypro shop boys.
They help out their charactersin the haunted house.
This year was definitely themost put together because I mean
, I was proud of last year's butthis year it was like I don't
know if there's like acompetition where you can like
(31:50):
enter into a magazine, but I'denter it because it's just, it
was just so.
How many kids did you get topee their?
Speaker 1 (31:54):
pants, kids and, uh, adults for that matter, I mean
really anybody.
How many people walked awaywith with pee?
Speaker 2 (32:02):
pants.
I don't know of anybody, Ithink there was.
I had one person throw up, Um,I did have.
I did have someone a kid threwup, Um, and I did have lots of
crying.
Right, there's lots of crying.
And, and we did something alittle bit different the last
two years I've done scare freesessions or scare sessions, so
(32:25):
they'd tell me when they'd walkthrough.
However, this year it just itdoes get confusing, right, your
actors are in here, they're incostume, it's hot, and it's just
hard, because sometimes you'dhave kids change their mind
halfway through and you're likeokay, well it's, I can't be
running around going wait wait,wait, don't scare me.
You know that just it justdidn't work.
So I was like listen, no otherhaunted house that I know of you
(32:47):
can go in and be like I'd liketo go through, but please don't
scare me, right?
It's a?
It's a haunted house.
So we did it a little bitdifferently this year.
Normally we have to set it allup.
It takes me about two fullweeks of I mean I'm talking 12
to 14 hours a day.
(33:08):
Wow, normally the last twoyears we've had to take it down
that night, which is justheartbreaking because that means
like I mean I'm I'm doingthings on it until like 30
minutes before we open it.
So I mean it's all this workand then it's up for four hours
and then you have to take itcompletely down.
This year we did it a little bitdifferently because normally
(33:28):
there's a wedding, so I do it inmy lady's locker room.
This is I'm actually in thebridal suite right now.
So if there's a wedding inthere, they're not trying to get
ready in a haunted house.
So we'd have to take it down.
So this people got to come inon Sunday brunch as well, which
is a Halloween themed brunch.
So I had it to where, if youwanted to come on Sunday, you
(33:50):
could walk through.
There wouldn't be any scares.
You'd be able to kind ofappreciate it.
And then Friday night, whichwas Fright Night is people go
through it, which was superawesome because it just felt
like you, you had more you knowall this time and work and money
(34:14):
and effort that you put into it.
Members actually got toappreciate it, because not
everybody can always come out onthe Friday night.
So it was.
It was really neat.
I'm like I said I'm not doingit this year and.
I'm not that mad about it, but Iwill.
I'll definitely.
That's why I wish I could havecalled you, because I would have
done a walkthrough.
I would have loved for you tosee that, Like I built, we did a
(34:35):
five nights at Freddy's.
This whole bridal suite was afive nights at Freddy's.
I built a corn maze inside soone of my bays in the locker
room was a corn maze.
We had a bear attack so my dadbuilt a cabin for me.
It was like half of a cabin andI had one of my pro shop boys.
He had shot a bear in highschool so I used that and I mean
it was just, it's just so.
(34:56):
It's just so cool.
It's just so cool, it's all.
Definitely I'll try to send yousome videos and some pictures
and stuff so you can see it.
I love talking about it becauseI hate Halloween.
I've never liked Halloween.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Maybe we should do an episode in May or June and it's
about how to set up, how tobuild a Halloween house or a
haunted house in your club.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
I think that would be something fun, I would say I
could talk about it for forever.
Would say I could talk about itfor forever Cause, like I said
it's, I've never really likedHalloween, but I have found a
passion for doing this and forthinking of.
You know new, creative ways ofhow can I make a lady's locker
room into a haunted house.
So, yeah, I'd definitely beopen to talking about it.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Yeah, Thank you.
So thank you so much for comingon.
That was a great.
There was so much fun stuff inthere and I really appreciate it
, and we will be talking in acouple months about all things
Halloween.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Hope you all enjoyed that episode.
I know I did and cannot waituntil her and I chat about
making epic haunted houses foryour club.
It's going to be so good, superstoked.
If you enjoyed it, you know alike, a share, a subscribe,
share it with somebody, share itwith a friend, a colleague,
someone else who you think mightenjoy it.
And while you're at it, afive-star rating means the
(36:19):
absolute world and costs nothing, zero.
That is this episode.
I'm your host, danny Corby.
Until next time, catch.
Hey everybody, welcome to the Private Club
Radio Show, where we give youthe scoop on all things private
golf and country clubs Frommastering leadership and
management, food and beverageexcellence, member engagement
secrets, board governance andeverything in between, all while
keeping it fun and light.
Whether you're a club veteranjust getting your feet wet or
somewhere in the middle, you arein the right place.
(00:20):
I'm your host, denny Corby.
Welcome to the show.
