Club + Resort Business August 2020

August 2020

wwww.clubandresortbusiness.com

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Special Report:

Reinforcing Clubs’ Brands

for the Post-Pandemic Era

Cares This hospitality industry that we serve together is in the midst of an unprecedented time.

None of us have experienced these difficulties before. While the COVID-19 virus will undoubtedly present more unpredictable challenges, we can rest assured in these two facts‌ First, our industry is blessed with those gifted with resiliency and servant leadership.

Recently we have spoken with scores of you whom have not only found ways to overcome these challenges faced but have also provided assistance for your patrons and even your surrounding communities.

Second fact is ClubProcure is here to help you. While we are assuring our team does our civic duties by working remotely, we are still ready to work for you. If your team is faced with any procurement or supply chain needs, please contact us. Our first order of business is to provide you with the ClubProcure member experience you have come to expect. It’s now more important than ever.

Stay safe, be well, and keep your optimism. We will weather this and be stronger on the other side of the experience.

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EDITOR

VICE PRESIDENT - GROUP PUBLISHER

VP, DIGITAL MARKETING

Joe Barks

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AUGUST CLUB INDEX

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

Club and resort properties featured in this issue

Jane Cooper

Boca Grove Golf & Tennis Club, Boca Raton, Fla. .........................28

jcooper@wtwhmedia.com

Country Club of Paducah, Paducah, Ky. .................................................33 The Crosby Club, San Diego, Calif. .......................................................26 Essex County Country Club, West Orange, N.J. ................................33 The Haven Country Club, Boylston, Mass. ..........................................35

WTWH MEDIA, LLC

Hobe Sound Golf Club, Hobe Sound, Fla. ............................................36

1111 Superior Ave., 26th Floor Cleveland, OH 44114 Ph: 888.543.2447

2011 - 2020

The Moorings Yacht & Country Club, Vero Beach, Fla. ..................25

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES To enter, change or cancel a subscription: Web (fastest service):www.ezsub.com/crb Phone: 844-862-9286 (U.S. only, toll-free) Mail: Club & Resort Business, P.O. Box 986, Levittown, PA 19058 Copyright 2020, WTWH Media, LLC Club + Resort Business ISSN 1556-13X is published monthly by WTWH Media, LLC, 1111 Superior Avenue, 26th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44114. Copyright ©2020. Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, Ohio, and additional mailing offices.

Subscriptions: Qualified U.S. subscribers receive Club + Resort Business at no charge. For all others the cost is $75 U.S. and possessions, $90 Canada, and $145 all other countries. Per copy price is $3. Postmaster: Send change of address notices to Club + Resort Business, P.O. Box 986, Levittown, PA 19058. Club + Resort Business does not endorse any products, programs or services of advertisers or editorial contributors. Copyright© 2020 by WTWH Media, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

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Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Ill. .........................................................18

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Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio. ..............................................40 Newton Country Club, Newton, N.J. .....................................................54 The Pacific-Union Club, San Francisco, Calif. .......................................44 Rochester Golf & Country Club, Rochester, Minn. ............................38 Sand Valley, Rome, Wis. ...............................................................................26 Tunica National Golf & Tennis, Tunica Resorts, Miss. .......................9

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

EDITOR’S MEMO

Branding Becomes a Burning Issue I recently created two new folders on my computer desktop, and both have been filling up rapidly.

The first has reports that we now find almost daily in our search for industry news, about another club where an employee or member/guest (and in some cases, more than one from each group) has tested positive for COVID-19.

The second was started after the Small Business Administration (SBA) released the list in early June of companies and organizations that applied for, and received, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of more than $150,000 as part of pandemic relief efforts (the lowinterest loans can be used for payroll or interest on mortgages, rent and utilities, and are fully forgiven if at least 60% of the forgiven amount has been used for payroll expenses).

The release of that list set off a feeding frenzy among local newspapers and business publications, resulting in reports on entities that were shown to have received the loans and that probably wouldn’t be considered as needy or deserving by the general public (or at least the general media). As you might guess, clubs were portrayed as among the biggest “offenders” in the coverage that ensued (more on that in a bit).

All that I’ve collected in both folders has great relevance to our Special Report in this issue on the subject of branding and how it needs to be reexamined by every club in the wake of the pandemic.

The articles I’ve collected repeatedly reflect bias and ignorance about the club industry that’s clearly rooted in perceptions that it’s elitist and overly privileged. Many of the reports on the positive COVID tests carry a distinct tone that questions why the affected club was even open and operating, when it shouldn’t be deemed “essential.”

The headlines of the articles that came out after the release of the SBA list (which was only done after news organizations sued the SBA to make the information public) were even more www.clubandresortbusiness.com

“By [definition], a brand may be something desired and wonderful, or a label of ill-repute and shame. Either way, your brand is something you want to have firmly in your grasp.” blatant. Here’s just a sampling: “Exclusive Country Club Gets Millions in COVID Relief”; and “Are the Million-Dollar PPP Loans Many Palm Beach County [Fla.] Golf Communities Collected Justified?”

In all cases, reporters contacted club managers and/or Board members for comment—and when they couldn’t, or didn’t, get any response, they were often quick to report that fact in a tone that further suggested the club was either choosing to hide, or silently admitting it got away with something.

But other reports were more balanced, because club managers or other spokespersons outlined the steps they were taking after there had been a positive COVID test, or explained how the loan they had obtained was being used.

