Group of golfers ride along a cart path
In today’s trade-war imbroglio, ‘reciprocal’ conjures visions of tit-for-tat tariffs, but in golf, it’s a term with a gentler legacy. Historically, before large-scale management networks, reciprocal play was often arranged informally through head pros making phone calls on behalf of members.
The bellwether for contemporary reciprocity programs was Signature Gold. Introduced by Invited (then known as ClubCorp) in the late 1980s, Gold was a trailblazing membership benefit that gave members access to a network of clubs beyond their home course. This was a novel concept at a time when such arrangements were typically informal handshake deals between club pros. The program systematized and scaled reciprocal play and offered members consistent privileges across a growing portfolio which set the template for the programs that followed suit. The long-running Signature Gold product remained in place through ClubCorp’s acquisition by KSL Capital Partners in 2006.
In fact, Invited’s current CEO, David Pillsbury, admits to lifting the program designed by his future employer when he was at American Golf, which launched a private club division in 1992 with 13 clubs and, after an acquisition binge, grew to 60. “I copied everything ClubCorp was doing,” he admitted. Pillsbury dubbed that reciprocal play program Platinum, and while it was smaller, it mirrored Signature Gold’s core idea: expanding member access beyond their home club, transforming exclusivity into a networked privilege.
“We got other private clubs—that were somewhat renowned—to join our network. We paid them for the tee times so we had the ability to upsell our membership base to get access to these clubs around the country,” Pillsbury explained.
Bites and Birdies
When the Great Recession hit, private clubs stayed resilient but still faced strain. In response, Gold was reengineered and rebranded as ONE (One Network of Exclusive Clubs). The program paired reciprocal play with a 50% discount on food at a member’s home club.
“What did that do? It drove spending at clubs, which in 2009 was very needed,” Pillsbury said.
Fast forward to present day, and Invited’s take on reciprocal play has once again been revamped to suit the times. On the face of it, XLife sounds like it should come with a skateboard deck and a lifetime supply of Red Bull. Instead, it offers members expanded access to clubs across their network—so less half-pipe, more full-wedge shots. So far, 57% of members are happily ponying up for the upgrade, which still includes the food discount from its predecessor, up from the mid-40s when it first launched in 2021, and last year, they logged over 100,000 rounds of reciprocal play.
XLife provides three levels of reciprocity for members. The entry level provides access to clubs outside a 50-mile radius of a member’s home club, including 130 Invited clubs and an additional 200 through the extended network. The next tier, XLife All Access, allows members to play clubs within their local area for an additional fee. Finally, a color-coded system categorizes clubs into tiers, with fees adjusted based on membership level. There is an incremental fee to play at clubs higher up the food chain but when playing down members are only on the hook for a cart fee.
“You go on the app, you make a tee time anywhere in the network of 130 clubs, anywhere within the Invited network. If you want to make a reservation at one of the other 200, you call Club Line—our concierge service, and they book the tee time for you. When we sell memberships, it’s a big driver.
Different Strokes
Troon manages hundreds of golf courses globally, with a substantial portion of those being daily fee and resort courses. Their private club members can directly book a tee time off this extensive roster extensive roster at reduced rates for themselves and up to three guests via their advantage program.
They also arrange private club to private club reciprocity within their portfolio at a preferred member rate through their Troon Privé privileges platform. As with Invited, Troon’s current program was also launched in response to the Great Recession, but they frame it as an ‘added draw’ rather than a core selling feature.
“I don’t know if our reciprocal program is a deciding factor in somebody’s choice to join a club,” Rob DeMore, Executive Vice President of Troon Privé explained. “Our program was designed to give the highest-level members, the full members, added benefits,” he added.
The specifics of these reciprocal arrangements depend on factors like club tier and time of year. “If your initiation fee is $400,000 to join a club, that reciprocal arrangement is different from one where it’s $10,000,” DeMore explained. “It’s commensurate with the quality of that club.” While all participating clubs provide access under the program—and reciprocity itself is a level playing field—tee times at higher-tier club comes with adjusted pricing but discounts, especially outside of peak season, can be considerable.
“In the offseason, it’s substantial—just above a cart fee, $55 is the current rate. During peak season, for these clubs when they have availability, it’s generally at the member-guest rate.”
While Troon continues to prioritize serving their core members first, reciprocal play remains an important way to create a more balanced ecosystem between clubs. He emphasized that the value of these programs lies in providing members access to clubs they want to visit. “It’s always a bit of a consideration in these reciprocal programs,” DeMore explained. He also pointed out that Troon’s program doesn’t involve any additional costs for full members. “If you are a member at one of our clubs, you don’t pay to participate—there is no added cost,” he clarified.
Pillsbury similarly highlights the value Invited brings to its members: “When you are joining an Invited Club, you are not just joining one club, you are joining 360 clubs, including city clubs where you get unique access and benefits,” he said.
“I think consumers are looking for that extra value-add, I think this is a big one and one we haven’t done a great job of talking about because it’s part of the fabric of the company and it’s been here so long. We have it, our members use it like crazy and they love it. We just don’t do a good enough job talking about it.”
Popularity Problems
As golf’s popularity has surged over the last half-decade, the availability of surplus tee times—essential to making reciprocal play possible—has tightened. Securing extra rounds during peak season at clubs with full tee sheets isn’t always feasible, making careful management of expectations crucial. Both Invited and Troon navigate this challenge by prioritizing their core members.
“The number one challenge is making sure we manage expectations. What matters most is that members who are paying dues at their clubs have their rights and privileges protected. This should be frictionless. If there are friction points, then it shouldn’t be implemented,” DeMore said.
Balancing exclusivity with enhanced member access can be a juggling act, particularly at high-demand clubs. Invited addresses this by limiting the number of tee times available for XLife play, allowing local clubs to control inventory based on availability. “At all of our clubs, but particularly at our premiere clubs, we have to protect prime time for the members that are paying all the money, so we limit the number of tee times we open up to XLife play—we restrict it,” Pillsbury explained.
This approach ensures that while reciprocal access remains a valuable perk, it doesn’t come at the expense of primary members’ ability to book rounds at their home club.
