Frequently Asked Questions

The Company

What is Club Benchmarking?

Club Benchmarking is the industry's leading provider of club-specific business intelligence tools and services. We have been advocating for and supporting clubs in the adoption of fact-based, data-driven leadership since 2009. We are a company dedicated to continuous research and we maintain the largest, most comprehensive database of club industry information in existence and  

The Benchmarking Platform

What is Benchmarking?

Benchmarking is a proven process used by many businesses to assess their performance relative to a set of similar enterprises. Club Benchmarking (CB) delivers benchmarking to the private club industry using data aggregated from about 1,000 clubs annually.

What is the Club Benchmarking platform?

The Club Benchmarking platform is a subscription-based online management tool that provides a 360-degree view of the Finance & Operations, Compensation & Benefits, and Policies & Procedures of your club. Our proven models and ratios measure what really matters and apply a common framework for planning, budgeting, and managing your club. The platform is completely secure and confidential so your data is never visible to anyone but you.

How does the platform work?

CB allows your club to benchmark financial and operational performance against other clubs. We have developed a large set of metrics which correlate to the overall performance of your club and the departments within the club (eg. membership & dues, club operations, course maintenance, food & beverage, pro shop, outside functions). Through an annual platform subscription, clubs have access to benchmark comparisons, meeting ready reports and dynamic filters. All Club Benchmarking platform subscription plans include data management services, online and phone support and no charge for additional users.  

Can other clubs see my club data?

No. Only you and your designated users (club staff, board members, accounting firm etc.) can see your specific club data via a secure login. You can even control the level of access your individual users have to sensitive information like compensation and their ability to edit data or to run reports. Data in comparisons and reports is only presented in the aggregate. The filter tool will never show data for fewer than eight clubs so it is not possible to zero in on the information of any single club.

Why would I want to benchmark my club against other clubs?

The CB platform makes it possible to assess your own club's financial and operational health and to consider that performance relative to industry norms. Understanding your position relative to other clubs provides a point of reference for informed decisions about what's best for your club.

• Boards and managers tend to look inward in their decision-making. Planning and managing in a vacuum leaves the opportunity for better decisions un-tapped.

• Without a fact-based foundation, decision making in member-run clubs is difficult and too easily derailed by opinions and politics.

• Communicating with the membership about tough board-level decisions can be difficult. Precise data presented in a clear graphical form is helping many clubs overcome this challenge.

What benefits can I expect from becoming a member?

Club Benchmarking delivers the following benefits:

• Make more objective, fact-based decisions.
• Provide a common framework and common language for discussions between board members and club management.
• Establish an objective foundation for member communications.
• Gain insight into your own club's financial & operational health.
• Improve organizational behavior and overcome politics by elevating fact over opinion.
• Identify areas for increased revenue and reduced expenses.

How is the comparison data displayed?

CB includes a rich set of automated graphical reports on overall club performance and on each department. CB has a powerful built-in report generator so complete presentations are just a click away. Being able to deliver reports to the right people in the right format is critical. Reports can be viewed online or saved as PowerPoint slides or PDFs for printing and email. VIEW SAMPLE REPORTS

Can I select my own set of comparison clubs?

Yes. There are two ways to filter the database. You can select specific club attributes(club type, geography, club size, common facilities, etc.) for comparison. We can also help you select a set of specific clubs (minimum of eight) for benchmarking. We call these groupings "Peer Clusters" and examples might include a network of city clubs or a set of clubs chosen from our member list by you and your board. Note: In the "CB Basics" subscription plan, filtering is limited to "Club Type" only. COMPARE PLANS

What if I need information not covered by a CB metric?

We view the CB membership as having "ownership" of the metric set. After all, who can better define the club industry's specific benchmarking needs than our members? As a CB member you will have the ability to influence the product direction including features, reports and new metrics.

How often does the data change?

The CB database is dynamic—updated in real time—so it is always current and growing. As new clubs join and existing subscribers complete their fiscal-year-end updates, more data is entered and the power of your benchmarking increases. Yearly data is retained which allows you to look at multi-year trends.

What data do I need to supply?

The CB metrics are comprised of both financial an operational data. Generally the information is readily available from income statements, balance sheets, and department results. On average a controller requires 4 hours to gather the annual metric data and about 25 minutes to enter the data in CB.

How do I enter and manage my club information?

Ease of use is one of our main drivers. We upload financial data for you from your trial balance file and worksheets are available for operational and compensation data.

What happens when my fiscal year ends?

Your prior year data always remains in the system to allow multi-year benchmarking. For instructions on completing the annual update process, CLICK HERE

Can more than one person from our club use the system?

Yes, you can have multiple login permissions to CB. Users can be granted write-only, read-only, read-write or full administrative access. Salary visibility can be toggled on or off for any user.

Is my club information safe?

Yes, protecting your data is paramount to us. The CB database is protected by the latest firewalls and encryption algorithms.

How do I join?

We're glad you asked! Club Benchmarking is a subscription-based online tool. Subscription fees may be paid monthly by credit card or annually by invoice or credit card. Please Note: CB Basic plan is annual payment only. SEE PLANS & PRICING