Private Club Radio Show

One nasty DM can feel like a private moment. Until it follows you back into real life.

A viral TikTok sparked this conversation after a creator identified the person behind an abusive message, connected him to his employer and private country club, and contacted both. Suddenly, one person’s online behavior became part of a much larger conversation about reputation, responsibility, and club culture.

Denny sits down with Paul Dan...

Conflicting leadership advice can make even great private club managers second-guess themselves.

One person says the general manager should always be visible and on the floor. Another says the GM should build a strong team, empower people, and get out of the way.

The truth is, both can be right.

In this episode, Denny explores a better question for private club leaders. Not, “What is the right way to lead?” but, “Wha...

Japan is not just a destination. It is a lesson in how much care can be placed into even the smallest details.

After separate trips to Japan, Denny brings together Joe Smith, General Manager of Countryside Golf and Country Club in Naples, and Matthew Gilbert, Executive Chef at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.

They did not travel together, and they went for very different reasons, but they both came home with a similar appreciati...

A club can look perfect and still feel off. That’s the problem we tackle with one simple idea: the layers of ambiance. We’re not talking about a pretty lobby or an Instagram moment. We’re talking about how deep the experience really goes, from the driveway and parking lot to the bathrooms, locker rooms, signage, music, lighting, and the energy your team brings into every interaction.

We unpack why “pr...

Club leadership can feel like constant problem-solving, but what if the real work is learning how your mind and body react under pressure? Denny sits down with Crystal Thomas, a Master Club Manager and educator with a master’s degree in spiritual psychology, to unpack a grounded approach to staying calm, clear, and effective when members, boards, and staff hit your nervous system at full speed. Crystal explains spirituality a...

500 episodes doesn’t happen by accident, and it definitely doesn’t happen by playing it safe. For this milestone, we flip the format and let marketing powerhouse Jay Schwedelson (host of Do This Not That and author of Stupider People Have Done It) interview Denny Corby about the path from Scranton to performing at hundreds of private golf and country clubs, and why Private Club Radio became a home for club stories that ...

Your club can spend $10M, $15M, even $20M on a renovation and still leave members with a first impression that feels stuck in the early 2000s. That disconnect is exactly what we tackle with Sean Bleyl from MembersFirst. Sean’s a former club pro who now helps private golf and country clubs improve marketing, communications, and digital presence, and he brings a rare perspective that blends real operations experience with moder...

A cockroach in a hotel shower is not the opening scene I planned, but it turned into one of the clearest lessons I’ve ever learned about private club leadership. After flying in day-of to emcee the CMAA Golden State Chapter Spring Conference, I’m stressed, underprepared, and trying to keep my head on straight. Then the bathroom turns into enemy territory, and the story becomes the perfect reminder that real hospitality ...

Renovations can upgrade a golf course, but they can also wreck trust if you miss the human side. I sit down with my friend Brian Tulk, a former club caddie who worked his way up to General Manager, to talk about what it really takes to deliver major private club improvements while members still expect everything to feel effortless.

We get into the nuts and bolts of golf course renovation planning at a member-owned club: phas...

Your club can feel lively before a member even pulls into the parking lot, but only if your communication actually sounds like your culture. We’re joined by Hannah White, Membership Experience and Communications Director at Sugar Creek Country Club, to talk about what it takes to create country club marketing and member communications that feel human, fun, and worth paying attention to.

Hannah shares her unexpected car...

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 empl...

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, w...

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 questi...

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, ref...

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 h...

Your first year as a country club GM can feel like you’re flying the plane while rebuilding the runway. I’m joined by Jordan Mezzerole, General Manager of Doylestown Country Club, for a candid year-in-review that starts with an unconventional career path and ends with the kind of real-world leadership moments you never forget.

Jordan didn’t come up through a traditional hospitality track. He moves from jour...

You can love private club work and still be running on fumes. I’m sharing a straightforward reminder for golf and country club professionals: reward the effort, protect your energy, and make time to be fully present somewhere outside the club. 

We talk about what real recovery looks like for hospitality leaders and club managers, especially after holiday stretches and nonstop seasons. Sometimes that means friends ...

If you've worked in private clubs long enough, you know this moment. The RSVPs slow down, the numbers look lighter than you hoped, and suddenly the question on the table is: do we pull it or push through?

In this episode of Private Club Radio, Denny Corby shares a real situation — a club, a soft turnout, and a decision that reveals something most club leaders never talk about out loud. Because when a club keeps canceling event...

Mini golf is not just windmills, clown heads, and beach town nostalgia.

In this episode, Denny talks with Katie and Sal Conaboy of Harris Golf about how modern mini golf can become a real amenity for clubs, resorts, and golf properties. They get into how premium custom courses can create more family engagement, give clubs fresh programming ideas, and turn underused space into something fun, beautiful, and genuinely useful.

They also ...