I sometimes wonder where we are all coming from. This is a game played on a computer.
We as owners decide that we would like to form a club, The first question is why would we do that, is it as some say to make new friends, or is it perhaps just look at me I own a club. Perhaps a bit of both or something else.
What concerns me most however are club owners who believe their members belong to them, not the club. The players who play are told in some clubs they must do this they must do that, why its a computer game not real life. Players drop out of matches, thats annoying but the abuse they can receive for that is terrible.
How many members of the club are actually your friends and not just people you liaise with on a computer. This is not facebook after all.
What do people want with a country club was you basic question, should it have been what can I do to encourage members to join and stay in my club, because at the end of the day, players will come and go, you will still be an owner.
I know I have not answered your question, just created more. People join clubs for various reasons, they also leave or stop playing for those reasons, all we can do as owners is to try and make the club the best we can to retain those that join.
Owners complain bitterly of player poaching, but unless they pay their members why should they complain, its a free world mainly, and players can do what they want. If you have a good club then players will not move, if its not the well that answer is obvious.
Your reasons in bold are all good reasons but are they truly the right reasons. Do poeple want to make new friends, how many actually do, I look at players a see some who have played for years, have reached the Champion levels and they have 5 friends, well they did not start playing for new friends did they. I have about 180 members of my club only about 40 play on a regular basis in club competitions, So perhaps its not friends or club competitions, as for being part of a club, there are benefits to players to play in a club, but not be part of the club. This may be why, who knows
I have seen clubs advertise for players over and over again, well I can say that considering the amount of players registered with WGT only a minor percentage even bother with the Forums
I wish you and your club every success, but believe it is what you do that creates a club people will join, not what they do
Alan