Check out photos & videos from our Ideas Summits! >>

Methodology: Measuring Member Experience

The Distinguished Clubs award program is a stepped process that can be summarized as follows:

  1. Committee Nomination:  In order for a club to participate in the Distinguished Clubs award program, it must first be officially nominated by the Distinguished Clubs Nomination Committee, a diverse group comprised of some of the most highly regarded leaders in the private club industry.
  2. Site Visit:  An in-person site visit is conducted to evaluate and compile the many contributing facets of each “Quality Criteria” that collectively comprise a club’s overall Member Experience.
  3. Formulaic Audit:   Based on the compiled site-visit data, Distinguished Clubs personnel applies the proprietary formula to distill and quantify the club’s unique Member Experience quotient.
  4. Report:  A confidential Evaluation Report is issued to the club’s general manager.
  5. Award & Recognition:  If the Distinguished Clubs’ formulaic audit verifies that the club is delivering Member Experience at the highest level, Distinguished Club status is awarded, along with individual department leadership recognition.
  6. Yearly Verification:  Alternating year-to-year onsite survey visits and telephone-based interviews with club management are required to maintain Distinguished Club status.

Nomination Committee

A key component of BoardRoom magazine’s award program is the Nomination Committee. This group, comprised of well-respected private club general managers and industry experts, is responsible for nominating clubs for award consideration at the beginning of the award process.

The Nomination Committee is not directly involved or responsible in any way for the actual assessment, scoring, and awarding process itself. What the committee members do provide is critical, ongoing support and oversight, and to this end, the BoardRoom staff supplies them with a yearly report that includes a thorough review of the overall award process, the training and certification of our on-site evaluators, as well the criteria formula used to evaluate clubs.

In this way, the Nomination Committee helps maintain the value and integrity of BoardRoom magazine’s strong commitment to help strengthen the private club industry by recognizing fine private clubs through the all-important lens of Member Experience.


Special Award Designations

All clubs that have been formally nominated by the Distinguished Clubs Nomination Committee, that have been surveyed in person by a Distinguished Clubs survey professional as previously outlined, and that have thereafter earned a Distinguished Clubs Member Experience Score of 7.5 or greater will all thereby have earned Distinguished Clubs status. In addition to Distinguished Club status, a club may also be recognized with one of two possible Distinguished Clubs Special Designations.

Some Distinguished Clubs may qualify for special "ELITE" or "ICONIC" designations based on specific and definitive criteria.

A partial list of such criteria includes:

    • Must clearly be viewed as in the top echelons of local and regional reputation and recognition (ELITE).
    • Key members of leadership team and staff must have demonstrably superior training and experience (ELITE).
    • Must have been founded at least 75 years ago (ICONIC).
    • Must have held a major golf championship or event (ICONIC).