PEORIA MAGAZINE October 2022

Membership is All in the Family

Family-friendly Country Club of Peoria celebrates its 125th anniversary

In addition to golf, the club offers tennis, a fitness center, and a beautiful pool, plus programs and social activities for everyone, especially during the summer. Members describe the dining room — available for meals and private functions — as the best restaurant in town. That even includes the kids menus. Chris said membership dropped dramatically during the pandemic, but came back as people rediscovered their passion for their foundational activity: golf. “We don’t want to just get new members, we have to keep them,” Marty said. The overall family “One of the things we have done very well is change the attitude that this is an old boys club,” Chris said. “In many ways we are very traditional, but we are as much with the times as anyone else.” Clearly, that’s what it takes to survive and thrive for 125 years.

It may not be evident to motorists on Grandview Drive, but the Country Club of Peoria (CCP) is embracing some pretty dramatic changes in its 125th year. Chris Reis, general manager for CCP, says, “The last couple of years we have seen our membership take a different direction as far as growth and the average age of members.” He said country clubs around the country used to be male dominated, and they were all about golf. But forward-thinking organizations like CCP realize that clubs need to actively include spouses (whether male or female) and be more family friendly. “You need younger members to keep the lifeblood in everything,” he said. Marty Best, who serves as president of the CCP Board of Directors, said that nationally, the average club member is 42 years old and has two kids. To meet the needs of these more youthful members “you have to think younger, be more nimble and offer things that people want.” He said membership has swelled by more than 100 new members in the last 18 months. Sixty percent of those new members are under 40. As junior members, they pay the lowest initiation fee and annual dues. “Golf is critical, but the driving force is family. Today, spouses are important, kids are important and we do everything we can to give them all a rich, rewarding experience.”

experience is what keeps that bond strong.

Learn more about membership at the Country Club of Peoria at ccofpeoria.org or call 309.686.2582.

20 OCTOBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE