1 A Trench Digger’s Guide Recurring Problems in Club Management No matter where you are………… Bill Sanderson, Consultant Gregg Patterson, Beach Club Manager May you have a strong foundation when the winds of change shift……….”

Big Questions Format------question. Table comes up with one answer. We listen and expand. How can a “golf only club” make itself more female friendly??? What tools can a manager use to persuade their committees to leave the day-to-day management responsibility to the manager??? What tactics can managers use to align board and committee thinking with the needs of the general membership??? What can managers do to increase the speed of play??? What can managers do to improve the negative image of golf within the European population??? What can managers do to create greater member agreement on club rules and policies??? What can managers do to motivate employees??? How can club associations persuade more managers to get involved in their association’s education activities (seminars, workshops, courses)??? What changes need to be made in the game of golf to make golf more relevant to the next generation of players??? What changes need to be made in the goods, services, programs and facilities golf courses offer to keep them relevant to the next generation of users??? 2

Your BIG Problems??? The Art and Science of Facilitation. Group Think identify the one “Biggie” in your group??? 3

Recurring Problems in Club Management Managers solve problems and the problems they solve are pretty much the same wherever they manage. Getting new members. Keeping the members you get. Getting the members you’ve got to use the club more. Marketing. Building a service culture. Communications. Owner / Board / Committee / Member relations. Creativity and the search for new ideas. This seminar will address these “biggies” and offer tactics for responding more effectively to each. 4

Jerry’s Biggies How can a golf-only club make itself more female-friendly? How can we change the mind-set of amateur committee (board) members who think that just because they have played golf for 40 years they now know how to run a club. Managers need practical, simple tools to help them persuade their committees to divest the day-to-day management responsibility to the manager. Where are the examples of ‘best practice’ in club management – in both the not- for-profit members club sector and also the commercially-managed sector ? How can we (managers associations at European and National levels) persuade more managers to get involved in their association’s education activities (seminars, workshops, courses). Many do not attend because “my club will not pay for me to attend” – and they are not prepared to invest in themselves because they are reaching the tail-end of their careers ! 5

Daniel’s Biggies At most private clubs, club managers don’t have a strong opinion at the time of advising the board and the committees. But at pay and play clubs (and regular business) the GM is king. Can this tendency be fought? Slow play at golf courses. What can be done? Is it worth it, since many customers seem to make the most of every minute (and every shot) they spend at the golf course? I think we should present a counter argument, as slow play is only a problem for the better golfers who want to play without delay. They remember the days when the golf course was empty and they could play in 3 hours. We should (in my opinion) say that golf is about enjoying a sport to your own level – whatever that may be. Slow play is only a problem when someone behind you wants to play quicker and cannot get through. I think we should teach managers to try to ‘manage expectations’ of golfers of all abilities – perhaps we should encourage the better golfers to play early in the mornings (when the course is empty in front of them) and the higher handicap golfers later. Just an idea. Golf still bears a bad image amongst the general population in Spain. How can we help to avoid it? What is being done in other countries? Look at programmes like The Golf Foundation’s “Golf Roots’ programme in the UK – these guys are doing some great stuff with schools, inner-city youth clubs and disadvantaged sectors of society in the UK There seems to be a huge lack of social consciousness amongst the members. We have constant complains regarding policies and rules that do not like just a few loud-voice members. It is very difficult to find new activities and experiences to motivate the employees The members of the board and the committees only seem to look after their own benefit. 6

Gregg’s “Biggies” Leadership---presence. The failure to address the intangibles. The failure to create---a powerfully effective service culture. The failure to find new ideas. The failure to communicate. The failure to nudge the owner, board, members in the “right direction.” The failure to anticipate needs before those who need “it,” know it. 7