In this episode, I am chattingwith Rachel Brown, who is
membership and marketingdirector at Evansville Country
Club in Indiana.
And when Rachel took themembership and marketing
director role at EvansvilleCountry Club, she was ready for
a challenge.
But what she didn't expect wasthe world shutting down two
(00:42):
weeks later because of, you know, a little thing called the
pandemic.
But instead of slowing down,rachel and her team got creative
and did some really cool stuff.
You know before it was evencool before it was even popular
by launching weekly videos,virtual content and fun and just
engaging ways to keep membersconnected, involved, even when
(01:03):
they couldn't be on site.
And her background is anythingbut typical for the private club
space.
She comes from Disney Cruises,where she learned the art of
hospitality, storytelling andmaking experiences feel magical,
and now she's applying thatsame approach to the private
club membership and marketingrole at Evansville Country Club.
So we dive into how shetransitioned from cruise ship
(01:26):
world and travel agents toprivate clubs, what she learned
from Disney about creatingmember engagement, how
Evansville Country Club handleda multi-million dollar
renovation and brought in a muchyounger demographic, and why
storytelling is the mostpowerful marketing tool a club
can use.
This is a fantastic, fantasticepisode.
(01:48):
I'm super stoked.
We're even going to be doinganother episode later in the
year on how to have epic hauntedhouses at your club.
So we're going to dive intothat on a whole different
episode.
But this is just full of bigideas, creative marketing
strategies and fun behindthescenes stories.
So I cannot wait to dive in.
Can't wait for you to dive in.
(02:08):
Before we do a quick thank you,a quick shout-out to some of
our show partners.
We have Concert Golf Partners,Kennes, member Vetting and
Members First, as well as myself.
Denny Corby the Denny Corbyexperience If you or your club
is looking for one of the mostfun member event nights.
(02:30):
There's excitement, there'smystery.
Also there's magic, mindreading and comedy and a ton of
crowd work.
So much crowd work.
If you'd like to learn morehead on over to DennyCorbycom.
But enough about that, let'sget to the episode.
Private Club Radio listeners todannycorbycom.
But enough about that, let'sget to the episode private club
radio listeners.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Let's welcome to the show, rachel brown it's like
you're guinea pig for thesigning up for your new schedule
and that worked totally fine,but I didn't get that other
email.
I was like I thought it was ittoo?
Speaker 1 (02:56):
yeah, no, it didn't send you a.
Can you check your spam whenyou get a chance?
Is it was?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
yeah, wasn't in there , absolutely, uh, I can check.
Can I exit out of this withoutuh?
Speaker 1 (03:07):
stay in here for now.
Uh, okay, you can tell me later.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I'll just say I'll check, I'll check and let you
know for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, yeah, no, okay, that's fine, don't like that.
How are things?
Doing good yeah good busy busy,good yeah how, how did you?
So we'll?
Uh, I, I just kind of gostraight into the interview so
we'll, we'll, we'll do ourinterview stuff and then
afterwards we'll just we'll talkabout some, some show stuff for
a few minutes.
Uh, june, um, but so you gotinto the club space in a unique
(03:38):
time.
Was it right before, like like,did the pandemic hit yet, or
was it like just weird timing?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
So I had moved.
I was down working at Disneycruise line Um, and we, once you
work there for six months, youget a free cruise, which was
lovely.
So I took me and my threesisters and we went on the free
cruise.
And then I knew um at the time,because of circumstances, we
were going to be moving backhome.
So I was like, well, I'm goingto take this free cruise before
I quit.
(04:06):
So we took the free cruise andat that time we had just started
telling everybody, as they werecalling, to book cruises hey,
covid-19 is a thing.
Here's what Disney's doing toprevent that.
Whatever.
It was very not important, notpertinent to America at that
(04:28):
point in time.
So we went on this cruise.
I actually think I caught COVIDon the cruise, looking back, so
we moved home.
I was sick as a dog and I justthought I had really bad flu and
looking back, I'm like I'mpretty sure I caught COVID.
So we moved back right at theend of February.
I started March 2nd and March15th is when the country shut
(04:49):
down.
So I mean I had been there twoweeks.
I had barely met any members,because March is, you know,
you're not necessarily rightinto the golf season or summer
season yet or anything like that.
So just started and then it waslike, well, shut down, they let
go of all hourly people which Iwas hourly, and I was like, am
I going to be out of a job?
And Gary, the general managerat the time, was very nice and
(05:10):
he was like, no, we're going tokeep you on, we're going to
change your position a littlebit.
Um, which ended up working outin my favor because I hadn't
been there for very long and Ialready kind of got a little
promotion and so worked throughCOVID.
That was my first year, whichwas very neat because Lindsay
Meadors, who was the membershipand marketing director at the
time, she and I were like, okay,well, how can we keep members
(05:32):
involved?
