United States and Canada Country clubs can be exclusive organizations. In small towns, membership in the country club is often not as exclusive or expensive as in larger cities where there is competition for a limited number of memberships. In addition to the fees, some clubs have additional requirements to join. For example, membership can be limited to those who reside in a particular housing community. Early clubs focused primarily on equestrian-related sports: coaching, racing, jumping, polo, and foxhunting. In the 1980s, the nationwide interest shifted more towards golf. The
Brookline Country Club was founded in 1882 and is esteemed to be the nation's first by the
Encyclopaedia of American Urban History. Beginning in the 1960s
civil rights lawsuits forced clubs to drop exclusionary policies. In a 1990 landmark ruling at
Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club, the PGA refused to hold tournaments at private clubs that practiced racial discrimination. This new regulation led to the admittance of black people at private clubs. The incident at Shoal Creek is comparable to the
1966 NCAA basketball tournament, which led to the end of racial discrimination in college basketball. The
Philadelphia Cricket Club is the oldest organized country club in the United States devoted to playing games, while
The Country Club in
Brookline, Massachusetts is the oldest club devoted to golf.
United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, many country clubs are smaller than those in the US though examples similar in size and scope to the American country club also exist.
Gentlemen's clubs in Britain—many of which admit women while remaining socially exclusive—fill many roles of the United States' country clubs.
Spain , 1916 Similar to the United States, Spain has had a tradition of country clubs as a pillar of social life. This began during the reign of
Alfonso XII and was consolidated during the reign of his son and successor
Alfonso XIII, who granted royal status to a handful of country clubs. Most country clubs in Spain are typically associated with the upper classes, and were conceived around a central sport such as golf, polo or tennis, although some of them did eventually offer other sports. Examples include
Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro,
Club de Campo Villa de Madrid,
Real Club de Polo de Barcelona, Real Sociedad de Golf de Neguri, Real Club Pineda etc. Many of them are also located in those cities or towns that hosted the summer vacations of the royal family. Such is the case of
Real Sociedad de Tenis de la Magdalena, Real Golf de
Pedreña or Real Golf Club de
Zarauz for example. The most notable difference between Spanish and American country clubs is that the former are not normally located in the countryside but either within a city or town itself or in the outskirts at most.
Indian subcontinent Many of the
gentlemen's clubs established during the
British Raj are still active in major cities, for example the
Bangalore Club,
Lahore Gymkhana,
Karachi Gymkhana,
Nizam Club, and
Bengal Club.
Gymkhanas are sporting or social clubs across the subcontinent.
Australia at an Australian country club. Country clubs exist in multiple forms, including athletic-based clubs and golf clubs. Examples are the
Breakfast Point Country Club,
Cumberland Grove Country Club and
Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club in
Sydney, the Castle Hill Country Club, the Gold Coast Polo & Country Club,
The Heritage Golf and Country Club, Elanora Country Club, and the
Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club.
Japan In Japan, almost all golf clubs are called "Country Clubs" by their owners. == See also ==