Hospitality
Club Manager
Last updated
Club Managers oversee the day-to-day operations of private clubs — country clubs, city clubs, athletic clubs, and yacht clubs — ensuring member satisfaction, managing staff and department heads, and maintaining the financial and operational health of the club. The role combines hospitality management with member relations in a setting where the customers are also the owners.
Role at a glance
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree in hospitality, business, or recreation management preferred
- Typical experience
- 5-10 years
- Key certifications
- CCM (Certified Club Manager), CCE (Certified Chief Executive)
- Top employer types
- Country clubs, city clubs, metropolitan athletic clubs, private clubs
- Growth outlook
- Stable demand; recession-resistant due to membership-based revenue models
- AI impact (through 2030)
- Augmentation — AI can streamline back-office functions like budgeting, scheduling, and member communications, but cannot replace the high-touch, interpersonal member relations and board management essential to the role.
Duties and responsibilities
- Oversee daily operations across all club departments including food and beverage, grounds, golf, tennis, and facilities
- Manage member relations: respond to inquiries and complaints, communicate upcoming programming, and maintain visibility on the floor
- Supervise department heads and coordinate staffing, scheduling, and cross-departmental initiatives
- Manage the club budget in collaboration with the finance committee and Board of Directors
- Develop and execute member programming — events, tournaments, social activities — to drive engagement and retention
- Hire, onboard, and evaluate department managers and key staff positions
- Ensure compliance with health codes, liquor licensing, employment law, and club-specific bylaws
- Prepare operational reports and financial summaries for the Board and management committees
- Oversee capital project planning for facility improvements and major equipment replacements
- Build and maintain vendor relationships for food, beverage, supplies, and contracted services
Overview
A Club Manager runs a complex hospitality operation where the guests are lifetime members who have strong opinions, know the staff by name, and have a direct line to the Board of Directors. The operational challenge is everything you'd expect from a food and beverage, events, and facilities management role — and then it's layered with member relations work that has no equivalent in commercial hospitality.
Operationally, a full-service country club is a small resort: restaurant service running daily for breakfast and lunch with elevated dinner service on weekends, an active banquet program for member events and private parties, a golf course or tennis program requiring its own management expertise, a pool and recreational facilities, and grounds maintenance. The Club Manager is the general manager of all of it, coordinating department heads and ensuring that everything functions coherently.
Member relations consume a large portion of the role. Members expect attentive personal service — they want to be recognized, their preferences known, their complaints taken seriously. A member who has a bad experience doesn't just write a review; they bring it up at the next Board meeting. Managing the expectations and occasional demands of a high-expectation membership while running a financially responsible operation requires a specific kind of professional composure.
The Board relationship is its own discipline. Club Managers work for volunteer boards whose members are often high-achieving professionals in their own fields and who bring strong opinions to the table. Understanding how to manage upward — presenting information clearly, making recommendations confidently, and navigating disagreements without creating adversarial dynamics — is as important as operational skill.
Programming and event development drive member engagement and retention. Annual events, seasonal programming, tournaments, dining experiences, and social activities build the community feeling that justifies membership costs. The Club Manager either develops this programming directly or supervises the staff who do.
Qualifications
Education:
- Bachelor's degree in hospitality management, business administration, or recreation management preferred
- CCM (Certified Club Manager) designation from CMAA is the industry standard professional credential and is pursued progressively through the career
- CCE (Certified Chief Executive) for senior General Manager and CEO roles at large clubs
Experience:
- 5–10 years of progressive club or hospitality management experience
- Prior role as an assistant manager, department head, or junior manager at a private club is the most direct preparation
- Food and beverage management background is essential given F&B's importance to club operations
Operational knowledge:
- Food and beverage: restaurant operations, bar management, banquet service, menu development
- Facilities: building maintenance fundamentals, grounds management, capital planning
- Golf and recreational operations (varies by club type — golf clubs require specific golf operations familiarity)
- Financial management: budget preparation, monthly P&L analysis, accounts receivable (dues management)
Club-specific competencies:
- Bylaws and governance structures of member-owned organizations
- Board management: reporting, committee interaction, governance documentation
- Membership recruitment and retention strategies
- Club management software proficiency (Jonas, Clubessential, or similar)
Soft skills:
- Political intelligence: reading stakeholder dynamics and navigating competing priorities
- Member service mindset: genuine hospitality instincts, not just process compliance
- Communication range: comfortable presenting to a Board of directors and training a dishwasher in the same morning
Career outlook
Private club management is a well-defined career track with its own professional association (CMAA), certification pathway (CCM/CCE), and distinct employer community. The sector is relatively stable — private clubs are recession-resistant compared to commercial hospitality, as membership dues continue during economic downturns when discretionary commercial dining slows.
Demand for experienced Club Managers is consistently strong, driven partly by the volume of clubs and partly by the turnover inherent in a role where performance is judged by a volunteer board that changes leadership periodically. A new Board President with different priorities or management style can create turnover even at well-run clubs, which keeps the market for qualified managers active.
Compensation in private club management has risen meaningfully since 2021, as the broader hospitality labor market has pushed wages up and clubs have had to become more competitive to attract talent from commercial hospitality. Large country clubs in affluent markets — with substantial F&B revenue, golf programs, and active social calendars — offer total compensation packages that are genuinely competitive with commercial hotel general management roles.
