The Curious Case of the Golf Club That Doesn’t Own a Blade of Grass
Let me ask you this: When was the last time you heard of a golf club that doesn’t have a course? Sounds like a restaurant without a kitchen, right? Yet here we are, staring at the rise of NewClub—a business model so cheeky it’s forcing the entire golf industry to rethink what a “club” even means in 2026. This isn’t just about golf; it’s about how modern consumers are rejecting outdated gatekeeping in every corner of life. And frankly, I couldn’t be more intrigued.
Why Traditional Golf Clubs Are Stuck in a Bunker
Traditional private clubs have long been the ultimate status symbols—think $50,000 initiation fees, velvet-rope exclusivity, and waitlists longer than a triple-bogey par-5. But let’s be honest: these places were never really about golf. They were about networking, pedigree, and excluding people who didn’t fit a certain mold. NewClub founder Matt Considine gets this intuitively. His time at St. Andrews exposed him to a radically different idea: golf as a communal, egalitarian space where a banker plays alongside a janitor. That revelation wasn’t just cultural—it was existential. It exposed how much of modern golf’s elitism is pure theater.
The Genius of Being “Nowhere and Everywhere”
NewClub’s tagline—“the club without a course”—is marketing gold. But it’s more than a slogan; it’s a manifesto. By partnering with 100+ existing courses instead of building their own, they’ve hacked the system in three brilliant ways:
- Cost Efficiency: No property maintenance = lower fees = attracting millennials who’d rather spend $1,650/year than six figures on Country Club Jr.
- Flexibility: Members play Firestone one week and Brookside the next. It’s like having a Netflix subscription for golf courses.
- Scalability: Expansion isn’t about construction—it’s about relationships. Hence why they’ve gone from Chicago to Detroit in a decade, not decades.
What many people don’t realize is that this isn’t just a business model—it’s a cultural rebellion. NewClub members aren’t just avoiding high fees; they’re rejecting the idea that access to a game should require selling a kidney.
Matt Considine: The Accidental Disruptor
Let’s talk about the Akron kid who became golf’s most interesting entrepreneur. Considine’s journey—from resenting golf as a college student to falling back in love on Scottish public courses—is the kind of narrative that makes you go, “Ah, that’s why he gets it.” His background as a “golf nerd” who burned out gives him credibility. He’s not some Silicon Valley bro disrupting an industry he barely understands. He’s a guy who lived golf’s contradictions firsthand.
But here’s what fascinates me most: his refusal to let profit drive the mission. His dad’s quote about “culture defeating strategy” isn’t corporate fluff—it’s the thesis statement. NewClub could’ve chased quick money by partnering only with flashy private clubs, but instead, they’ve prioritized diversity of experience. That’s rare in an era where most startups pivot to whatever maximizes quarterly earnings.
The Bigger Picture: Golf’s Version of Co-Working
Let’s zoom out. NewClub isn’t alone here—networks like Epic and The Broken Tee Society are doing similar things. This mirrors the co-working revolution WeWork started in the 2010s, except instead of office space, we’re talking about 18-hole layouts. The psychology is identical: people want access without ownership, community without conformity, and flexibility without sacrificing quality.
A detail that stands out? Their 30+ annual events, including St. Andrews pilgrimages. This isn’t just about playing golf—it’s about creating shared rituals. In my opinion, that’s why members stay loyal. You’re not paying for grass; you’re paying for stories. And in the attention economy, stories are currency.
The Detroit Expansion: What It Reveals About Modern Golf’s Soul
Next up: Detroit. Choosing Colwell’s hometown isn’t just strategic—it’s symbolic. The Motor City’s revival has been built on reinvention, much like NewClub itself. Will they replicate the Northeast Ohio magic there? I’d bet yes. Why? Because the formula works where there’s:
- Hidden Course Quality: Cities with underrated public/private facilities languishing due to lack of visibility
- Community-Starved Golfers: Players tired of either lonely public courses or exclusionary private ones
- Urban Millennial Demand: Young professionals who value experiences over possessions
Final Thoughts: A Swing at the Future
If you take a step back, NewClub represents something bigger than golf. It’s part of a wave of “anti-organizations” that reject physical anchors (offices, clubhouses) in favor of networked experiences. In five years, will we even remember when golf memberships meant owning land? Probably not. What’s happening here could spread to sailing clubs, skiing resorts—any space where exclusivity has historically been a revenue model.
Personally, I think we’re witnessing the death of the “country club mindset” and the birth of something healthier. Golf should be hard to master but easy to access. Matt Considine didn’t invent that idea—he just had the guts to build a business around it. And for that, even non-golfers should tip their hats.
