Tony08888:
I’m working on a guide that will hopefully help players looking for a home club make an informed decision. The guide is an unbiased and fair overview of various country club models. The hope is that it will become a pinned post.
I think we've all been disappointed when a new member discovers, only days later, that our club isn't the right fit. This is equally disheartening for the player and existing members who've begun to connect. Importantly, this is no one's fault.
If a club owner would like to view a copy before it is posted please let me know, and I ask for honest feedback for improvement. I propose using Discord for a straightforward and direct exchange of the guide, which will be shared as a PDF document.
edit: Also, if you would like for your club to be listed within the article as an example of a club model please let me know.
If the guide simply provides an overview of types or categories of clubs there are, then it sounds like a fairly worthwhile project. But if the guide were to start identifying specific clubs as examples within each category, then that quickly becomes extremely problematic. Basically, the guide would (in part) become a promotion for the listed clubs.
If posted, the guide should just say something along line of this: with complete descriptions, below are the types of clubs there (generally) are here on WGT. Before joining a club, ask the club's owner or director what category they believe their club to be.
To accomplish the goal of informing players about the types of clubs that exist, there is actually no need to list any clubs as examples. That's especially so because all clubs have advantages/disadvantages that are best learned by (a) having a conversation before joining, and (b) actually joining the club and trying it out. Knowing the category a club falls within provides only one piece of information. Players still won't know if they like the club until they join it.
By the way, I'm not completely convinced this is a solution addressing a problem. It seems to me the problem is more apparent than real. I don't know why there would be all that much angst about a player joining, staying a few days (discovering it's not a right fit), and then moving on.