January 2013 - 14

Golden Girl

How does star member-maker Michelle Golden do it?
By Sue Munday

S

he has recruited 776 new ACBL
members since 2002. She's collected incentive bonuses totaling
$3500, and she's only 24 members
away from another $500 check.
In 2011, her club, the In-Between
Club in Sarasota FL logged 13,617.5
tables, making it number two on the
roster of brick-and mortar clubs (the
three major online clubs topped the
list). She celebrated the club's 25th anniversary in August by hosting a free

catered brunch and Swiss team game
for her members. In an era when so
many clubs are feeling the economic
pinch and experiencing a drop in table
count as members age out without
new recruits to fill their seats, who
is this woman and what is she doing
that's so right?
She is Michelle Golden, the ACBL's
top star recruiter - enthusiastic
about all things bridge and teaching
bridge and happy to share the "best
practices" that have led to her club's
success.

In the beginning

Photo by
Susan Meyer

14 Bridge Bulletin January 2013

Golden grew up in Cherry Hill
NJ. She entered Penn State to study
theater arts, then switched her major to nutrition, then to labor studies
and graduated as a history major. "I
always resisted taking teaching credits
because I didn't think I was patient
enough to teach," she says. "I never
took a teaching class."
It was at Penn State that she discovered bridge.
"I was in college," she recalls, "and I
was planning ahead for my retirement.
So I took up knitting and hated it!
Then I had to find another retirement
activity. That led me to bridge."
She continues, "They had something
at Penn State they called the Free
University where they offered courses
that you didn't take for credit. That's
where I learned to play bridge. I was
hooked immediately."
Golden moved to Sarasota in 1978.
"I found a local bridge club and
started playing. The directors loved
me because I'd play with anyone and
I'd come over at the last minute. Of
course I got to play with all the people
no one else would play with, but I
didn't care."
A waitress looking to do some-

thing more exciting than waitressing,
Golden started her first club game in
1987 at the Veteran's Hall in Sarasota.
From the get-go, she believed that
having a teaching program was critical
to the success of her game, so she
offered classes in addition to running
one game a week. Business boomed.
She was told by one player that she
had developed the perfect business
model for a niche market, which she
found interesting since she had no
formal education in either business or
marketing.
From the start, Golden focused on
developing her own clientele. "It was
important to me not to try to lure players away from other clubs."
Her game quickly blossomed into
a full-time proposition and by 1992,
the game had outgrown its space. She
moved to her current facility centrally
located downtown. "See my windows?" she asks. "I love my windows."
Golden's sanctioned games number
19 a week: seven open, 11 invitational games - most of which are
masterpoint-limited - and one "newplicate" game for players with 0-20
masterpoints. The newplicate game is
preceded by a 5-10 minute discussion
of The Laws of Duplicate Bridge.
With snowbirds flying in and out, the
In-Between Club is seasonal in cycle.
Although there are definite peaks and
lulls, it's active year-round. A peak
season game has reached as many as
80 tables. In February 2012, the club
hosted 1618 tables (86 tables in support of the Junior Fund); in July, the
total dipped to 871.5 tables.
Golden employs seven individuals
who direct, teach and/or assist. Her
husband, "Chef Charles," shares in
the business. His special assignments
include maintenance and all the shopping. He cuts all the vegetables for the
veggie trays and players call his egg
salad the best anywhere.
Golden acknowledges that Sarasota
is an ideal location for a bridge club.
"There is a constant influx of affluent
young retirees looking for something
new."