So we came up with this weeklynewsletter that we did, and then
we did videos.
We called them fireside chatsand we would go, we'd record
intros and outros and then we'dgo and we'd show different
perspectives of you know, givinglessons, or like learning about
the honeybees that oursuperintendent keeps on the
(05:52):
course, or learning about thepool director and how they get
the pool set up.
So trying to kind of teachmembers maybe things that they
didn't know as well as I meanwe'd release those every couple
weeks, so I'd edit all those andput them together.
I mean they were like 20 to 25minute videos.
Members loved them because wewere just I mean, we were
hooting and hollering, we werejust having a good time.
I mean it was a lot of work.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
There's nothing else to do.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, no, nothing else.
I mean we were doing liketakeout and then, as the country
kind of slowly started to openup, you know we had guidelines
and masks and people could comeout and maybe walk Right Because
I mean golf was thankfully, Imean that was a big year for
golf, because that was somethingthat people could do outside.
So yeah, that was it was.
(06:37):
It was interesting.
It was a very interesting yearto kind of jump into country
club business.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
What did you know prior?
Like so, what was so?
What was your mindset or whatwas your frame?
Like, what was it like cominginto it?
Because you didn't work at like, what did you even know about
clubs prior?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Honestly, really nothing.
I mean, my family is not acountry club family and even my,
you know my grandparents,looking back like they both sets
of grandparents could have beencountry club people, but they't
.
So I mean, I just it's so funnybecause I've driven, I was born
and raised in evansville, soI've driven past this place so
many times, never knew what itwas.
I just thought, you know, itwas a golf course or pretty park
(07:15):
or something whatever.
And I might a pretty park.
Obviously you know that'sclearly clearly out of case to
be.
But I remember there were timesthat I'd drive by and I'd be
like what is this Like?
Cause it's right next to agraveyard.
So I, I just, I don't know, itwas just something that's like
you never really pay attentionto it until you work there.
And then obviously, you knownow it's like I can't believe I
(07:37):
ever drove past this place andthought it was like a park.
Please tell, please tell me youguys do an epic halloween party
being so close to a graveyard.
Yes, yes, so that is actuallythat's what we were originally
going.
I was going to try to call youand do a walkthrough of my
haunted house, um, because it'sjust the busiest time of the
year for me and I was like Ican't, I can't swing it.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Um, we're gonna have to circle back, though for
around the halloween time.
I'd love to see and hear that.
Yes, we will.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Yes yeah, but yeah.
So I I mean I had a teachingdegree.
I had an education degree,that's what I was, that's what I
was going for, so nothing to dowith country clubs moved down
to disney, realized I liked, Iloved working with people, um,
and I also I like working withpeople who I love networking, I
(08:24):
love making connections, I loveworking with people who I would
aspire to be.
And you know, watching thesepeople, these leaders in our
community, helping them, whenI'm just kind of getting to
watch their lives and see howthey live, and it's like OK, if
that's where I want to be, ifthat's kind of a goal, if I want
to be someone who's a leader inmy community.
(08:49):
You know how do these peoplelive their lives, how do they
make connections, who do theytalk with, how do they network?
And so when I'm I mean I cameback and it was either I was
going to get a job in hospitalor a job here and I was like,
yeah, country club sounds fun.
And I really I had no knowledgecoming in of I don't even think
I had any preconceptionsbesides that it was, I don't
(09:09):
know, kind of stuffy.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
The weird thing is though you still ended up near
dead people.
It's like no matter what.
You're at the graveyard next toyou now the hospital.
People are dying to go theretoo.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
It was a Maybe I'm just cursed Way to eat down.
Maybe I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Yeah, so what was your first position in the club?
What were you hired to do?
What were you brought on?
What?
Speaker 2 (09:33):
was going to be the gig.
So administrative assistant iswhat I was brought on for.
And it's funny because theyactually they had I had applied
for the job because I knew inJanuary that I was going to be
moving home.
So I applied for the job and Iwas like, oh, country club,
that'd be neat Um, kind of fitswith the vibe.
Something I've been looking atat Disney was working for golden
Oaks, which is I don't know ifyou know what that is, but it's
a private residential area inDisney, um, where people have a
(09:56):
clubhouse, they have theirevents, whatever.
So I was kind of looking forthat.
So I felt like it kind ofaligned and they'd reached out
and they're like we'd love tointerview you, hire you.
And I was like, okay, well, Iwon't be home till the end of
February that's when I'm moving.
And they were like, oh, we needsomebody, like right now.
And I was like, oh, okay, sothey hired somebody else.
And then that person apparentlyworked for like a week, asked
for a pay advance and then quit.
