Why did the country club play such a crucial role in the sporting practices of the super-rich?

The American version of the British country club began in
US by the 1880's. It was a recreational place where exclusive people of similar
upbringing, class, and financial resources would meet to network, entertain, and
establish business relationships.

However, the American
country club lacked the expansive history and myriad of diverse entertainment that the
British country club originally possessed, and this is because super huge country
estates of the aristocratic British had with them land big enough to play the sports of
the rich: Hunting, riding, cricket, and more.

When the
American country club developed out of the same interest in providing entertainment to
the elite few, Americans began to find specific places where they could enjoy their
favorite sports in the privacy of their own class: Everything around them would belong
to them, hence, they could pick and choose who goes in and who does
not.

It is the elitism that involves it all, basically,
what makes the country club play a crucial role in the sporting practices (and other
practices) of the rich.