El Caballero Country Club

What El Caballero Country Club does

El Caballero Country Club is a privately held, member-owned private country club founded in 1955 by Bernie Shapiro and located at 18300 Tarzana Drive in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The club's core asset is an 18-hole championship golf course originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and comprehensively restored in 2017 by his son Rees Jones as part of a $10 million venue-wide modernization. The 2017 upgrade replaced all turf-grass with drought-tolerant hybrid Bermuda (projected to reduce water use by 30%) and added native California landscaping, repositioned bunkers, and softened slopes aligned with the original Trent Jones vision.

The club's product surface extends well beyond golf to include a clubhouse with casual-to-fine dining, banquet and event catering services, pool, tennis and pickleball courts, a fitness center, driving range, chipping and practice greens, and professional event hosting capabilities including the JM Eagle LA Championship tournament. Members are affluent families and professionals from the San Fernando Valley admitted through a character-based application process, reflecting the club's founding non-sectarian, inclusive membership model that distinguished it from traditional country clubs of the era.

El Caballero generates revenue primarily through recurring private membership dues paid on an annual basis, supplemented by food and beverage, banquet and event fees, and ancillary amenity charges. The go-to-market is sales-led: prospective members apply directly, are evaluated based on character and charitable inclination, and are acquired largely through member referrals and the club's community reputation. Operations are supported by Northstar Technologies' club management software, and the club is led by a small management team including an HR Manager (Luis Garibay); the founder Bernie Shapiro remains the symbolic figurehead.

Name

El Caballero Country Club

Legal name

El Caballero Country Club

Website

https://elcaballerocc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

El Caballero Country Club is a private, member-owned country club founded in 1955 in Tarzana, California, serving affluent San Fernando Valley families through an 18-hole championship golf course, dining, recreational amenities, and event hosting, with revenue generated primarily from recurring membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Country Club

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD)

Keywords

• Private country club
• Championship golf course
• Member dining services
• Tennis pool fitness
• Banquet event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tarzana, California

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Private Membership Dues: The club operates as an exclusive private country club generating revenue through membership dues and fees. Members pay for access to world-class golf, dining, tennis, pool, and social facilities. The membership model provides recurring annual revenue with member retention as a key focus.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

El Caballero Country Club is an exclusive private membership country club that sells access to an 18-hole championship golf course (designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., restored by Rees Jones in 2017) along with integrated clubhouse dining, banquet and event services, and recreational amenities including pool, tennis, pickleball courts, and a fitness center. Membership is the primary product, with prospective members applying directly and being evaluated on character and charitable inclination. The club also hosts the JM Eagle LA Championship professional golf tournament as a venue partner.

Product overview

El Caballero Country Club is an exclusive private membership country club offering a unified lifestyle experience centered on an 18-hole championship golf course. The club provides a portfolio of integrated services including recreational facilities (pool, tennis, pickleball, fitness center), dining experiences (casual to fine dining), and banquet event services for member gatherings. The club hosted the JM Eagle LA Championship professional tournament and completed a major $10 million golf course modernization in 2017.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Championship Golf Course An 18-hole championship golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and restored by Rees Jones in 2017, featuring tight fairways, gentle doglegs, and daunting green-side bunkers on a layout winding through modest hills and mature trees. Sold to private members as part of country club membership.
• Clubhouse and Dining Clubhouse facilities offering superb dining experiences ranging from casual to fine dining settings, complemented by a main outdoor dining patio. Available to club members as part of country club membership.
• Recreational Facilities Amenities including pool, tennis courts, pickleball courts, fitness center, driving range, chipping and practice putting greens. Available to club members as part of country club membership.
• Banquet and Event Services Private, special and member event catering services with banquet facilities for both casual and fine dining settings, including execution of Banquet Event Orders (BEO). Available to members and their guests.
• JM Eagle LA Championship Hosting Host venue services for the professional JM Eagle LA Championship golf tournament held at the club.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% projected reduction in water usage through hybrid Bermuda turf implementation

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JM Eagle LA ChampionshipcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEl Caballero Country Club hosts the JM Eagle LA Championship, a professional golf event. The club serves as the venue for this tournament, which aligns its brand with professional golf and attracts visibility among golf enthusiasts and prospective members in the region.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Riviera Country Club: Premier private golf club in Pacific Palisades, California, also founded in the 1920s and host of PGA Tour and Champions Tour events. Comparable as a high-end Los Angeles private club with championship pedigree and tournament-hosting heritage.
• Brentwood Country Club: Private member-owned country club in Los Angeles offering golf, tennis, fitness, and dining. Closely comparable as a member-owned private club with a similar amenity mix and target demographic of affluent LA families.
• Hillcrest Country Club: Private Jewish country club in Los Angeles with golf, dining, tennis, pool, and active social programming. Comparable in operating model, multi-amenity private club structure, and inclusive founding heritage within the LA market.
• Bel-Air Country Club: Exclusive private club in the Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles with a championship golf course and full amenity portfolio. Highly comparable as a fee-simple, multi-generational private country club serving affluent LA families.
• Lakeside Golf Club: Private golf club in the Toluca Lake/Burbank area adjacent to the San Fernando Valley. Comparable in geography, private member-owned model, and focus on golf-centric amenities for affluent LA-area families.
• Braemar Country Club: Private country club in Tarzana, California, sharing the same local market as El Caballero. Comparable as a San Fernando Valley private club with golf, dining, and full social amenities targeting affluent local families.
• Woodland Hills Country Club: Private country club in Woodland Hills within the San Fernando Valley. Comparable as a private member-owned club providing golf, dining, and event services for affluent residents of the same submarket as El Caballero.
• California Country Club: Private member-owned country club in Whittier, California, with an 18-hole golf course, dining, and event facilities. Comparable in private club operating model, multi-amenity offering, and Southern California market positioning.

Others

• Northstar Technologies (Club Management Software): Provider of the club management software platform used by El Caballero. Tangentially comparable as an enabling vendor to the private club industry rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Valencia Country Club: Private member-owned country club in Santa Clarita, north of the San Fernando Valley. Comparable in private club structure and golf-centric amenity mix, though it serves a slightly more suburban and family-oriented demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/el-caballero-country-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 El Caballero Country Club