“We took PPP money because we care deeply about our team and wanted to make sure that we had the ability to provide them with a regular paycheck,” one Florida GM said after his club received sharp criticism. “Following the legal

parameters, we only requested and received enough to cover our payroll needs and did not use our loan in any way to disadvantage other companies. We are thankful that we qualified to receive money so that our employees and their families could make ends meet during these challenging times.”

Some of the reports also contacted managers at clubs that weren’t on the SBA list, and included quotes where they said their clubs had decided against applying for a PPP loan, because they didn’t like the optics that would go with applying for or taking one.

Either way, that’s fine—in all cases, what was important was that all of these clubs had a firm idea of how they wanted their brand to be conveyed.

As Robert Sereci, General Manager of Medinah (Ill.) Country Club—and someone who has brought about one of the most dramatic brand changes in the industry’s history—says in our article, “By [definition], a brand may be something desired and wonderful, or a label of ill-repute and shame. Either way, your brand is something you want to have firmly in your grasp, coupled with a grand sense of ownership, as you want to be the one identifying and positioning your brand, rather than allowing others, whether insiders or outsiders, to define who and what you are.”

Joe Barks • Editor jbarks@wtwhmedia.com

August 202O

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INSIDE

August 2020 • Vol. 16 • No. 8

THIS

ISSUE

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Special Report: Reinforcing Clubs’ Brands for the Post-Pandemic Era

Branding isn’t just for cattle anymore. But just as a rancher brands cows to show ownership, managers should own, nurture and care for their club, and claim it appropriately with a consistent and well-defined brand that goes beyond mission statements and vision to state who you are, and why you do what you do.

(Cover Photo Courtesy AdobeStock)

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

24

Design + Recreation

SERVING THE MASSES

Surging interest in racquet sports is driving an upgrade of facilities.

Food + Beverage 32 SOURCES OF COMFORT

5

Editor’s Memo

8

The Rob Report

10

Chefs are meeting members’ craving for comfort foods with feel-good favorites.

BRANDING BECOMES A BURNING ISSUE

PUSH COMES TO SHOVE

C+RB News Roundup

TAHOE BEACH CLUB CELEBRATES CLUBHOUSE’S GRAND OPENING Plus other industry, supplier and people news.

44

Today’s Manager

STANDING THE TESTS OF TIME

Like The Pacific-Union Club itself, what General Manager Tom Gaston has experienced over the years prepared him well for putting the pandemic in proper perspective.

54

36

Course + Grounds

KEEPING IRRIGATION WELL-GROUNDED

How two clubs are benefitting from new watering technology.

4 Club Index 6

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40 MINDING THE SHOP ProTalk

AT “JACKS PLACE”

Idea Exchange

SAVING THE SEASON

The private Newton CC opened its course to players from the boys and girls teams of nine area high schools that were deprived of their spring competition.

Jason Marciniec jumps right in at Muirfield Village GC.

48 Product Showcase

53 Ad Index www.clubandresortbusiness.com

NEW! BACK OFFICE SYSTEM WITH FORETEES BUSINESS

THE ROB REPORT

Push Comes to Shove WHEN NEWS OF THE ONCOMING global pandemic was thrust upon us, I was not surprised when items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer quickly experienced nationwide shortages. After all, who wants to be without their preferred brand of bathroom tissue? And hand sanitizer—even though we were being told that washing with soap and hot water for 20 seconds was more effective—seemed like a logical necessity.

I was caught off guard, however, when I heard about the shortage of golf pushcarts and the price gouging that ensued. C+RB shared the news online and in our daily e-newsletter on May 20th: “Having fallen out of favor due to the rise of motorized golf carts and popularity of caddies, pushcarts are now following the trend of toilet paper and hand sanitizer … hard to find,” the Wall Street Journal reported, noting that where the “once-disparaged device” is concerned, “warehouses are empty, retailers are out of stock and price gouging is now taking place.”

While I don’t know that I ever “disparaged” pushcarts, count me in the group that never used them. My grandfather had a pushcart many years ago, and I’d see them for rent at some of the public golf courses I visited—often sitting to the side, ignored and gathering dust.

They certainly weren’t in demand.

Once carrying my bag becomes more of a burden than a pleasure, I’ll gladly strap it to a pushcart and stroll the course with pride.

Had I paid attention to the signs, perhaps I would have foreseen the crisis.

Before COVID-19 found its way into our daily lives, the guys at No Laying Up were touting the “Pushcart Mafia” and even sold t-shirts to its loyal following.

Actually, “loyal” may be too soft of a word. Let’s try “rabid.” Social-media influencer Paige Spiranac received a threat after mocking guys who used pushcarts.

While at the PGA Merchandise Show in January, I visited the Walker Trolleys booth. Their high-end pushcarts are beautiful, but I didn’t see the market for them at the time. I also thought “Dancing with the Stars” was a silly concept for a TV show, so my track record for forecasting success isn’t always strong.

Can pushcarts be fun? You bet. Our most popular unboxing video on the Club + Resort Business YouTube channel is a device that straps to a standard pushcart and is controlled via a remote control. Check out the video at youtu. be/qLhMwnDAaZ0. I took it for a spin around the office (this was back when we all still worked in offices) and got a lot of attention.

So, here we are in the Dog Days of Summer, and I’ve come full circle.

I’m a believer in the pushcart and will (almost certainly) be using one in the future. I rarely take a caddie and prefer walking over riding. Once carrying my bag becomes more of a burden than a pleasure, I’ll gladly strap it to a pushcart and stroll the course with pride.

