How to Steal $20,000 From a Country Club - And Get Away With It!

This story is a doozie and it comes to us from a club on the West Coast that had some policies and procedures to update after what happened.

The club in question, West Coast CC for the purposes of this story, had a membership policy that allowed prospective members to be a “preview member” for a two month window in which they only had to pay the monthly dues. At the end of this preview, they had the opportunity to become a permanent member and pony up the membership fees, which in this case was a $50,000 fee. If they were unhappy, they could simply go their separate ways, no harm, no foul.

The newest preview member, who we’ll just call Connor Mann, was sponsored by an existing member and looked the part of a great new addition to the club. He drove a Maserati, wore expensive clothes and had the latest set of Titleist clubs in the bag. If anyone asked about his profession he simply replied that he was doing some “light consulting” but was mostly taking a break after a big exit from a tech company in Silicon Valley. 

Mr. Mann quickly became a fixture on the course and in the card room. He had a big personality and was well received by both the membership and the staff for his habit of buying rounds of drinks and tipping generously. He also liked to gamble, which pleased the sharks in the card room as well.

At that time WCCC had a policy that, like at many other equity clubs, allowed members to withdraw cash against their accounts - generally to pay off bets lost on the course or in the card room. It would not be uncommon for several thousand dollars to change hands, so when Mr. Mann withdrew a thousand dollars here and there, nobody batted an eye. 

As you can probably guess, Mr. Mann carefully solicited cash withdrawals from various, well tipped staff members over the next two months. He bought meals and drinks for his new friends on multiple occasions and ran up a massive $7,000 food and beverage bill. When the first month of the preview came to pass he cited ACH issues with his bank and tipped the accounting staff to give him a few extra days to work it out. Red flags were everywhere, but Mr. Mann’s charm obscured their view. 

At the end of the two month preview window Mr. Connor Mann was in the wind. Calls to his phone number led to a disconnected notice. When the club sent a representative to knock on his listed address a senile old man answered the door and threatened to have them arrested for trespassing. A woefully late background check uncovered that Connor Mann wasn’t connected to the social security number on the application. WCCC had been taken for a ride to the tune of $22,000 - $7,000 in F&B and $15,000 in straight cash! 

The member who sponsored Mr. Mann and claimed to have known him for over two years admitted that they met on the driving range of a local muni. He referred him so he could get the $600 pro shop credit given to member sponsors! His 90-day suspension ended up costing him far more than that in the end.

These days WCCC is not so loose with their preview members. Home visits are required and background checks are performed before allowing the preview to set foot on the property. Cash withdrawals against the member accounts are still allowed, but not for previews. It was an expensive lesson for the club and for all we know, Mr. Mann is still out there looking for other opportunities, so forward this story to your GM and make sure your club is protected - because you could be next on his list!

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