Understanding Other Customer Perceptions in the Private Country Club Industry

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of other customer perceptions (OCP) in the private country club industry. Based on the existing theoretical background, it was hypothesized that three dimensions of OCP – similarity, physical appearance, and suitable behavior – characterize notions of private country club prestige and influence private country club loyalty. In addition, it was proposed that there are significant differences in OCP based on personal characteristics such as socio-demographic and golf-related profiles. Data were collected from 294 amateur golfers in the USA; results indicated that all three dimensions of OCP influenced private country club prestige, which in turn positively affected private country club loyalty. Lastly, there were significant differences in OCP according to personal characteristics. Key theoretical/managerial implications are presented and discussed.