Does your pro shop sell pushcarts, or are you offering them as a rental? If so, have they proved to be a strong new revenue producer? If not, why not—do you think they’re just a short-lived fad?

Shoot me an e-mail and let me know where you “stand” on the issue.

Rob Thomas • Senior Editor

rthomas@wtwhmedia.com

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www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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INDUSTRY ROUNDUP TAHOE BEACH CLUB CELEBRATES CLUBHOUSE’S GRAND OPENING DEVELOPERS, PARTNERS, MEMBERS AND residents of the Tahoe Beach Club took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 3rd at the grand opening of the 28,000-sq. ft. clubhouse in Stateline, Nev. Designed by John Sather of Swaback Partners architecture and built

by SierraCon, the clubhouse at Tahoe Beach Club features a private beach and pier, concierge boat valet, first-class dining, beachside bar and grill, a large pool, a kid’s zone, fitness facilities, yoga pavilion, Pilates studio, outdoor-pursuit centers, a general store, and a luxurious spa.

As Tahoe’s first full-ownership lakefront community in more than 30 years transitions from development to fully operational, the private beach club has hired 45 local seasoned hospitality associates selected

by General Manager Bobby King.

Tahoe Beach Club is an amenity-rich and four-season club with luxury residences that is just minutes from Heavenly Ski Resort and the premier golf course, Edgewood Tahoe. More than 140 residential owners and approximately 250 members will enjoy access to the private sand beach with panoramic mountain views, boat valet services, a floating dock, fire pits and coastal cabanas paired with a casual club culture.

BELLERIVE CC COMPLETES $19M RESTORATION AND IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOLLOWING ITS HOSTING OF the 100th PGA Championship in August 2018, Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. embarked on a 22-month journey to plan, approve, and execute over $19 million in improvement projects for its golf course, clubhouse and other facilities.

The goal of the journey, according to Michael A. Chase, Jr., CCM, Bellerive’s General Manager & Chief Operating Officer, was to bolster the club’s position to meet its dual mission statement of being the “preeminent family country club in St. Louis” and of “maintaining a nationally recognized golf course” well into the future.

After garnering 79% membership approval for the proposed plans in December 2018, projects for Bellerive’s golf course, clubhouse and racquets facilities were executed between March 2019 and July 2020.

Bellerive’s “typical” club tennis facility was reimagined and rebuilt as a best-in-class racquets facility, including state-of-the-art 10

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clay courts and a hard court, stand-alone pickleball courts, platform tennis courts, multiple social patios, a racquets shop and a Paddle Hut. Since opening the improved racquets facility, Chase reports that usage of tennis and pickleball has risen dramatically, both in organized programming and instruction as well as casual member play.

For golf, the club’s 20 Championship greens (18 championship holes, putting green and short-game green) were fully rebuilt to recapture their original 2005 Rees Jones size and contours and improve championship conditioning. During the project, the greens were seeded with T1 bentgrass to improve their summer heat tolerance.

Initial course usage has been the highest in the club’s history, Chase reports. In addition to rebuilding the greens, Bellerive also rebuilt and expanded the practice range tee, to improve drainage and add hitting

stations.

The club then built a new three-hole short course, named “Tucker’s Trail,” which can also double as a wedge range, and will be utilized for practice and instruction as well as play.

Bellerive also embarked upon ambitious facilities projects that re-envisioned all of its clubhouse’s dining concepts, refreshed and improved its private-function areas, added a new fitness facility, built a new and improved Halfway House, and built a new standalone casual restaurant, “The Field House” (pictured above), that has its own distinctive menu and feel. The Halfway House is located on its lower level. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

NICKLAUS TO DESIGN SIGNATURE COURSE IN NEW, PRIVATE COMMUNITY NICKLAUS DESIGN IS PARTNERING with Centaur US Holdings to create a contemporary private golf enclave, “Panther National,” within the master-planned community of Avenir in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., that will be highlighted by a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

Nicklaus Design will create the centerpiece amenity of Panther National—an 18-hole championship Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, complemented by a 9-hole, par-3 short course and a state-of-the-art training and practice facility.

The extensive scale of the course (210 acres), combined with its location adjoining 2,400 acres of secluded preserve and its dramatic elevation changes, will provide a unique golf experience in the South Florida region.

Also setting Panther National apart will be the contemporary architecture of the golf clubhouse and the enclave’s 459 luxury single-family homes, designed by

Miami-based architectural firm Strang Design. Residents will have exclusive access to the club’s premium dining, spa and fitness, pool and—in another first for Palm Beach County—a “beach club” located on a planned 10-acre Crystal Lagoon with white-sand beaches.

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INDUSTRY ROUNDUP

NEW SPECIALEVENTS FACILITY WILL HAVE HISTORIC INTERIOR FEATURES

THE OWNERS OF THE Clubs at Houston

Oaks in Hockley, Texas have acquired the historic Le Grand Salon de la Comtesse, the Rococo fantasy ballroom interiors from Houston’s famed La Colombe d’Or boutique hotel. Originally built for French royals in the 1730s, Le Grand Salon consists of quarter-sawn English oak paneling, gilded-frame mirrors and crystal chandeliers.

