Cullasaja Club

What Cullasaja Club does

Cullasaja Club is a private, invitation-only country club and luxury mountain residential community located at 1371 Cullasaja Club Drive, Highlands, North Carolina, on the Highlands Plateau in Western North Carolina between approximately 3,500 and 4,118 feet of elevation. Founded in 1987, the club serves roughly 350 member families drawn primarily from affluent multi-generational households seeking a seasonal mountain retreat. The core amenity is an 18-hole, par-72 Arnold Palmer-designed championship golf course ("Arnold's Masterpiece") with undulating greens, white sand bunkers, and hardwood-lined fairways. The club supplements golf with four Har-Tru tennis courts, three croquet lawns (awarded National Croquet Association "Lawn of the Year" in 2013), a heated junior-Olympic pool with a children's splash pad, a 27-acre Ravenel Lake for kayaking and fishing, fly fishing on the Cullasaja River, a 24,000 sq ft Mountain Lodge Clubhouse, a nearly 10,000 sq ft Well-Being Center, and multiple dining venues including The Sweetwater Room and Arnie's Bar. The community surrounds these amenities with luxury homes ranging from 2,700 to over 15,000 square feet.

The business model is subscription-based recurring revenue from membership dues, with two tiers: Full Golf and Social. Membership is invitation-only and capped at nearly 300 homes at buildout, with fewer than 20 lots remaining for sale. The Vertical Guest Program extends no-cost club privileges to parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren, embedding multi-generational retention into the offering. Cullasaja also operates an HOA services division that bundles plumbing, electrical, home winterization, landscaping, and tree care into the membership. Go-to-market is direct and curated: a dedicated Membership Director (Amy Fine) handles inquiries by phone (828-526-9102) and web form, with brand awareness driven by the website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn), and member testimonials. There is no public listing, no institutional investor, no parent company, and no disclosed ownership structure; the entity is independently operated as Cullasaja Country Club.

Revenue, pricing, and headcount details are not publicly disclosed. The Highlands, NC market was named by Barron's in 2012 as one of the Top 20 places in the U.S. for second-home ownership, supporting the club's positioning. The operating model is deliberately constrained: Cullasaja is not pursuing scale, geographic expansion, or new customer segments beyond its built-out footprint, and treats itself as a "personal mountain haven" for a fixed number of families.

Name

Cullasaja Club

Legal name

Cullasaja Country Club

Website

https://cullasajaclub.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cullasaja Club is a private, invitation-only country club and luxury mountain residential community in Highlands, North Carolina, founded in 1987, serving approximately 350 affluent families with an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, tennis, croquet, pool, lake, dining, and HOA services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Country Club

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Clubs & Tournament-Host Clubs (Professional/Elite Golf Clubs) (MPAKABAE)

Keywords

• Private country club
• Golf membership
• Mountain recreation
• Luxury club amenities
• Residential country club

Headquarters

HQ city

Highlands

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Club Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from Full Golf and Social Membership tiers form the primary recurring revenue stream, supporting club operations, amenities maintenance, and staff services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cullasaja Club is a private, member-owned country club in Highlands, North Carolina offering membership-based access to an Arnold Palmer-designed par 72 golf course, tennis, croquet, swimming, dining, wellness, fly fishing, and luxury mountain real estate within a 2,000-acre private mountain community. The club combines recreational amenities with residential homesites and a Mountain Lodge-style clubhouse serving member families seeking an exclusive Blue Ridge mountain lifestyle.

Product overview

Cullasaja Club is an intimate, private country club and luxury mountain residential community in Highlands, North Carolina. Operating since 1987, the club offers a unified portfolio of lifestyle amenities centered around its Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, along with tennis, croquet, swimming, fly fishing, and outdoor adventure activities. The club features a newly renovated 24,000 sq ft Mountain Lodge Clubhouse and a 10,000 sq ft Well-Being Center. Dining is provided through multiple venues including The Sweetwater Room, Arnie's Bar, and various casual outlets. The community includes luxury homes ranging from 2,700 to over 15,000 square feet. Membership options include Full Golf and Social memberships with Generational Privileges. A comprehensive HOA services division provides turnkey household and landscape maintenance to members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Club Membership Private membership-based access to all club amenities including golf, tennis, croquet, swimming, dining, and wellness facilities for individual member families in Highlands, NC.
• Arnold Palmer Golf Course Championship par 72 golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, available exclusively to club members with full golf shop, lessons, and practice facilities.
• Tennis Program Tennis courts and programming available to club members of all skill levels.
• Croquet Lawn Traditional croquet playing field available to club members.
• Swimming Pool Complex Swimming pool facility accessible to club members and their families.
• Fly Fishing on Ravenel Lake Fly fishing access on Ravenel Lake for club members.
• Dining Venues Multiple dining facilities within the Mountain Lodge clubhouse serving club members and their guests.
• Well-Being Center Fitness and wellness facility offering classes and activities to club members.
• Luxury Mountain Homes Residential real estate including luxury mountain homes and homesites within the 2,000-acre private community.
• Outdoor Pursuits Curated outdoor recreation programs and activities for club members.
• Treetop Trail Playground Children's playground facility available to member families.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Biltmore Forest Country Club: Historic private country club in Asheville, NC, founded in 1922 — an established, multi-generational mountain club serving the broader Western NC UHNW market with golf, tennis, and dining amenities comparable to Cullasaja's.
• Kiawah Island Club: Premier private club community on Kiawah Island, SC, offering multiple golf courses, tennis, fitness, dining and beach amenities under an invitation-only membership model — a larger, multi-asset benchmark for Cullasaja's premium-club concept.

Direct peers

• The Cliffs at Glassy: Private mountain golf club community in Landrum, SC, on the Upstate SC/North Carolina border. Comparable private gated golf community with mountain views, family amenities, and an invitation-style membership model.
• Grandfather Golf & Country Club: Private mountain country club in Linville, NC, offering championship golf, tennis, fitness and dining in a similar Western NC mountain setting — directly comparable club concept and member demographics to Cullasaja.
• Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club: Private Tom Fazio-designed mountain golf and lake club in Cashiers, NC. Similar Highlands-area mountain setting, comparable amenity stack (golf, lake, clubhouse, dining), and shared UHNW family target market.
• Old Edwards Club: Private club located in downtown Highlands, NC — same town as Cullasaja. Competes directly for the same affluent mountain lifestyle, dining, and second-home owner segment with a comparable amenity and membership profile.
• Wade Hampton Golf Club: Private championship mountain golf club in Cashiers, NC, only ~15 miles from Cullasaja. Same Highlands-Cashiers plateau market, similar UHNW family membership base, invitation-only access, and comparable seasonal mountain-club economics — Cullasaja's closest direct competitor.
• Burlingame Country Club: Private member-owned mountain country club in Sapphire, NC, within the same Western NC plateau region. Comparable golf-centric club with similar mountain lifestyle positioning and UHNW second-home member base.

Others

• Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock: Long-standing mountain resort in Blowing Rock, NC, offering lodging, dining, spa, and recreation in the Western NC highlands. Adjacent lifestyle/hospitality player that competes for the same regional UHNW second-home visitor economy rather than for membership directly.

Regional players

• Sequoyah National Golf Club: Native American-owned public/private golf club in Whittier, NC, in the Western NC mountains. Operates in the same regional mountain-golf market as Cullasaja but with broader access rather than Cullasaja's invitation-only model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=cullasaja+country+club
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cullasaja1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cullasaja-club
• Instagraminstagram.com/cullasajaclub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cullasaja Club