(10:25):
So they reached back out to meand at that point I mean I had
had my interviews and stuff atthe hospital and they were like,
actually, if you haven't founda job like we'd actually love to
hire you, since you're home nowand I was like, well, I, I kind
of have a job possibly, but youknow, I'd consider it.
And we made something work.
And so, administrativeassistant, as soon as COVID
started, I since I was doing alot of the marketing and
(10:46):
communications with members theychanged it to administration
and communications coordinator,so I was sending out emails, I
was working on the monthlynewsletter, which was very small
because we didn't have a lotgoing on, but still trying to do
that, and then working withthose.
We called them weekly snapshotsand fireside chats.
We called them weekly snapshotsand fireside chats.
So that's what I did foranother year and then I took
(11:08):
membership and marketing andthat's what I've been then for
the last three, three and a halfyears.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
What a progression.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
It's membership, marketing and then club events.
I technically just kind of allwrap.
I mean, everything has to dowith membership.
Right, I'm onboarding, I'mbringing in new members, I'm
communicating with those members, I'm planning the events and
I'm running those events for themembers.
So I mean my, which is it'swhat I love, right, everything
is circled around growing andbuilding relationships and
(11:38):
connections with members andfinding out what they want and
how I can achieve that.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
So, yeah, so what's, what's the club like?
Is it like, is it a more homeyclub?
Is it a more like?
Tell me about the club likewhat's what's its roots, what's
the history, what's the because?
Because I did do it a littlebit.
It looks like you do.
You guys have a, yeah, have a.
Have a wait list now.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Not, not currently.
So it's really.
It's really just for golfing Umcause we just did our
renovation.
We had a huge multimilliondollar renovation.
We brought Bo Welling in.
He was the architect.
He is Tiger Woods architect Umbrought him in.
Read it pickleball and I'll getinto all that.
(12:19):
But there was a wait listaround when all of that was
happening.
After the dust settled and theboard kind of figured out, you
know how many golfing memberscan we have?
We're we're at a point where wedon't.
We're close.
We're close to a waiting list,but we don't currently have one.
My swim and racket and mysocial members.
I can take on lots more.
We're sitting around 750members um for memberships total
, yeah, yeah.
(12:39):
So it's nice because it's youknow, I've seen.
One of my best friends works inthe country club business too,
so I've seen and she's been inKentucky, north Carolina, south
Carolina, so I've seen hercountry clubs as well and I like
ours much, like Evansville it'sit's yes, it's a small city but
it has this big club feel to it, but it's not like massive,
(13:00):
like it's.
It's it's that good, best ofboth worlds where it's like it's
small enough that it feels youknow you're not walking by,
going.
Who is that?
I don't know that person, likemost of the members know each
other, but it also doesn't feelit's like, wow, there's only 300
people here and you know it'slike I said, it's the best of
(13:21):
both worlds where you've gotthis big club feel.
But it's also has this homey,very intimate setting where you
know these families, you'rewatching them grow up and we're
shifting younger as ademographic, which is very neat,
just as membership directorgetting to witness that and
bring in new members.
A lot of my new members are intheir thirties, right, and so
we're watching this age gap ofyou know, where the average age
(13:41):
was 60.
And now it's, I'd say, probably35, which is harder for our
older generation.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Right, I was going to ask how are the older members
taking it?
Has it been a little bit of?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
a yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
And I ask that because in the research you guys
have a nice like aquatics areaand stuff and I know sometimes
that tends to pull some youngerpeople in and maybe I don't want
to say defer older, but likeyou know, members at that point
will understand if they're agood fit or not.
So how is?
Speaker 2 (14:11):
that done.
So, yeah, I would say it wasbuilt.
I think it was 2009 is when theaquatics center was built.
It was built, I think it was2009 is when the Aquatics Center
was built and then, obviously,with the new construction
(14:34):
project we just did, we havefour brand new tennis courts and
four brand new pickleballcourts, because pickleball is
obviously expanding and blowingup as a sport within the country
.
But the older members it'sstill very multi-generational,
which helps.
So a lot of these older members, their kids are some of these
younger members and theirgrandkids.
So that's always somethingthat's super helpful.
But you do have those oldermembers that are like I'm used
to wearing a sports coat and atie to dinner and this family
(14:54):
next to me is wearing jeans andwhat the heck?
That's not country club, Right?
You know?
I mean our, our general manager, Gary, who'd been here for 40
years.
He just retired last June, sowe have a new general manager,
Ralph who I know, obviously.
Yep, I was gonna say you knowRalph really well, but I mean
they wear suits, right.
(15:14):
So you still have that sense ofyou know.
No, we're not trying to justturn this into an everyday
casual place, but we do need topay attention to our
demographics and what they wantand what align with the
membership needs of.
Yeah, it is a little bit moreof a casual feel, it's more of a
family friendly feel to it, butthat ensures future generations
(15:36):
and it ensures that our club isgoing to keep growing.