The Clubs at Houston Oaks is initiating the conceptual design of Le Grand Salon at Houston Oaks as the centerpiece of a new special-events facility that will include bridal facilities, meeting spaces, offices and a full-service catering kitchen to host weddings, social affairs, receptions and a variety of special celebrations. Groundbreaking on the new events center is expected in early 2021, with a planned completion in late 2022.

Over the last 300 years, the ballroom paneling, mirrors and chandeliers from Le Grand Salon have traveled across France, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, and occupied storage in an abandoned blimp hanger in Hitchcock, Texas, before being reassembled and displayed in full glory as the Grand Ballroom at La Colombe d’Or. When a portion of the boutique hotel was being demolished to make way for a luxury high-rise development in the Montrose area, the Ballroom was meticulously deconstructed and placed in safe storage, and it has now found a new home at Houston Oaks.

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MASSIVE RESORT DEVELOPMENT APPROVED IN CALIFORNIA THE LAKE COUNTY, CALIF. Board of Supervisors voted July 21 to approve a massive

resort development known as the Guenoc Valley Mixed Use Project, the Napa Valley Register reported. The project covers 16,000 acres or about 25 square miles in southeastern Lake County. It includes the resort on the Guenoc Ranch property, 100 units of workforce housing on a 12.75-acre parcel in Middletown, and a 37-acre well site.

In approving the project, the Supervisors added a requirement that developers provide funds to manage hazardous vegetation, the Register reported.

The first phase of the project will include: • Five hotels with 127 hotel units; • 141 resort residential units; • 385 residential estate villas; • Resort amenities, including an amphitheater, spa, equestrian area with polo grounds, a new golf course, a camping area and commercial and retail facilities; • Agriculture production, including two wineries; • Essential facilities, including a 50-unit temporary workforce hotel, a fire and emergency response center, a float plane deck on Detert reservoir, and two helipads; • Supporting infrastructure, including a solar-energy production area.

The project is described as high-quality agritourism, with low-density residential and preserved open space, the Register reported. The 385 residential estate villas, ranging in size from two to 500 acres, will be built with just two units per 10 acres.

CHARLOTTE CITY CLUB FIGHTS COVID-19 WITH ION SYSTEM THE CHARLOTTE (N.C.) CITY Club, a private club with around 1,000 members, reopened on July 1st, WSOC reported, with indoor dinner service only.

John Scharer, the club’s General Manager, told WSOC that the club has installed a needlepoint bi-polar ionization system, which transmits ions through the HVAC system that can continuously disable and kill particles and pathogens.

Charlotte-based Global Plasma Solutions has been installing the system throughout the U.S., including at the White House, WSOC reported, as well as at Charlotte Douglas Airport and other health and school facilities in the Charlotte area.

Global Plasma Solutions said it conducted a lab study on the needlepoint bi-polar ionization technology, WSOC reported. The test mimicked conditions of a commercial airline’s main body, where passengers, crew members and cargo would be. Within 30 minutes, the test found there was a 99.4 percent reduction rate of the COVID-19 strain.

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

KEMPERSPORTS TO MANAGE RESTON NATIONAL GC

Excellence in KEMPERSPORTS HAS BEEN SELECTED to manage golf operations at Reston National

Golf Course in Reston, Va. Located near Washington, D.C., the 18-hole championship layout designed by Ed Ault has been part of the Reston community since its opening in 1970.

After years of efforts by residents to save the 168-acre property from development, Reston National GC was purchased by two development companies from the Baltimore, Md. area in the spring of 2019. At the time, Rescue Reston, a group formed in 2012 to protect the city’s open spaces and two golf courses (Hidden Creek Country Club, in addition to Reston National), declared that “the war is on” to keep the new owners, Weller Development Cos. and War Horse Cities, from developing the property.

The new owners said they had “no set plans for the property at this time” when they bought the property from RN Golf LLC, a partnership of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance and Billy Casper Golf, The Reston National course sits on the Chesapeake Bay watershed and spans more than 6,800 yards from the back tees, playing to a par-71. Other facility amenities include a driving range, practice facility, grill room and covered pavilion with seating for 150 people.

The course is also recognized as a certified Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary.

Club

Management

®

Awards Entries are now being

accepted for the 2020 Excellence in Club Management® & Rising Star Awards, co-sponsored by the McMahon Group, Club

WORK BEGINS ON THE

RANCH GOLF CLUB

WORK HAS BEGUN ON The Ranch Club’s 18-hole golf course in Valentine, Neb. that will be next door to the acclaimed Prairie Club along Nebraska Highway 97, the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald reported.

From left, John Schuele, Gil Hanse and Cleve John Schuele, President and CEO of Waitt Trimble survey the future site of The Ranch Co., an Omaha-based investment firm, Golf Club. formed an investors group that bought the land on the rim of the Snake River Canyon last year from rancher Cleve Trimble and has retained Gil Hanse and design partner Jim Wagner to lay out and build the course, the World-Herald reported.

Schuele said the project, expected to cost between $17 million and $18 million, is debt-free, the World-Herald reported. “We have raised all the money with 11 founders, and we wrapped that up last month,” he said.

Membership will be limited to 60 from Nebraska and South Dakota and 120 from outside the state, the World-Herald reported. The club will have 48 bedrooms in 10 cottages and a “bunkhouse cottage.” There will be a reception building for when golfers first enter the property, and a clubhouse that overlooks the canyon. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

& Resort Business and the National Club Association.

