Cheap German gliding

I wonder if anyone from the US who was in the sport a while back (say
1950s thorugh 1970s) can explain what was different in the US.

I think the main reason is that in Germany (actually, in most European
countries), Gliding is a club activity. Only a minority of pilots own
their own glider. It's accepted that if you want to fly, you have to
show up at 09:00 in the morning and only go home when the last glider is
de-rigged and in its trailer. I'm not sure this would be compatible with
the US culture. Of course, no payed staff. And there are usually
something like 30 or 40 hours of compulsory club work, mostly spent to
work on the gliders or on other material during the winter.

Aditionally, this low price is only achieved by clubs which do mainly
winch launches. Not all clubs are lucky enough to reach their thermals
from the winch. If you have to aero tow, then add another 1000€.