A Nostalgia For The Old Fashioned Glamour Of A Country Club - Essex Leads The Way

Fashion is a fickle business. What is one day the height of fashion can, almost overnight, become a laughable embarrassment. One of the best examples of this has to be flared trousers. In the 1970's at the height of disco, when pictures John Travolta and Farah Fawcett adorned the front of glossy magazines, the flared leg trouser was the must have item of clothing; the bigger the flare, the better. It looked as though fashion had peeked and the whole human race would be wearing flared trousers until the end of days. Until...

...well until fashion changed. But now, with thirty years distance between then and now the flare has made a comeback and it's hard to imagine it ever being ridiculed again. This revisionism isn't just confined to the fashion industry. Tastes in food change as availability and quality gets better and politics have a bearing on what is acceptable in society. But some things bear up to the changes better than others, surprisingly well in fact. Take for instance, that age old English establishment the Country Club. Essex, Dorset, Yorkshire and The Scottish Highlands are all home to such institutions that have survived the changing face of society and continue to thrive.

There are many reasons for the continued prosperity of the English Country Club. Essex for example has continued to grow as an economic region and has seen wealth in the area increase as a result. The proximity to London and The City also means that a large number of people commute to high paying jobs and have a high standard of living in Essex as a result. People with this kind of disposable income prefer to join exclusive or prestigious clubs and societies that reflect their social standing like a high tech gym, a golf club or a country club. Essex isn't alone in this respect.

Scotland, with its thriving local economy and with the benefits afforded to it through devolution, has managed to see its many country clubs and historical institutes survive the political, social and economic changes of the past century and many are more popular than ever. As well as having two large cities to draw upon; Glasgow and Edinburgh, is has the added advantage of a sporting heritage that perfectly suits the image of the country club. Essex and most other locations do not have this.

Next to economic prosperity, Golf has been the driving force behind the success and continuing popularity of the country club. Essex, Wales and the North West all have famous golf courses with country clubs attached and demand for membership has never been greater. This trend is replicated in Scotland where its many world renowned links golf courses attract players from all over wishing to experience a bit of genuine old world charm with modern high tech facilities.

There is another slightly less obvious reason for the resurgence of interest in the country club. Essex, Scotland and clubs the country over may owe their unique level of prestige and sophistication to one man, James Bond.

Or maybe that should be Ian Fleming. The round of golf that is described in great detail in Goldfinger is often name checked by professionals and amateurs alike and is now widely regarded as one of the best pieces of prose about golf ever produced. How many young boys in the past fifty years have read the story of Bond vs Goldfinger and dreamed of being in that world of girls, guns and martinis? Not many of them would have gone onto a life working for her majesty's secret service, but many of them are probably members of a country club.