The awards program honors private club general managers, managers and chief operating officers who have exhibited outstanding skills in their clubs.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING ENTRIES IS NOVEMBER 8, 2020 For more information and to submit nominations, go to www.clubmanageraward.com

August 2020

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SUPPLIER NEWS JONAS CLUB SOFTWARE

INTRODUCES SELF-SERVE KIOSKS JONAS CLUB SOFTWARE HAS created a Self-Serve Kiosk that allows club members to make quick, convenient purchases throughout the club without the need for staffing, and has partnered with Elo Touch Solutions, an industry-leading provider of touchscreen displays, to deliver tailor-made hardware options for the new service.

The kiosk’s self-service functionality is designed to provide members with a convenient way to purchase small items in areas of the club where it would not be financially viable if a staff attendant was required, and is especially well-suited for grab-and-go areas like the halfway house on the golf course, a fitness facility, or a locker room. Members simply enter their account number or scan their member card, select items from the point-of-sale menu, or scan barcodeready items and charge the order to their account.

“We’re seeing this service offered everywhere—in airports, restaurants, movie theaters—and we believe that clubs will be eager to adopt this technology to better serve their members,” said Trevor Coughlan, Jonas Club Software’s Vice-President Marketing. “In the current climate where clubs are seeking ways to extend services to members while limiting in-person interactions, the opportunity to provide members with more self-serve options seems like a natural fit.”

To learn more about the Jonas Club Software’s Self-Serve Kiosk, visit jonasclub.com/software/self-serve-kiosk.

NORTHSTAR ACQUIRES ABACUS 21 NORTHSTAR TECHNOLOGIES, A PROVIDER of enter-

prise management software for private and semi-private membership-based clubs, homeowner associations and hospitality organizations, has acquired Abacus 21, which has pioneered software systems for the hospitality industry for nearly 40 years focusing on clubs, resorts, homeowner associations and recreation-vehicle parks.

With the addition of Abacus 21, Northstar increases its growing client base and accelerates its expansion into the hospitality and homeowner-association market segments. Northstar will continue to support the Abacus 21 product offering while providing its clients access to a broader suite of integrated solutions to improve operational efficiency and enhance the member/guest experience.

“I am delighted to welcome founder Butch Lesniak, the team and clients of Abacus 21 into the Northstar family,” said Prasad Suryadevara, CEO of Northstar. “Both Northstar and Abacus 21 place a high value on premium products, with a focus on enabling our clients to create unique experiences for their respective members and guests. Abacus 21 has a rich history of offering custom products in key market segments that will complement Northstar’s offerings.”

ADVENTURE GOLF SERVICES

INTRODUCES NEW NAME, LOGO AND WEBSITE AFTER MORE THAN 35 years in business, Adventure Golf Services is re-naming itself Adventure Golf & Sports and launching a new website featuring the company’s new logo, new brand promise, and new website content.

The new logo emphasizes the new name’s “AGS” initials and features the brand promise: Innovative Design— Ultimate Experience.

The new website for the company (www.AGSGolfAndSports.com) boasts easy navigation and categorizes content into five general-industry categories that will help visitors find relevant information more quickly: Amusement Parks 14

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& FECs (family entertainment centers); Cruise Ships & Riverboats; Hotels & Resorts; Retail Centers & Other Facilities (including universities, active senior-living communities, etc.), and Cities, Parks & Campgrounds.

In addition, the new website features specific information about AGS’s product portfolio, including its popular Modular Advantage Mini Golf and portable RollOut Mini Golf products, as well as a photo gallery, customer testimonials and other products like “Theme Elements & Obstacles” for miniature golf courses.

“We felt it was time for our name to reflect the fact that many people refer

to us by our initials, and that we provide many products and services beyond miniature golf,” said Scott Lundmark, President of AGS. “Besides designing, fabricating, installing and constructing permanent and portable miniature golf courses, we do a considerable amount of work installing game and sports courts for shuffleboard, bocce ball, croquet, paddle tennis, pickleball, bimini ring toss and bean bag toss, as well as providing putting greens, golf hitting bays, sports floors and equipment storage benches.

“Whether someone’s goal is increasing profits or providing a family-fun amenity, we’ve got solutions,” Lundmark said. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

REFRIGERATED SOLUTIONS GROUP ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE CHANGES REFRIGERATED SOLUTIONS GROUP (RSG) recently announced several executive changes. Kevin Fink transitioned out of his CEO role effective July 31, as part of a planned transition following the sale of RSG from Standex to Ten Oaks Group.

RSG announced the appointment of Aaron Brown as President, effective August 17. Brown joins RSG from IPA, a Roper Technologies operating company and manufacturer of linen and specialty-uniform distribution solutions, where he led all facets of the services business, including implementation, customer support, field maintenance, international distributors and strategic partnerships.

Dan Hinkle, VP of Sales for RSG, assumed the expanded role of Chief Commercial Officer effective August 1, responsible for all of RSG’s commercial strategy, sales, marketing, service and customer experience.

John Ioannou, Ten Oaks Group Operating Partner, assumed the Chairman role at RSG. Ioannou has run and advised businesses ranging in size from startup to multibillion-dollar business units of Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries.

THE GOLF CLUB OF TENNESSEE UNVEILS BOOTLEGGER TROPHY THE GOLF CLUB OF Tennessee in Kingston Springs, Tenn. presented the winners of its fourth annual Spring Member-Guest Invitational—”The Bootlegger”— with a unique trophy designed

by Malcolm DeMille, Inc., the California-based producer of trophies, gifts and awards.

