# Good Sam Club

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{{Short description|Organization of RV owners}}
{{For|the warehouse store chain|Sam's Club}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Good Sam Club
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| formation = {{start date and age|1966}}
| founder = Art Rouse
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| type = Organization of [recreational vehicle](/source/recreational_vehicle) owners
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| headquarters = [Bowling Green, Kentucky](/source/Bowling_Green%2C_Kentucky)
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| membership = Over 1.8 million, world's largest RV organization
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| owner = [Good Sam Enterprises](/source/Good_Sam_Enterprises)
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| parent_organization = Good Sam Enterprises
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| affiliations = Camping World, [NASCAR](/source/NASCAR)
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The '''Good Sam Club''' is an international organization of [recreational vehicle](/source/recreational_vehicle) (RV) owners and the largest organization of RV owners in the world.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://trib.com/business/good-sam-samboree-in-rock-springs/article_2ec0957e-9738-5e97-823d-77a75a6d12d6.html | title=Good Sam Samboree in Rock Springs | publisher=Star Tribune (Casper, Wyoming) | date=June 1, 2013 | accessdate=24 August 2014 | author=(Staff)}}</ref> It is focused upon making RVing safer and more enjoyable, also, saving money for members through club-endorsed benefits and services.<ref name="Eure"/> It states that it has over 2.185 million members.<ref name="GSAA">[http://www.goodsamclub.com/about/Default.aspx What is the Good Sam Club? RV Camping Club, RVers Online Community<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It was founded in 1966,<ref name="Eure"/><ref name="GSAA"/> and is currently owned by [Good Sam Enterprises](/source/Good_Sam_Enterprises). The organization is affiliated with RV parks and campgrounds.

==Overview==
===History===
Credited as the founder of the Good Sam Club is Art Rouse,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nipawinjournal.com/2009/06/03/rv-enthusiasts-to-visit-nipawin-for-their-samboree | title=RV enthusiasts to visit Nipawin for their Samboree | publisher=Nipawin Journal | date=June 3, 2009 | accessdate=24 August 2014 | author=Butt, Shannon | archive-date=26 August 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115009/http://www.nipawinjournal.com/2009/06/03/rv-enthusiasts-to-visit-nipawin-for-their-samboree | url-status=dead }}</ref> founder of TL Enterprises, a California-based publishing company responsible for ''Trailer Life'' magazine<ref name="THI"/> and MotorHome magazine. Rouse and his two sons acquired the organization in 1968 and further developed member benefits and RV-related services for which the club is known. Rouse sold TL Enterprises in the 1980s and died on June 19, 2007, following head injuries suffered as a result of a fall, at 89 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.resorttrades.com/news.php?act=view&id=1794 |title=The Resort Trades<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2014-08-24 |archive-date=2014-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115358/http://www.resorttrades.com/news.php?act=view&id=1794 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Today===
Good Sam Club is based in [Englewood, Colorado](/source/Englewood%2C_Colorado).<ref name="GSAA"/> The organization is currently owned by [Good Sam Enterprises](/source/Good_Sam_Enterprises), which also owns [Camping World](/source/Camping_World) (an American corporation specializing in selling parts and services for recreational vehicles and supplies for camping), Coast to Coast Resorts,<ref>[http://www.coastresorts.com/learnmore.cfm "Who is Coast to Coast?"]. Coastresorts.com.</ref> Trailer Life Publications, MotorHome Publications and the Good Sam RV Travel Guide & Campground Directory.<ref>[http://www.woodalls.com Woodalls campground guides and directory<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The organization also offers additional services such as [roadside assistance](/source/roadside_assistance), RV insurance, and RV extended warranties for additional fees.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.goodsamclub.com/services/ |title=Good Sam Club Services – Roadside Assistance, RV extended warranty, Insurance, Financial, Travel Assistance services<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2014-08-24 |archive-date=2014-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115340/http://www.goodsamclub.com/services/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 2022 Good Sam clubs across America were closed by Camping World executives.

