The Easy Button on My Desk
A Viewpoint on Designing for Ease
A few years ago, I bought a red Easy Button from Staples and put it on my desk. It is not there as a joke. It is there as a reminder. My job, and the job of every team member in a club, is to make life easier for our members.
Recently, Henry DeLozier, with GGA Partners wrote about pickleball and what might come next. His premise was simple and insightful. The future is not about the next amenity. It is about understanding what members truly want and need from their clubs. He reframed the pickleball conversation away from the sport itself and toward the deeper human desire for connection, activity, and a lifestyle that feels facilitated rather than complicated.
Pickleball did not take off because of the paddle. It took off because it was easy. It was easy to learn, easy to show up, easy to join a game, and easy to feel included. It required limited athletic prowess, minimal equipment, and almost no intimidation factor. It removed friction. When you remove friction, participation rises.
That is the real lesson.
The clubs that thrive are not the ones constantly chasing the next shiny thing. They are the ones asking a more disciplined question. How do we make engagement easier. How do we make belonging easier. How do we make enjoyment easier.
That small red button on my desk pushes me to ask that question every day.
How can we make dining easier? How can we make golf easier? How can we make wellness easier? How can we make family time at the club easier?
Sometimes that means investing in technology that simplifies the experience. Imagine a simple club app that allows a member to order anything they want and have it delivered wherever they are on property. Lunch delivered to the pool chair. A cocktail brought to the card room. Sunscreen or a sleeve of golf balls sent to the practice tee. No searching. No waiting in line. No unnecessary steps. Just seamless service that anticipates the moment.
Sometimes it means proactive care that members may never see. Before a member leaves for a golf trip, we conduct a bag audit. We check grips. We confirm they have enough balls. We make sure the rain hood is packed and the travel cover is ready. We think ahead so they do not have to. We solve problems before they become inconveniences.
This is the work.
Our role is not simply to provide amenities. It is to anticipate needs, reduce effort, eliminate uncertainty, and create confidence. The best clubs operate with an invisible hand. Members may not notice every detail, but they feel the ease. They feel known. They feel supported. They feel like someone is thinking about them before they have to think for themselves.
That is why pickleball worked. It made participation simple and social at the same time. It met members where they were and lowered the barrier to entry.
That is also why I keep that button on my desk. It reminds me that excellence is not complexity. It is clarity. It is anticipation. It is frictionless design delivered consistently by a team that understands its role.
If we replicate that thought process across every touchpoint of the member experience, we will not have to worry about what the next trend is. We will already be creating it. Members are not looking for more. They are looking for easier. That is our responsibility. It is a responsibility worth pushing the button for every single day.