An antiquing technique was used for The Golf Club of Tennessee’s special trophy, to give character to the sculpture, which stands 6.5 inches tall and 9.5 inches wide and features a nickel-plated funnel going into a jug. The sculpture attaches to a distressed oak base, and is removable from the perpetual base, which holds 42 nameplates for the Champion’s name.

“We just unboxed it. Wow! Totally knocked it out of the park,” said Tournament Director Corey Leahy after receiving the new trophy.

Durable. Stackable. Elegant.

Custom Made in the USA with a 20 Year Warranty

EustisChair.com sales@eustischair.com www.clubandresortbusiness.com

P: 978-827-3103 F: 978-827-3040 August 2020

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PEOPLE NEWS

Tai T. Tran

Russ Bond

Rod Clement Ben Kirkes

Doug Ridge

CLUB PEOPLE Hop Meadow Country Club in Simsbury, Conn. has named Rod Clement as General Manager. Clement was most recently General Manager at Longmeadow (Mass.) Country Club.

The Quechee (Vt.) Club named Brian Kelley, PGA, CCM, as General Manager/COO. Kelley was most recently General Manager of Manchester Country Club in Bedford, N.H. The JW Marriott San Antonio (Texas) Hill Country Resort & Spa named Doug Ridge as General Manager. Ridge was most recently General Manager of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. The Fountaingrove Club in Santa Rosa, Calif. named Russ Bond as General Manager. Bond was most recently General Manager at the JW Marriott Tucson (Ariz.)

Starr Pass Resort & Spa. Wild Wings Golf Club in Woodland, Calif. named Bruce Perez as General Manager.

Perez was most recently First Assistant Golf Professional and Golf Shop Manager at Teal Bend Golf Club in Sacramento, Calif.

The Village Club of Sands Point (N.Y.) named Jeffrey Shepard as General Manager. Most recently, Shepard was a Regional Director of Operations for a multicourse operator, overseeing 10 East Coast properties.

Sanibel Captiva Beach Resorts promoted Michele Berger to General Manager of the West Wind Inn in Sanibel, Fla. Currently, Berger serves as General Manager of the ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa. 16

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Lora Potts

Rockwind Community Links in Hobbs, N.M. promoted Ben Kirkes to Acting Golf Professional/General Manager. Kirkes was most recently Assistant Golf Professional at the club.

of the club, Wooldridge served as Benefits Manager for seven years before being promoted to Assistant Director of Human Resources in 2016.

The Detroit (Mich.) Athletic Club named Tai T. Tran as Assistant General Manager.

Most recently, Tran spent 12 years at The Pacific-Union Club in San Francisco, Calif.

SUPPLIER PEOPLE

The Lauderdale Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. named Andy Papson as Executive Chef. Papson was most recently Executive Chef at the Bakers Cay Resort in Key Largo, Fla. Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz. promoted Jackie Wooldridge to Director of Talent and Culture. A 10-year employee

Peacock + Lewis named Lora Potts as Director of Interior Design for the firm’s Naples, Fla. office. Potts is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers and is NCIDQ Certified.

Trex Company, Inc. appointed Laura Rygielski Preston as President of Trex Commercial Products, Inc. Most recently, Rygielski Preston served as Vice President and General Manager of Trane, Inc, a subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand.

IN MEMORIAM

Sean Fredrickson, the Golf Professional at Oswego Lake Country Club in Lake Oswego, Ore., was killed, along with his three children, in a plane crash at Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho on July 5. Fredrickson was also President of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA. Sean Fredrisckson, Golf Professional at The crash occurred when two Oswego Lake County Club in Lake Oswego, planes collided over the lake, The AsOre., was killed along with his three children sociated Press reported. Eight people in a plane crash. were killed in the crash, including Fredrickson, 48, and son Hayden, along with stepchildren Sofie and Quinn.

Bryan Fisher, Oswego Lake CC’s General Manager, told The Oregonian that he had come to know Fredrickson after meeting him at different golf tournaments over the years, and that the two had become close. Fredrickson had spent 14 years as the Golf Professional at Tualatin (Ore.) Country Club before being hired by Oswego Lake in 2019.

In the coming months, Fisher plans to work with the country club to identify ways to honor Fredrickson, The Oregonian reported. A golf tournament named after Fredrickson will be considered, Fisher said, as well as perhaps naming recently built facilities for him. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

» SPECIAL REPORT

s d n a r B ’ s b u l C g n i c r o f n i e a R r E c i m e d n a P t s o P the for

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Branding isn’t just for cattle anymore. But just as a rancher brands cows to show ownership, managers should own, nurture and care for their club, and claim it appropriately with a consistent and well-defined brand that goes beyond mission statements and vision, to state who you are and why you do what you do.

By Robert A. Sereci, CCM, General Manager/Chief Operating Officer, Medinah (Ill.) Country Club

BRANDING IS NOT SOMETHING YOU READ OR TALK A LOT ABOUT within the world of country clubs. But it may be one of the most important developmental functions in which any club manager, as a business leader, must take part.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines “branding” as “[N.] The promoting of a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand.”

The word “brand” can be used as both a noun and a verb and has several definitions; here are some that are pertinent to this discussion: • [N.] A characteristic or distinctive kind • [N.] A mark of disgrace • [V.] A public image, reputation, or identity conceived of as something to be marketed or promoted • [V.] To mark with disapproval • [V.] To impress indelibly By this variety of definitions, a brand may be something desired and wonderful, or a label of ill repute and shame.