It's not just going to die out,because I've seen that.
We saw that happen during COVID.
Right, there were a couple otherclubs in town that were just
older members and so they justdissolved.
Right, they didn't last.
You had a couple of them comehere.
But I'm glad that as we trendyounger obviously you know I'm
(15:57):
on the younger side, so it'slike it's fun to plan these
events for these people and getto know them on a personal level
as well.
But I am also excited that thatmeans the future of our club is
more secure, because you've gotthese kids who are going to
grow up now and then jointhemselves and continue on their
family generationals here hereso yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
So so what have you and the club done to alleviate
those older it's like thoseolder members that are like, oh,
I'm used to dressing up like,have you done anything to kind
of ease that a little bit?
You have like a separate area.
Have you done anything toaddress that?
Speaker 2 (16:31):
yeah, so for the longest time, literally up until
actually this december, denimwas still not allowed on the
second floor.
So that was always still just avery formal you know, upstairs
for Sunday brunch or for eventsupstairs right, no denim is
allowed, except for, like, onthe 4th of July.
We make that casual.
However, the board just decidedthat, you know, based on
(16:56):
membership surveys and ourdifferent committees that we
have, they decided that thisyear was finally the year to do
away with that because we'llhave golf outings Tasteful denim
.
Yeah, exactly, yes, yes, sothat's what we've moved to,
where children, anybody under 18, isn't allowed on the grill
(17:19):
side, which is more of ourformal side, to kind of make
sure.
You know, hey, if you want tohave a quiet night, if you want
to come out and not hearchildren and, and you know, be
able to kind of dress up becausethat's how we've, that's how
we've advertised it is, you knowit's date night, dress up, you
know, be, be classy, be formal,come out, and so that night,
(17:40):
specifically, is dedicated totry and kind of appease those
members.
Sunday brunch is also stillvery has like a formal feel to
it as well, which a lot of ourolder members attend.
They'll come after church, sothey're in their church clothes,
and even a lot of our familieswho come to Sunday brunch
because they're coming fromchurch, they're going to be
dressed up already as well.
So I know Sunday brunch andSaturday night date night have
(18:02):
kind of become little specialplaces for some of those older
people.
Some of the older people don'tcare, some of them are wearing
jeans and they're totally finewith it, but you do have those
one or two individuals who wouldjust love to see everybody in a
suit and tie.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Yep.
Sometimes those pair of jeansare more than that dude's suit
Yep.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
And that is the whole point that was brought up is
you just never know.
You never know that pair ofjeans could be $1,200.
And then that's offensive tothat person if you tell them
that they can't wear that.
You know what I mean.
You get into that whole becauseeven your younger demographics,
it's like well, maybe they'respending their money on
different types of fashion, andwho am I to tell you what types
(18:45):
of fashion you know?
It becomes a, becomes a littlefine line that you have to be
careful of.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I think it boils down to what you guys did, which is
expectations.
It's hey, this is this reasonon this date, for this, because
of this.
Anytime else we'll do blah,blah, blah, but for certain
times, no, yeah, expectationsit's good, it's real good.
Yeah, it sounds like you guysdo a lot of fun stuff and unique
stuff and are progressive,which is really good.
Has the club always been thatway, or have you seen it maybe
(19:13):
shift a little bit more sinceyou've been there?
Like did you when you firststarted?
I don't want to say it wasmaybe stuffy, but has it always
had that little bit of feel ofopenness I don't even know if
openness is the right word orhave you seen it maybe shift
with the pandemic time?
Speaker 2 (19:38):
I was going to say it's hard, because I feel like
when I started, I didn't get ayear of experiencing what it was
like before the pandemic, so Ican't say your stories too much.
Yes, I was going to say, ifanything, it has to do with
maybe who's over club eventsbefore me.
Um, and she had been there fora very long time and the
experience that I did have withher and her last year there
which was like 2020, kind ofinto 2021, you could just, I
(19:58):
mean, she'd been doing it for along, long time and it had
gotten to a point where, youknow, she had had a kid and was
just kind of shifting herself ina different direction in her
life.
And I understand because Iwould, if I was doing it as long
as she had been doing it, Iwould probably get to that point
too.
But you could just tell it waslike we're just going to do the
same old same and, if not, likethis is, this is what we have.
(20:22):
We're not, we're not lookingfor new things, we're not
looking to change things per se.
And so when I took over, I waslike, well, I've got ideas and
I've.
You know, I've been here andI'm seeing these events.
I can see already how I canbetter them as they are, but
I've also got new ideas.
So, for example, our daddy,daughter dance and our mother
(20:44):
son night, new ideas.
So, for example, our daddydaughter dance and our mother
son night.
Those are two events that wehave in February and March every
single year, and the daddydaughter dance was always just
men wear suits, girls dress up,it's just black and pink.
