The Markers Club Members Only Lounge Tour

By: Destination Club News
Date: March 24, 2010

Long based out of Utah, The Markers Club recently made the move down to Arizona, arguably the best area in the United States for world-class golf. We visited the club last week at their new home in Phoenix to get an update on the status of the public company they have been working towards creating over the past year. Unfortunately, CEO Michael Broussard was called away to meet with senior management in Nevada to work on this project, but Joel Munson, the club's Director of Club Membership, was able to give us a tour of their new Members' Only Lounge.

"We officially opened the lounge earlier this year," Munson says as he unlocks the doors to the large facilities. "We've already had several members stop by and even hosted a radio show, but we are still finalizing all of the details."

A receptionist desk greets guests with copies of The Markers Club marketing literature and issues of the club's publication, Arizona Tennis & Golf Living, stacked neatly for members. A foosball table leads the way into the large communal area, where members can relax in oversized, plush leather couches. High definition televisions are found throughout, all tuned into the breaking news that Tiger Woods will return to this year's Masters. A large bar has seating for another six with beer, alcohol, juice, and water all found behind the bar and a popcorn machine and hot dog roller sit just feet away.

"We will soon have a small retail section inside the lounge where members can stop by if they need a golf shirt or shoes or just want to try out a new club," says Munson. "Members can come over to just relax and have a quick drink or play cards. We also think it will be a great tool for recruiting new members."

Our meeting with The Markers Club was exactly one year from the announcement of their relaunch, a change in their structure as they removed the refundable deposit of their membership and transitioned to a year to year membership structure.

While members would now have a travel option that would not require the large, up-front membership deposit that most destination clubs require, The Markers would also create a public company that would allow investors the ability to invest in real estate.

"We will offer the public a way to invest in the real estate side of our company," Broussard told us last year. "The goal of our public company is to take advantage of current economic conditions and purchase class A residences, hopefully at 30 to 50 cents on the dollar. According to every economic report you read, the opportunity is there now and is getting better for our current purchasing prices. We are excited for what our company is capable of."

Ultimate Escapes has gone on to become the industry's first publicly-traded destination club, but Broussard and the rest of the team continue to work towards this goal. We are trying to reconnect with The Markers Club in the near future to touch base about the status of these initiatives and look forward to reporting on further. Check back soon.