Either way, your brand is something that you want to have firmly in your grasp, coupled with a grand sense of ownership.

You want to be the one identifying and positioning your brand, rather than allowing others, whether they are insiders or outsiders, to define who and what you are.

Branding is a long-term proposition and should not be developed on a whim or approached with any hint of apathy.

Great thought and deliberation must take place when deciding how to position your brand. When a rancher brands cows, it is to show ownership. Your club is your “cow”; you own, nurture and care for it, and should also claim it appropriately with your brand.

While all three play an important role in the development of your brand, your brand is not your values, your goals, nor your mission statement per se. Branding is the way you communicate those values and goals and your mission statement to employees, members, vendors, potential members, and to anyone else with whom you communicate.

It will also be the statement of your purpose, or the reason for your operation.

Simply stated, branding is who you are and why you do what you do. Importantly, it is because of your brand that others desire to be a member of your club, or simply to be affiliated or associated with you. In successfully creating your brand, whether you are rancher or a club manager, you will also brand yourself.

On the following pages, we pose seven key questions that now apply to branding for clubs and their managers, and describe how we answer them at Medinah.

Editor’s Note: For many years, clubs didn’t really have to worry about branding; they could be built and members would come, drawn by the lure of exclusive access and the appeal of “designer” golf courses.

But over the past 15 years, the successive challenges brought by golf’s flattening appeal, the Great Recession, the digital age and its alternative activities, changing generational lifestyles, and now the coronavirus pandemic have put a premium on being able to market and maintain a club through a distinctive brand, not only to be competitive within a specific region or industry, but also to sell the value of club memberships vs. other options for discretionary expenditures.

In this special report, Robert Sereci, CCM, who has led one of the most dramatic brand transformations in the club industry’s history since becoming General Manager/Chief Operating Officer of Medinah (Ill.) Country Club in 2015, offers his insights into how a comprehensive and consistent focus on branding has helped to reposition his club for future success. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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» Hollywood GC

Even with the sixth-most iconic clubhouse in the world and international recognition through its hosting of major golf tournaments and the Ryder Cup, Medinah CC was still below member capacity before embarking on a repositioning of its brand to return to its family-centric roots.

1.

Why is having a club brand

strategy a necessity in navigating through COVID-19 and further into the future?

While many clubs do not have a formal, documented brand strategy, most clubs incorporate some aspects relating to their brand into their strategic plan. A club’s mission and vision are also part of a brand strategy. So are public-relations and socialmedia policies, as well as a logo guideline.

The challenge is that all of these components are not in one document and front-and-center for easy reference. Branding is multi-faceted and deserves a holistic framework and a strategic approach. Your brand strategy is a guiding light, helping you drive your purpose and direction.

Absent of these agreed-upon guiding principles, it becomes difficult for managers and Boards to make unified, important decisions.

If your brand promise is to be the employer of choice, your recruiting needs should be minimal, as attracting talented and qualified candidates is a simpler proposition. If your brand promise is that you care about your community outside your gates, providing food and supplies to first responders is probably a no-brainer.

At Medinah, the coronavirus pandemic not only put our strategic plans to the test, but also our brand promise. Your members, prospective members, employees, vendors and guests, as well as the general public, are continually formulating opinions about your club, especially during these turbulent times. None of these segments care what you drafted in your plan, but they’ll notice how well or how poorly you implement it. And when facing trying times, as in a pandemic, people may attempt to define you, whether accurately or not.

Strong branding allows you to define your club and how you are perceived, even during the most challenging times. As the saying goes, it’s a bit of “don’t tell me, show me.”

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2.

What have you done to enhance your brand?

Often, clubs confuse branding with recognition. They are not the same.

Name recognition is not an indicator of a brand strategy. Simply stated, recognition and reputation are byproducts of your branding strategy.

We can consider Medinah Country Club’s brand position today as strong proof of this concept. By all accounts, eight years ago, Medinah seemed to have a recipe for success. Our club was a household name; we were on every discerning golfer’s bucket list, as our Course #3 is known worldwide for hosting historic tournaments; our clubhouse was the sixth-most iconic clubhouse in the world, and across the globe, people were proudly wearing our branded apparel.

With that level of notoriety, one would have thought we must have had a very long member waiting list; however, even after the conclusion of the 2012 Ryder Cup, we were still below our member capacity.

The diagnosis was a simple one. Our brand at the time was narrowly defined as a golf-centric club, with a rich history of hosting major tournaments. While true, our rich golf history was only a small part of who we are and what we do.

Stated differently, we had, over time, focused too much on what we did and not enough on our reason for being in the first place. The club was founded by fraternal Shriners and created to provide families with an oasis from the city, so members and their families could spend time enjoying a myriad of different leisure activities with like-minded fraternal brothers and their families—activities that included archery, tennis, swimming, horseback riding, fishing, boating, skeet shooting and winter sports, as well as golf.

The private club that the founders built evolved over time into a world-renowned golf facility. In essence, we recently and very deliberately rebranded Medinah as the family club it was always intended to be, and as our raison de terre, with a rich history of golf.

But telling members and prospective members who we were and what we believed about at our club was not enough. Tangible evidence was required— visual proof to support our claim.

In addition to building paddle and tennis courts, we remodeled our restaurants and pools. We created “Meacham’s Garden,” an area with a large organic vegetable garden, a chicken coop with a variety of 40 laying hens, as well as three bee colonies. We began to tap, harvest and bottle maple syrup from maple trees right on our courses.