The CCM designation is more important in this sector than comparable credentials are in commercial hospitality. It signals investment in the profession, knowledge of club governance and operations, and peer engagement through CMAA. Candidates without the CCM who are targeting larger or more prestigious clubs are at a disadvantage relative to credentialed peers.
Career ceiling in club management leads to General Manager and CEO roles at full-service country clubs, city clubs, and metropolitan athletic clubs, as well as multi-club management company positions and CMAA leadership roles.
Sample cover letter
Dear Hiring Manager,
I'm applying for the Club Manager position at [Club Name]. I have eight years of club hospitality experience, most recently as Assistant General Manager at [Club], where I've been responsible for food and beverage operations, staff management, and member programming for a 600-member private club.
In my current role I manage a team of 32 including department heads for dining, events, and facilities. I've taken direct ownership of our member programming calendar for the past three years — developing the annual family events series, rebuilding our holiday programming, and launching a member interest group initiative that now runs monthly wine dinners, golf clinics, and culinary demonstrations. Member satisfaction scores have improved meaningfully over that period, and our membership committee has cited programming quality as a key retention factor.
On the financial side, I prepare the monthly F&B variance report for the Finance Committee, have managed our annual dining operation within budget for three consecutive years, and led a POS system upgrade that improved billing accuracy and reduced month-end reconciliation time significantly.
I'm currently pursuing my CCM and expect to complete the designation within the year. I hold my ServSafe Manager certification and have strong familiarity with the Jonas Club platform.
I'm drawn to [Club Name]'s reputation for member experience and the growth trajectory of your social membership program. I'd welcome the chance to discuss how my background aligns with where you're headed.
[Your Name]
Frequently asked questions
- What makes managing a private club different from managing a hotel or restaurant?
- In a private club, the members are both customers and stakeholders — they pay dues, elect the Board, and have strong opinions about how their club is run. This creates a more complex stakeholder dynamic than a typical hospitality operation. The Club Manager reports to a volunteer Board of Directors whose members have varied and sometimes conflicting priorities, requiring political navigation alongside operational management.
- What is the relationship between the Club Manager and the Board of Directors?
- The Club Manager typically reports directly to the Board President or a Management Committee. The Board sets strategic direction, approves capital budgets, and establishes major policies; the Club Manager executes operations within those parameters. Managing upward to a volunteer Board — keeping them appropriately informed without overwhelming them with operational detail — is one of the distinctive skills required in this role.
- What certifications are relevant for a Club Manager?
- The CCM (Certified Club Manager) designation from the Club Management Association of America (CMAA) is the industry standard credential and is actively pursued by career club managers. CMAA also offers the CCE (Certified Chief Executive) for senior positions. ServSafe Manager certification is standard for any club with food and beverage operations.
- How does member retention factor into this role?
- Member dues are the primary revenue source for most private clubs, making retention directly tied to the club's financial health. Club Managers track membership trends carefully and work to ensure the club's programming, service quality, and facilities justify the cost of membership. A pattern of departing members signals a management or programming problem that the Board will notice quickly.
- How is technology affecting private club management?
- Club management software platforms (Jonas, Clubessential, Club Systems) have modernized billing, tee time reservations, event registration, and member communication. Members increasingly expect mobile access to account information, reservations, and club communication. AI is beginning to assist with personalized member communication and demand forecasting for F&B. Clubs that don't modernize their member experience technology are losing the membership competition to those that do.
More in Hospitality
See all Hospitality jobs →- Chief Steward$48K–$78K
Chief Stewards manage the stewarding department — the backbone of kitchen sanitation and equipment operations at hotels, resorts, and large foodservice operations. They oversee dishwashing crews, manage cleaning chemical programs, control equipment inventory, and ensure that the kitchen and banquet operations meet health code sanitation standards around the clock.
- Cocktail Server$28K–$65K
Cocktail Servers take drink orders and deliver beverages to guests at bars, lounges, casinos, hotel bars, and nightclubs. They work the floor rather than behind the bar, building guest rapport, processing orders efficiently, and managing their section during busy service periods. Tip income often represents the majority of effective hourly earnings.
- Chief Engineer$65K–$110K
Chief Engineers manage all maintenance and engineering operations for hotel and resort properties — from HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems to guest room maintenance requests and capital project oversight. They lead the engineering team, manage the maintenance budget, and are ultimately responsible for the physical plant operating safely and continuously.
- Cocktail Waitress$26K–$60K
Cocktail Waitresses serve drinks to guests in bars, lounges, casinos, and nightclubs — working the floor rather than behind the bar, taking orders, delivering beverages, and maintaining excellent guest service throughout a shift. Tip income is the primary earnings driver, and high-volume venues in entertainment markets offer some of the highest hourly earnings available in entry-level hospitality work.
- Food and Beverage Supervisor$38K–$58K
A Food and Beverage Supervisor leads a team of service staff during a shift at a hotel restaurant, bar, or banquet operation — directing workflow, maintaining service standards, handling guest issues, and supporting the F&B Manager with scheduling, training, and administrative tasks. The role is the first step in the F&B management ladder.
- Meeting and Event Sales Manager$58K–$95K
Meeting and Event Sales Managers sell group meeting, conference, and event business for hotel properties, convention centers, and event venues. They prospect for new group accounts, respond to RFPs, conduct site visits, negotiate contracts with meeting planners and corporate clients, and work closely with the events team to ensure sold business executes as contracted and clients return for future programs.