That's the theme.
There isn't really a theme.
You know.
You come, you eat dinner, youdance, and mother son night was
always superhero night.
The same signs were used, thesame signs were used, the same
(21:06):
decorations were used, andthat's all well and fine, but
for me I'm like, why would wenot change that theme every
single year, right?
So just for examples, for motherson night, I've done star wars
night.
We've had light.
We've had lightsaber fights.
I did harry potter last year,so everybody got sorted into
houses, I had a sorting hat, wedid wand duels.
(21:27):
There's just so manyopportunities.
This year I'm doing dinosaurs.
It's a dynamite night forMother Sun night.
There is a company here inEvansville, they're called
Feller Express.
They have life-size, realisticmechanical puppets that are
dinosaurs and I've booked themand they're going to come out
(21:50):
and these boys are going to get.
I mean, they look extremelyreal, I'm so excited about it.
So it's like that or like formother or father daughter, right
, I've done this year I'm goingto the moon and back.
But I've done fancy, nancy,I've done under the sea, I've
done fairies, I have peoplecoming in, right.
I mean, my goal is to makeevery single one of these events
a unique experience.
So, even if you come to Easterbrunch or the haunted house or
(22:12):
mother son night or fatherdaughter, even if you come every
single year, you're not goingto be bored, you're not
necessarily going to know whatto expect and you're going to
enjoy yourself, right, because Imean it does these events.
Because you're working in thecountry club business, where
you're not dealing with newpeople all the time.
Right, you have new members comein, sure, but it's like, why
would I want to do the same old,same old?
(22:34):
They saw this last year, right,at some point you're going to
stop impressing them and my jobis to make you happy and, to the
best of my ability and the bestof my budget, to make you happy
and, to the best of my abilityand the best of my budget,
impress you right and make youwant to be here and to have fun.
And, for those people whodidn't come, look and see and be
(22:57):
like man.
I missed out.
I should have been there, right.
That's my whole goal.
So I don't want to say too muchthat it's changed, because I
feel like it was already kind ofthe demographics themselves
were trending younger when I gothere.
But I do feel like in my areaof events specifically, that has
drastically changed since I gothere.
And not to say that it neverwas amazing before, I just feel
(23:20):
like, especially with COVID too,that didn't help.
It just kind of got into a lull.
I just feel like especiallywith.
COVID too.
That didn't help.
It had just kind of gotten to alull and I was able to step in
and, thankfully, bring my newideas and be able to put them
into play, which is which isneat, because you don't always
get to play out your ideas.
But with Gary, and now withRalph too, I mean, they both
trust me a lot and give me thefreedom to try new things, and
(23:45):
sometimes they don't always work, but most of the time it turns
out well and that's just a greatexperience all around.
So what?
Speaker 1 (23:52):
what have you tried that hasn't worked, and why
didn't it work and how come itdidn't work?
What do you no, no, no, meaninglike what do you describe as
not working or unsuccessfulCause?
I think some people you know,especially when it comes to
events, let's just say they tryone thing once and for some
reason there was like a lowturnout, like ah, it was a bad,
but it's like no, just because alot of people didn't show up
doesn't mean it was a bad event.
There's external factors, couldhave other stuff going on, but
(24:17):
as long as those people whoshowed up and had a good time.
That's why I was asking so whatevents didn't work?
and why didn't it?
What was your why for it?
Speaker 2 (24:26):
So the one that comes to mind that is kind of now
infamous around ECC is I havetried to throw an adult tiki
party down at the pool and Itried 2021, 2022, 2023, all
different months, all differentdays, and when I say that there
(24:48):
was a tsunami, all three ofthose days and all three of
those years and everything Imean and, and most of my most of
the time when I'm setting upevents, right, like I show up to
the club and sweats, like Isweats or leggings, like I'm not
trying to set up these eventsbecause I go all out, right, I'm
up and down ladders, I'mhanging up things, I'm extra,
(25:09):
I'm not doing it in heels, right, so I always so I'm, I'm down
at the pool all day long, I'mcreating tiki lanterns and I'm
hanging up lays and like justall the different things.
Right, we're prepping a pig, webuy a huge pig and it's being
smoked and it's got the apple inits mouth and everything.
And just three years in a row,like I said, one was in June,
one was in July and I thinkanother one it was either late
(25:32):
July or early August huge storm,winds, my decorations are going
everywhere and I'm just, likeyou know, the first year it
happened.
You're like, man, that's sadCause we had a huge turnout, we
had a huge list of people signedup.
So next year I'm like, okay,well, we're going to try this
again because we had people whowanted to come.
(25:53):
Same thing happened and I waslike, oh my God, oh my God, okay
.
So then the I remember 2023Gary's like are we doing that?
And I was like, do we have to?
