A Podcast in the Making · Hosted by Birdie Belle

What happens at the club
stays at the club.

Until now. We're collecting the stories that will become the first season. Members, staff, caddies, spouses and the long-suffering board: send us the one you only tell after the second cocktail.

True stories, told anonymously. No names. No clubs. No locations. Ever.

The Show (Coming Soon)

Behind every manicured hedge is a story someone was asked not to repeat.

Overheard at the Club is a podcast being built entirely from your submissions: the true, the absurd, and the quietly scandalous things that have happened behind the gates. The board meeting that ended in a resignation. The cart that ended up in the pond. The member-guest that became a divorce. The movie star who showed up unannounced and closed the bar.

The show hasn't aired yet, and that's on purpose. We're gathering stories first so the first season launches with the good stuff. The best submissions will be read on air by your host, Birdie Belle, with every identifying detail changed. You will never be named, and neither will your club.

"It wasn't the affair that got him expelled. It was where he parked."

What We Want

Not sure if your story counts? It counts.

Long or short, hilarious or heartbreaking, scandalous or unexpectedly kind. A few of our favorite categories, for inspiration.

No. I

The Waiting List

Who got in, who got blackballed, and the sponsor who regretted it. Membership politics at their most polite and most vicious.

No. II

The Celebrity Visit

The famous guest who was lovely. The famous guest who was not. What they ordered, what they tipped, and what they did on the back nine.

No. III

Affairs of the Heart

The tennis pro. The swim coach. The mixed doubles partners who were a little too mixed.

No. IV

Money Trouble

Unpaid dues, secret debts, the member who tried to pay for a wedding in chips and the one who actually did.

No. V

Behind the Bar

Staff stories. What members say when they think you're furniture. The tip that changed your life. The one that ended a job.

No. VI

Acts of God & Golf Carts

Pond incidents. Fireworks incidents. The goose. Anything involving a cart and a body of water.

No. VII

Outlandishly Kind

Not everything behind the gates is a scandal. The member who quietly paid a caddie's tuition. The staff who closed the dining room for a widower's birthday. The tip that was a car. We want the stories that restore your faith in the place, too.

Our Promise

Discretion is the whole point.

We take anonymity as seriously as your club takes the collar rule.

i

No names, ever.

Yours, theirs, or the club's. We don't ask for your name and we don't want it.

ii

No locations.

Not the city, not the state, not "a club in the Northeast with a famous seventh hole."

iii

Details get changed.

We alter dates, roles, and incidental facts so nobody who was there can point a finger.

iv

You stay in control.

Tell us anything you'd rather we leave out, and it stays out. Change your mind later? We'll pull it.

Submit a Story

Go on. You've been dying to tell someone.

The form takes about five minutes. No account, no email required. Write it however it comes out; we'll handle the polish. The first season is being built from what comes in right now.

  • 1. Tell the story
  • 2. Tell us your role
  • 3. Hit send
Open the Submission Form

Opens a secure form. We never collect names, clubs, or locations.

Questions

Frequently asked, quietly.

Is it really anonymous?

Yes. The form does not ask for your name, email, or club. We don't collect anything that identifies you. If you'd like to be reachable for a follow-up question, there's an optional field for an email, but it's entirely up to you.

What if someone recognizes the story?

Before anything is read on air, we change names, locations, dates, and incidental details. If a story is so specific it can't be disguised, we won't use it. You can also tell us in the form which details are off-limits.

Does my story have to be scandalous?

Not at all. Some of the best stories are small and strange: the feud over a parking space, the 40-year rumor about the clock in the grill room. And some of the best are the opposite of scandal, the outlandishly generous things members and staff have done for each other. Funny, sad, petty, sweet, all welcome.

I worked at a club. Can I submit?

Please do. Staff see more than members ever will. We especially want to hear from servers, bartenders, caddies, lifeguards, pro-shop staff, and anyone who ever worked a member-guest.

When does the podcast start?

Once we have enough great stories to fill a first season. Submissions are what make that happen, so the sooner yours arrives, the sooner it starts. Leave an email in the optional field if you'd like to hear when the first episode drops.

Can I submit more than one?

Yes, and we hope you do. Submit them separately so each one gets its own moment.