I've spent the first 6 months of my flying career in Hungary at a club that represented what a typical glider club looks like in central Europe.

The main difference is the use of dedicated, wide, grass glider fields, as opposed to the narrow, paved, general aviation runways that are typically used in the US.
The winch wire needs to be laid out on the field by a car, and no other aircraft (other than gliders) can use the runway as long as one or more wires are laid out. The field (or the area) has to be wide enough, should the winch wire fall to the side after release because of the crosswind. Of course, if the airfield is wide enough than other (e.g. powered) aircraft may operate (e.g. touch-and-go) simultaneously. Probably the asphalt would wear the winch wire out in no time, so grass airfields are preferred.

I would love to see more grass airfields with winch operations being established, it would definitely mean a new chapter in the sport of soaring in the US. No question it would be way more affordable.