Like I feel like it's cursed,like I just don't, I don't think
it's meant to be Gary.
And he was like, well, we haveall the stuff, like let's try it
.
Sure enough, it's raining.
And I'm, I'm just.
I just remember I was like, Iwas like I'm, we're not doing
(26:13):
this anymore, ever again.
And I just I just like we tookeverything down.
Most of the things broke onthat last one because the winds
were so bad.
I remember I jumped in the poolbefore I left to just like
cleanse myself of whatever thetea curse was, and we had not
tried it since.
So that's one of the thingsthat it's like.
Was that event itself a failure?
(26:34):
No, I actually think that itwould have been super cool and,
technically, one of those years,it had stopped enough to where
we did let some people come out.
I mean, the decorations weredown and all of those things.
I mean we didn't get to do anyof that, but those people that
were there, they did have fun,but it's one of those things
(26:56):
where we've just let that die.
We've just laid that to rest inthe graveyard and we're just
letting that be.
Otherwise, I don't really feeltoo much like any theme hasn't
gone over well or any new eventthat we've tried.
We had another one or turf careextravaganza that we were
trying to host last year.
A lot of them.
When I say they didn't work, itwas because of those outside
(27:17):
factors that you were talkingabout.
So we're going to have thisturf care extravaganza.
We wanted 200 plus peoplesigned up.
It was going to be awesome.
We're going to have a bonfire.
We had a band booked fire bandthe day before and we're like,
well, okay, can't do thatanymore, never.
And I mean the whole thing wascentered around like Jeff was
going to have this huge bonfirewith his band and s'mores and
(27:38):
hot dogs and all that.
And it was like, okay, anotherpig, we got another pig, um, and
so couldn't have that right.
We, we moved that and that wasactually two years in a row.
It wasn't a fire ban the firstyear, but it was.
I think it was some sort ofinclement weather that we
couldn't do it.
So most of the time when we havean event that doesn't work well
(27:58):
or maybe it doesn't turn outright, a lot of it is those
outside factors.
It's not because it didn'tnecessarily align with the
membership.
Um, thankfully that's somethingI feel like.
They have tried.
A lot of those things maybethat didn't align.
So the the kind of rundown thatwe have now do always seem to
go well with the membership.
We do try to throw in a newevent, like the Tiki party.
(28:19):
That was new, right, we try tothrow in something kind of new
every single year to try.
But yeah, tiki Party, that's ano-go.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I don't think I'll ever do one.
You realize as soon as youleave, they're going to try it
and it's going to be a huge hit,like the best weather ever,
Probably.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
I'll be like you know what post about it, whatever.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Just don't invite me.
Yeah, exactly, I don't knowabout it, any events that you
thought of or came up with, andit just was like a big hit.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
It was a new thing, it was like a big hit and now
it's like an ongoing thing yeah,so one of and I can't take full
credit for it because it wasactually our superintendent and
he'd gone to another club andthey had this like indoor putt
putt um area and so we westarted that.
So the pro shop guys, theyhelped me, um, they, they design
(29:10):
a course throughout.
The club goes upstairs,downstairs, all the things.
So it's called it's the ecccarpet classic.
We've had it two years now.
This will be the third um.
I normally do like aglow-in-the-dark room where one
of the rooms is just completelyblack light with neon and stuff
like that.
That's super fun.
So that's coming up I thinkMarch 14th is when I have that
(29:31):
and that's a super funexperience, something new that
we tried, that's.
That's really awesome.
Um, haunted house is my baby Um.
That was.
We used to do haunted hay rides, which was out between like
seven and eight and they wouldget a tractor and we'd have a
movie out there and a buffet andthey'd get on the tractor and
(29:51):
kind of just do a little pathand they'd hang some ghosts and
stuff in the trees.
Then when we had theconstruction project, they were
like, well, we can't do that outthere.
So what are we going to do?
And I don't know if it wasstupidity or ingenuity, but I
was like, well, I could build ahaunted house, um, and I did.
(30:13):
And now I've built three and ifI ever want to go into any
other sort of business, I thinkI could make a living building
them.
Um, I just don't know if I'dwant to.
We're not doing one this year.
I told Ralph, I said Ralph.
I need a break Like I need.
Um well, so it's, it's also abudget thing, it is, it is, it
(30:36):
is.
I think he was relieved to hearthat as well.
He was like that's fine, let'sdo it, let's he goes.
I want you to take the hauntedhay rides and turn that into
something different, and we'llgo back and forth every single
year Because, I mean, it costs apretty penny.
But you know, the first yearGod loved me, I was just.
You know, I'm putting thingstogether, I'm figuring it out.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
The last two, years, though I mean I am, you know not
to brag I am so proud of them.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
You're going to have to send me some videos and
pictures.