===Membership===
In 1985, the club had over 450,000 members;<ref name="SMC"/> today, it has over 2.185 million members.<ref name="GSAA"/>

===Nomenclature===
The club's name comes from the [Bible](/source/Bible) [parable](/source/parable) of the [Good Samaritan](/source/Good_Samaritan),<ref name="VCNB"/> which tells of a traveler from the region of [Samaria](/source/Samaria) who helped a person along the road who had been robbed and beaten.

==RV park affiliations==
In 2017, there were over 2,100 RV parks and campgrounds affiliated with the Good Sam organization<ref name="Eure"/> in which club members receive a 10% discount on the nightly rate for staying in their parks.<ref>[http://www.goodsamclub.com/whyjoin.aspx Good Sam Club – Money Saving RV Discounts<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> These RV parks have to meet a minimum standard of services and appearance to be considered for association.<ref>[https://www.goodsamnetwork.com/rating/index.cfm Good Sam Network: Rating System<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Good Sam also publishes information to help members find parks that provide stated levels of services.

==NASCAR==
[[File:Marcus Lemonis with Good Sam Club Mascot at Good Sam Club 500 - November 2012.jpg|thumb|[Marcus Lemonis](/source/Marcus_Lemonis) at the NASCAR Good Sam Club 500 in 2012]]
The club sponsored the [NASCAR](/source/NASCAR) [Sprint Cup Series](/source/Sprint_Cup_Series) race [Good Sam Club 500](/source/Good_Sam_Club_500) at [Talladega Superspeedway](/source/Talladega_Superspeedway)<ref>[http://radio.foxnews.com/2011/10/21/fox-in-the-fast-lane-good-sam-club-500-at-talladega/ FOX in the Fast Lane: Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega - FOX News Radio<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and the [Camping World Truck Series](/source/Camping_World_Truck_Series)' [Good Sam Roadside Assistance Carolina 200](/source/Good_Sam_Roadside_Assistance_Carolina_200) at [Rockingham Speedway](/source/Rockingham_Speedway).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blog.goodsamclub.com/2011/08/goodsam200/ |title=Join Us for the Good Sam Club 200 NASCAR Race {{!}} Good Sam Club News<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2014-08-24 |archive-date=2011-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924134031/http://blog.goodsamclub.com/2011/08/goodsam200/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/race/2012_Good_Sam_Roadside_Assistance_Carolina_200/C|title=2012 Good Sam Roadside Assistance Carolina 200|work=Racing-Reference|accessdate=March 10, 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[Affinity Group Inc.](/source/Affinity_Group_Inc.)
*[Camping](/source/Camping)
*[Camping World](/source/Camping_World)
*[Snowbird](/source/Snowbird_(people))
*[Stephen Adams](/source/Stephen_Adams_(business))
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="Eure">[https://books.google.com/books?id=VfoNEqIzlGMC&pg=PA246 The Everything Family Guide To RV Travel And Campgrounds – Marian Eure<!-- Bot generated title -->]. pp. 246-247.</ref>
<ref name="SMC">{{cite web | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1075&dat=19850718&id=ZUMlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NhUGAAAAIBAJ&pg=2404,2224475 | title=Club Seeks Members | publisher=The St. Marys Oracle | date=July 18, 1985 | accessdate=24 August 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="VCNB">{{cite web|url=http://www.news-bulletin.com/2009/11/07/la-vida/traveling-across-the-country-with-the-comforts-of-home.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826160843/http://www.news-bulletin.com/2009/11/07/la-vida/traveling-across-the-country-with-the-comforts-of-home.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 26, 2014 |title=Traveling across the country with the comforts of home |publisher=Valencia County News-Bulletin |date=November 7, 2009 |accessdate=24 August 2014 |author=(Staff) }}</ref>
<ref name="THI">{{cite web | url=http://news.rvbasics.com/rv-magazine-guru-art-rouse-downsizes-to-class-c/ | title=RV magazine guru Art Rouse downsizes to Class C | publisher=(originally published in The Humboldt Independent) | date=October 14, 2005 | accessdate=24 August 2014 | author=Fletcher, Steven}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*[http://www.goodsamclub.com Official website: GoodSamClub.com]

{{Authority control}}

Category:Recreational vehicles
Category:Transportation organizations based in the United States
Category:Emergency road services

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Good Sam Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Sam_Club) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Sam_Club?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.