How Polo Clubs Survive (or Don’t)

From royal fields to resort towns, why some polo clubs thrive while others disappear.

By Business of Polo Editorial Team

On the surface, polo clubs look eternal. Immaculate fields, white rails, champagne tents. But anyone who’s been inside knows how fragile they are. A polo club is not a lawn and some ponies. It’s a cash furnace. Land, stables, grooms, horses, tournaments: all burning money by the day. Some clubs manage to turn that burn into legacy. Others fold quietly and disappear.

The Economics of Survival

The numbers are brutal. Polo fields cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to maintain. Now add multiple grooms, stables, tournaments, and the social infrastructure to keep patrons happy. You are well into seven figures before anyone hits a ball.

The clubs that last have learned to spread the load:

• Memberships from patrons and players

• Sponsorships from brands who need polo’s shine

• Hospitality that extends well beyond polo insiders

• Real estate and resort tie-ins that turn polo into a lifestyle

Miss any of those, and you’re in trouble.

Global Playbooks

• The Sovereign Model: Guards Polo Club, Windsor. Heritage and royalty keep it untouchable. Prestige is the product.

• The Resort Model: Sotogrande and Desert Palm. Polo is part of a wider package: villas, hotels, restaurants, lifestyle.

• The Patron Model: La Dolfina and Ellerstina. Patrons bankroll everything, building clubs as dynasties.

• The Social Model: Greenwich Polo Club. A summer scene disguised as a polo season. Most of the crowd isn’t there for the handicap system. They’re there because it’s the place to be.

Why Clubs Collapse

Behind every folded club is the same story: money runs out, land gets sold, or a patron walks away. Without prestige, culture, or diversified income, a polo club is just expensive grass.

The Next Chapter

The future isn’t just about fields. It’s about culture. Polo clubs that thrive will double as platforms: music, art, food, fashion. Places where polo is one act in a bigger performance. The sport alone won’t carry them. The scene will.

The clubs that get this will be around in 50 years. The rest will be bulldozed into housing developments.

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