I was going to say most of themembers would say that it's
better than the cities.
That's impressive.
They were legit.
I had so much help.
My family God love my family.
There's a lot of events that Iwouldn't get done here without
them, because they come andthey're willing to help me.
My mom plays Mrs Claus.
(31:28):
My little sister who works here.
She's the Easter bunny I mean.
So my family helps out a lot,but they helped out with the
haunted house a lot.
They're in the haunted house.
I use different, you know, mypro shop boys.
They help out their charactersin the haunted house.
This year was definitely themost put together because I mean
, I was proud of last year's butthis year it was like I don't
know if there's like acompetition where you can like
(31:50):
enter into a magazine, but I'denter it because it's just, it
was just so.
How many kids did you get topee their?
Speaker 1 (31:54):
pants, kids and, uh, adults for that matter, I mean
really anybody.
How many people walked awaywith with pee?
Speaker 2 (32:02):
pants.
I don't know of anybody, Ithink there was.
I had one person throw up, Um,I did have.
I did have someone a kid threwup, Um, and I did have lots of
crying.
Right, there's lots of crying.
And, and we did something alittle bit different the last
two years I've done scare freesessions or scare sessions, so
(32:25):
they'd tell me when they'd walkthrough.
However, this year it just itdoes get confusing, right, your
actors are in here, they're incostume, it's hot, and it's just
hard, because sometimes you'dhave kids change their mind
halfway through and you're likeokay, well it's, I can't be
running around going wait wait,wait, don't scare me.
You know that just it justdidn't work.
So I was like listen, no otherhaunted house that I know of you
(32:47):
can go in and be like I'd liketo go through, but please don't
scare me, right?
It's a?
It's a haunted house.
So we did it a little bitdifferently this year.
Normally we have to set it allup.
It takes me about two fullweeks of I mean I'm talking 12
to 14 hours a day.
(33:08):
Wow, normally the last twoyears we've had to take it down
that night, which is justheartbreaking because that means
like I mean I'm I'm doingthings on it until like 30
minutes before we open it.
So I mean it's all this workand then it's up for four hours
and then you have to take itcompletely down.
This year we did it a little bitdifferently because normally
(33:28):
there's a wedding, so I do it inmy lady's locker room.
This is I'm actually in thebridal suite right now.
So if there's a wedding inthere, they're not trying to get
ready in a haunted house.
So we'd have to take it down.
So this people got to come inon Sunday brunch as well, which
is a Halloween themed brunch.
So I had it to where, if youwanted to come on Sunday, you
(33:50):
could walk through.
There wouldn't be any scares.
You'd be able to kind ofappreciate it.
And then Friday night, whichwas Fright Night is people go
through it, which was superawesome because it just felt
like you, you had more you knowall this time and work and money
(34:14):
and effort that you put into it.
Members actually got toappreciate it, because not
everybody can always come out onthe Friday night.
So it was.
It was really neat.
I'm like I said I'm not doingit this year and.
I'm not that mad about it, but Iwill.
I'll definitely.
That's why I wish I could havecalled you, because I would have
done a walkthrough.
I would have loved for you tosee that, Like I built, we did a
(34:35):
five nights at Freddy's.
This whole bridal suite was afive nights at Freddy's.
I built a corn maze inside soone of my bays in the locker
room was a corn maze.
We had a bear attack so my dadbuilt a cabin for me.
It was like half of a cabin andI had one of my pro shop boys.
He had shot a bear in highschool so I used that and I mean
it was just, it's just so.
(34:56):
It's just so cool.
It's just so cool, it's all.
Definitely I'll try to send yousome videos and some pictures
and stuff so you can see it.
I love talking about it becauseI hate Halloween.
I've never liked Halloween.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
Maybe we should do an episode in May or June and it's
about how to set up, how tobuild a Halloween house or a
haunted house in your club.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
I think that would be something fun, I would say I
could talk about it for forever.
Would say I could talk about itfor forever Cause, like I said
it's, I've never really likedHalloween, but I have found a
passion for doing this and forthinking of.
You know new, creative ways ofhow can I make a lady's locker
room into a haunted house.
So, yeah, I'd definitely beopen to talking about it.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Yeah, Thank you.
So thank you so much for comingon.
That was a great.
There was so much fun stuff inthere and I really appreciate it
, and we will be talking in acouple months about all things
Halloween.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Hope you all enjoyed that episode.
I know I did and cannot waituntil her and I chat about
making epic haunted houses foryour club.
It's going to be so good, superstoked.
If you enjoyed it, you know alike, a share, a subscribe,
share it with somebody, share itwith a friend, a colleague,
someone else who you think mightenjoy it.
And while you're at it, afive-star rating means the
(36:19):
absolute world and costs nothing, zero.
That is this episode.
I'm your host, danny Corby.
Until next time, catch.
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