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2013

Viewpoint - Brent Manley
Letters to the Editor
From the CEO - Robert Hartman
St. Louis Hosts the 2014 Spring NABC
Michelle Golden - Profile
2013 ACBL President Don Mamula
West hands for The Bidding Box
Club News
Facts of Bridge Life - Eddie Kantar
Report from San Francisco Fall NABC part 1
Cavendish Invitational
The Bidding Box
It's Your Call
Ruling the Game - Mike Flader
For Newer Players
Puzzle of the Month
Bridge Players Survival Kit - Getting rid of losers - Leslie Shafer
Ask Jerry - Jerry Helms
Upgrading Your Game -Creating a good partnership - Lynn Berg
Mike's Bridge Lesson - Mike Lawrence
Obituary - Erik Kirchhoff
Play & Learn - You ruffed my trick! - Pat Harrington
Pink Bird blushes - Irina Ladyzhensky
A Game for All Ages - Better than basket weaving - Brent Manley
For Intermediate Players
Boehm on Bridge - August Boehm
The Real Deal - Larry Cohen
East hands for The Bidding Box
Misplay these Hands With Me - Role reversal - Mark Horton
Better Bridge with Bergen - 4NT asking bids - Marty Bergen
Chalk Talk - Eddie Kantar
Log On for Bridge
For Advanced Players
My Bridge and Yours - Frank Stewart
Bidding Matters - 12 habits - Karen Walker
Test Your Play - Eddie Kantar
Mike's Advice - What's going on in spades? - Mike Lawrence
Solutions to Test Your Play
Dear Billy - Billy Miller
Bridge with the Abbot - David Bird
George's World - George Jacobs
Bridge returns to Cuba - Frankie Frontaura
Patron Members
Life Master Milestones
In Memoriam
Obituary - Andy Gabrilovitch
Obituary - Marty Chaitt
Tournament Directory
January 2013 - 1
January 2013 - 2
January 2013 - 3
January 2013 - 4
January 2013 - 5
January 2013 - Letters to the Editor
January 2013 - 7
January 2013 - 8
January 2013 - From the CEO - Robert Hartman
January 2013 - St. Louis Hosts the 2014 Spring NABC
January 2013 - 11
January 2013 - 12
January 2013 - 13
January 2013 - Michelle Golden - Profile
January 2013 - 15
January 2013 - 16
January 2013 - 17
January 2013 - 2013 ACBL President Don Mamula
January 2013 - West hands for The Bidding Box
January 2013 - Club News
January 2013 - 21
January 2013 - Facts of Bridge Life - Eddie Kantar
January 2013 - 23
January 2013 - Report from San Francisco Fall NABC part 1
January 2013 - 25
January 2013 - 26
January 2013 - 27
January 2013 - 28
January 2013 - Cavendish Invitational
January 2013 - 30
January 2013 - The Bidding Box
January 2013 - 32
January 2013 - 33
January 2013 - It's Your Call
January 2013 - 35
January 2013 - 36
January 2013 - 37
January 2013 - Ruling the Game - Mike Flader
January 2013 - Puzzle of the Month
January 2013 - Bridge Players Survival Kit - Getting rid of losers - Leslie Shafer
January 2013 - Ask Jerry - Jerry Helms
January 2013 - Upgrading Your Game -Creating a good partnership - Lynn Berg
January 2013 - Mike's Bridge Lesson - Mike Lawrence
January 2013 - Play & Learn - You ruffed my trick! - Pat Harrington
January 2013 - Pink Bird blushes - Irina Ladyzhensky
January 2013 - A Game for All Ages - Better than basket weaving - Brent Manley
January 2013 - Boehm on Bridge - August Boehm
January 2013 - The Real Deal - Larry Cohen
January 2013 - Misplay these Hands With Me - Role reversal - Mark Horton
January 2013 - Better Bridge with Bergen - 4NT asking bids - Marty Bergen
January 2013 - Chalk Talk - Eddie Kantar
January 2013 - Log On for Bridge
January 2013 - My Bridge and Yours - Frank Stewart
January 2013 - Bidding Matters - 12 habits - Karen Walker
January 2013 - Test Your Play - Eddie Kantar
January 2013 - Mike's Advice - What's going on in spades? - Mike Lawrence
January 2013 - Solutions to Test Your Play
January 2013 - Dear Billy - Billy Miller
January 2013 - Bridge with the Abbot - David Bird
January 2013 - George's World - George Jacobs
January 2013 - Bridge returns to Cuba - Frankie Frontaura
January 2013 - Patron Members
January 2013 - 63
January 2013 - Life Master Milestones
January 2013 - 65
January 2013 - 66
January 2013 - Obituary - Marty Chaitt
January 2013 - Tournament Directory
January 2013 - 69
January 2013 - 70
January 2013 - 71
January 2013 - 72
January 2013 - 73
January 2013 - 74
January 2013 - 75
January 2013 - 76
January 2013 - 77
January 2013 - 78
January 2013 - 79
January 2013 - 80
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https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2019_09
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https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2019_07
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2019_06
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2019_05
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https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_12
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_11
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_10
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_09
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_08
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_07
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_06
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_05
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_04
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_03
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https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2018_01
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2017_12
https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2017_11
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https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2016_12
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