Private Club Radio Show

In this episode of Private Club Radio, Denny Corby welcomes back Joe Smith of Countryside Golf and Country Club for a conversation about creating exclusive member experiences through better communication.
Joe shares how Countryside has turned communication into part of the member experience, not just a way to send updates. From weekly videos and member stories to transparency, consistency, and better internal communication with employees, Joe explains how clubs can build trust, create anticipation, and help members feel more connected to the life of the club.
Denny and Joe also talk about hiring a communications director, handling member feedback, fighting the rumor mill, using video to tell the club’s story, and why the best communication is not just informative, it is engaging.
If your club is still relying on basic newsletters, scattered email blasts, and hoping members “just know” what is happening, this episode will make you rethink what communication can really do for member engagement, culture, and connection.
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The fastest way to make a member loyal isn’t a new simulator or a renovated clubhouse. It’s a moment where we prove we were paying attention. I learned that on stage as a magician through a tool called the “callback” a reference to something earlier that lands because it feels real, shared, and unscripted. 

We translate that idea into private club hospitality and country club member experience, where callbacks look like remembering a drink order, a kid’s tournament, a recent retirement, or even the hole that got away last weekend. We dig into the psychology behind it: people are always scanning for belonging, safety, and whether their presence registers. Then we connect it to the peak end rule from behavioral science, showing why members remember emotional peaks and strong endings far more than perfect consistency. 

From there, we get practical about club operations and leadership. We talk about building continuity across departments so golf, dining, events, and membership feel like one ongoing story, not a reset every time a member changes rooms. We also make the case that scripted warmth fails because members can feel “performance” instantly. The real play is hiring and modelling genuine curiosity, supporting it with simple systems like pre-shift relational notes and shared milestone awareness. If this sparks ideas, subscribe, share with a club leader, and leave a review so more teams can build the kind of culture members feel within 30 seconds.
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A chef can nail a service and still lose the month on payroll, ordering, and waste. That’s the gap we get into with Chef Eduardo Castillo, whose career took him from a marketing role at Texaco in Venezuela to building high-performing culinary teams inside private golf and country clubs in the United States.

We walk through Eduardo’s path into the club world, the mentors who challenged him with tough budget questions, and the real mechanics behind kitchen leadership: payroll control, sales mix, food cost, inventory management, and the small habits that quietly wreck a labor budget. Eduardo also shares why formal education is powerful but often out of reach for sous chefs, and how he’s created creative development opportunities by sending team members to learn inside other top clubs.

The conversation leads to Eduardo’s Sous Chef Summit at San Antonio Country Club, a hands-on training experience built for working sous chefs and emerging leaders. He breaks down what attendees will practice, from protein breakdown and menu costing to ordering math for large events, backup plans when demand swings, HR documentation, and leadership coaching that helps chefs get more done through people without burning out.

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Member vetting is not just a background check.
It is governance.
It is culture protection.
It is risk management.
In this episode of The Private Club Radio Show, Dan Klimek of Kennis Member Vetting returns to talk about what private clubs should be thinking about in 2026 when it comes to their membership vetting procedures, systems, and overall approval process. Because clubs can’t afford to rely on vibes, handshakes, referral letters, and the classic “he seems like a good guy” strategy anymore. That is how things get… spicy. And not the fun kind. 
Dan breaks down why modern member vetting should be treated as a complete process, not just a quick background check. That means reviewing membership applications, tightening up language, involving legal and board leadership when needed, and making sure every applicant goes through the same consistent process.
The conversation also digs into why spouses matter, why waitlists should not be ignored, and why some of the most useful information is not always criminal. HOA complaints, neighbor disputes, police calls, lawsuits, online reviews, and other patterns of behavior can reveal a lot about whether someone is going to be a great fit for the club community.
But this episode is not just about finding red flags. Dan also explains how good vetting can uncover the green flags — the quiet philanthropists, community leaders, generous families, and future members who may be even better than they look on paper.
For general managers, membership directors, boards, and membership committees, this episode is a timely reminder that protecting club culture starts long before someone gets approved, gets a locker, and starts leaving one-star reviews about the soup.
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What would an entertainer who's performed at 400+ private clubs actually do if he became a GM? In this episode, Denny Corby breaks down the five things he'd tackle in his first 30 days as new club leadership — no management degree, no BMI, just a raw outside perspective built from years on stage inside these clubs.
From a full top-to-bottom cleanliness overhaul to getting a real pulse on disengaged members, Denny covers what he'd prioritize, why, and how his unique background shapes every call. He also gets into staff culture in member spaces, rethinking your events calendar, and the one unconventional move that gets a new leader genuinely connected to their membership fast.
If you're a GM, department head, or aspiring club leader, this one's worth a listen — even if you disagree with everything he says.
Topics covered: new GM strategy, member engagement, club culture, private club leadership, onboarding, event programming, staff management
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