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About Club Benchmarking
Helping private clubs lead with fact over opinion
Club Benchmarking is the business intelligence partner for the private club industry. Since 2009, we have given general managers, CFOs, boards and owners of golf, city, yacht and athletic clubs the data, tools and expert guidance to make confident, forward-looking decisions.
Born in the boardroom
The idea took shape at a club board table
Club Benchmarking exists because we believe that when club leaders elevate fact over opinion, the result is healthier clubs, more empowered general managers and boards equipped to focus on strategic issues.
The concept originated in the boardroom of a private club, where directors faced big decisions with plenty of opinions and very few facts. In 2009, co-founders Ray Cronin and Russ Conde established the company in Boston, MA, launching a financial and operational benchmarking platform so clubs could quickly and accurately compare their performance with true peers.
Club Benchmarking by the numbers
More than fifteen years of club data, built one club at a time
Every benchmark we publish is standardized so clubs compare apples to apples, and every insight is grounded in what clubs actually report.
How we got here
From a benchmarking platform to a club operating system
We started by answering one question: how does our club compare? Everything we have built since answers the next question club leaders ask.
Benchmarking for clubs
Ray Cronin and Russ Conde launch the Financial & Operational Benchmarking Platform in Boston, giving clubs credible comparisons with their true peers.
Beyond the numbers
Dr. Jim Butler joins as CEO, and the company expands into compensation and workforce analysis, COMPASS capital planning, the Strategic Monthly Dashboard, member and employee surveys, and board and member education.
Surveys and governance
Club Benchmarking acquires Vivid Software’s member and employee survey tools and its board portal, integrating them into VISTA and bringing benchmarks, the voice of members and staff, and board governance into one platform.
Summit
We introduce Summit, a club operating system that connects Navigator benchmarking, Viewpoints surveys and the Board Portal through the Private Club Balanced Scorecard.
What we believe
The principles behind every benchmark
Our data is only as useful as the conversations it changes. These beliefs shape how we build our tools and how we work with your club.
Fact over opinion
Credible, standardized data replaces anecdotes and the pull of strong personalities, so boards and managers can focus on the issues that matter most.
Stewardship beyond this year’s budget
A club is a long-term asset held in trust for future members. We help leaders look past last month’s income statement to the health of the balance sheet and the facilities members depend on.
The member experience comes first
Members fund their club to create an experience. We frame amenities like golf and F&B around the subsidy a club chooses to invest in its members, not around breakeven math.
Continuity through turnover
Boards rotate and managers move on. Shared facts give every new board the same starting point and keep the club’s strategy on course.
How we help clubs today
One partner for the decisions that shape your club
Our solutions work on their own or together in Summit, so the same trusted data informs your budget, your board and your long-range plan.
In their own words
What club leaders say about working with us
“I’m convinced that the Club Benchmarking membership is a necessity for every club. In my thirty plus years in hospitality, I have never seen a product or service deliver such a huge return on such a minimal investment.”
Our team
Led by people who have sat on both sides of the table
Our team includes former general managers, club CFOs, F&B directors, golf professionals and superintendents, and Certified Club Managers, working alongside researchers, analysts and technologists. We understand the decisions you face because many of us have made them.
Advancing the industry
Research and education for the whole club industry
Our mission reaches beyond our clients. We share what the data shows so every club, and every club leader, can make better decisions.
Original research
Free whitepapers on the issues shaping private clubs, including Not Your Grandfather’s Club by Dr. Jim Butler, featured in The Wall Street Journal, and our 2026 food and beverage series.
Show Me the Data podcast
Conversations with Dr. Jim Butler and Ray Cronin on putting facts over opinion in the boardroom and beyond.
Fast Facts webinars
Short, data-driven sessions on the trends club leaders are asking about, live and on demand.
Industry education
Education has been part of Club Benchmarking since 2009. We present every year to local and national groups including CMAA, HFTP, PGA, GCSAA, NCA and CSCM, and Ray Cronin was named Club Industry Educator of the Year by BoardRoom Magazine.
Let’s talk about your club
That’s our story. What’s yours?
Tell us what is in front of your club, and we’ll show you how clubs like yours have answered the same questions with data. Interested in joining us? See our open positions.
Book a meeting with our team View careers