Let me tell you about the most bizarre golf club I’ve ever heard of. It has no clubhouse, no greens, no physical location—yet it claims to be the most exclusive club in Northeast Ohio. Welcome to NewClub, a business that’s redefining what it means to belong to a golf community. And honestly, I think this is the future of social clubs, whether you play golf or not.
Here’s the thing: Golf has always been a game of contradictions. It’s a sport that celebrates individual skill yet thrives on communal experiences. It’s a luxury activity that’s increasingly accessible. NewClub is trying to solve both of those paradoxes at once. By offering a $1,650 annual membership, it gives people access to hundreds of courses without the burden of owning a club. But personally, I think the genius here isn’t just the business model—it’s the cultural rebellion against elitism. For decades, golf has been synonymous with exclusivity. Private clubs charge tens of thousands for memberships, and even public courses often feel like they’re designed to exclude. NewClub is saying, ‘Nope. We’re going to make this game work for everyone.’
Let’s talk about the man behind the madness: Matt Considine. He’s the kind of person who grew up on golf courses, then ran away from them, then came back with a mission. As a kid, he was the archetypal ‘range rat,’ obsessed with scores and rankings. But by his early 20s, he’d burned out. He left his golf bag in the U.S. when he went to study in Ireland, only to be dragged back into the game by a chance round at St. Andrews. That moment—playing with nurses, fishermen, and bankers—must have been a revelation. What makes this particularly fascinating is how it mirrors a broader shift in modern culture: the desire to belong to communities that feel authentic, not transactional. Considine didn’t just want to play golf; he wanted to be part of a story.
Now, here’s where it gets even more interesting. NewClub isn’t just a golf club—it’s a social experiment. With 500 members and partnerships with over 100 courses, it’s creating a network that’s both decentralized and hyper-connected. Members can play anywhere, anytime, but they’re also part of a curated group. What many people don’t realize is that this model is replicating the success of digital communities in the physical world. Think of it as a LinkedIn for golfers, but with tee times and cart fees. And if you take a step back and think about it, this is exactly what Gen Z and millennials want: flexibility, community, and no unnecessary overhead.
The founders, Matt Considine and Mark Colwell, are an unlikely duo. Considine is the charismatic visionary, the guy who can talk to anyone about anything. Colwell is the quiet operator, the one who keeps the spreadsheets and the servers running. Together, they’ve built something that feels both nostalgic and futuristic. A detail that I find especially interesting is how they’ve modeled their business after St. Andrews’ New Golf Club—a place that’s been around for over a century. But instead of replicating the old guard, they’re using that legacy to create something new. This raises a deeper question: Can tradition and innovation coexist in the same space? I think they can, but only if the innovation doesn’t erase the soul of the original idea.
What’s next for NewClub? They’re expanding to Detroit, which makes sense because Colwell grew up there. But I’m curious to see how they handle the challenge of scaling without losing the personal touch that makes their model unique. If they succeed, they could become a blueprint for other industries. Imagine a ‘NewClub’ for foodies, or for book lovers, or for fitness enthusiasts. The possibilities are endless. One thing is certain: The golf world is changing, and NewClub is leading the charge. Whether you’re a golfer or not, this is a story about how we define community—and why that definition might be more fluid than we ever imagined.