Our food truck and golfboards are indications that we are continuing to bring youthful fun and a bit of whimsy to the game of golf as well. All of these are tangible proof of our brand, and through savvy marketing we are able to communicate that brand to those who have not yet experienced the Medinah community. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

» Special Report

3.

How do you rally your Board and

employees around your brand?

Five years ago, when I first introduced the chicken coop, vegetable garden and food truck, members thought I was diminishing the Medinah brand. Absent of an explicit brand strategy, it was easy to see how they would think so. In the absence of a strategic plan, members will make up their own plans, based on their own mental models.

So, to eliminate our “cart before the horse” mentality, we repositioned Medinah as a family-centric club that also features three golf courses, including a world-famous championship course with a world-class reputation and history. Getting associates, the Board, and members to coalesce around this was no easy feat. But once I decided what our branding position should be, I knew that the next step was educating everyone on our renewed vision.

Since my arrival, I have authored over 30 documents explaining, educating and solidifying our position on a number of topics.

And in almost every document, I take the opportunity to address aspects of our brand and how it ties into the subject matter at hand. In essence, connecting the dots for the readers.

To truly strengthen the brand, it is best to first start the process with your associates. Once you have secured their support, you will have a small army of brand ambassadors to strengthen your brand story. During every new employee orientation, we articulate our brand position, describing how we decided to take this chosen course.

When we chose to pay our employees during “stay at home” orders and closure due to COVID-19, we consciously related our action to our purpose and brand promise. The claim of being a “family-centric community” does not apply just to our membership, but also encompasses our associates. Paying our associates is one example of demonstrative proof of how we fulfill our brand promise. How could we continue to make the claim if we ignored the devastating financial impact that the virus would have had on our employees’ earnings?

Our brand promise is embedded in everything that is Medinah Country Club.

4.

What does it take to execute brand

consistency in the club space?

Unless you are an MBA nerd (like me), many Board members do not find branding to be “sexy” or interesting. Most members would rather talk about golf course design, or facilities planning, because they understand those concepts, making it easier for them to contribute to the discussion.

Branding discussions are more challenging, because they require a broader mindset. The discussions are more complex and extremely uncomfortable for many. Board members would rather argue details than debate principles.

However, once you get agreement on principles, the details are extremely easy.

For example, the very first exercise my team and I did, when we started to develop a game plan to deal with COVID-19, was to discuss, debate and come to a consensus on the Guiding Principles (see box, opposite page) by which all decisions would be made. Once we had a draft, we asked the Board to approve it—which they did, in its entirety.

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5.

Introducing new attractions and amenities such as a chicken coop and a food truck were initially seen as diminishing Medinah’s brand. But consistent—and persistent—promotion of the reasons behind the need for a new, broader brand strategy helped to gain buy-in from both members and employees.

What types of communication channels are

effective for communicating, or elevating, your brand internally and externally?

You must use every channel, as each market segment relies on different channels to receive information. Fortunately for us we have a Director of Communications who ensures that we are consistent, not only in our club voice, but more importantly, that we “walk the talk.”

During prospective member tours, we use specific scripts that articulate our brand promise. We use similar language when we speak to employees. We made changes on our website to clearly articulate our purpose. We developed standards for our logos, with specific guidelines for how they may be used.

For example, our brand guideline specifies that at least 60% of all apparel must have the original Medinah logo and the other 40% can be color-matched with the garment. I also use my LinkedIn profile extensively to articulate and enhance our brand among my professional community.

We also pay close attention to all of the visual clues that support our brand. Last fall, a family abruptly decided to join Medinah after www.clubandresortbusiness.com

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR COVID-19 DECISION-MAKING The Board of Directors and management of Medinah Country Club developed the following principles to guide and align their efforts while managing the COVID-19 situation at the club: 1. Governmental Compliance a. Understand and comply with relevant federal, state, and local laws and mandates. b. Seek and implement recommendations from accredited health professionals.

2. Member Community Safety and Engagement a. Responsibly adopt and apply measures and plans to protect our members and their families. b. Prepare for a safe and modified season. c. Members are stewards as well as owners of the club. d. Communicate in a transparent, responsible and timely manner. e. Adjust tactics when appropriate and necessary.

3. Employee Family Safety and Engagement a. Responsibly adopt and apply measures and plans to protect our employees and their families. b. Pragmatically protect the employment of necessary Medinah personnel critical to the club’s success, while being mindful of our fiscal goals. c. Prepare for a safe and modified season. d. Communicate in a transparent, responsible and timely manner. e. Adjust tactics when appropriate and necessary.

4. Asset Protection a. Pragmatically and responsibly maintain critical assets during shutdown (golf courses, clubhouse, pool, etc.). b. Defer discretionary expenditures that do not impede on member and employee safety.

5. Fiscal Responsibility a. Adopt a long-term working capital view. b. Preserve cash for the long run. c. Plan for a variety of likely scenarios.

6. Marketplace Awareness a. Continue to safeguard the club’s brand and reputation. b. Continue appropriately modified messages and communications to prospective members. c. Seek and implement appropriate insights from other clubs. d. Maintain a dialogue with important local-community entities and leaders. e. Maintain a dialogue with important vendors and partners. f. Respond and adapt, as necessary. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

months of deliberation. What was the reason for the sudden decision? On their last club tour, the spouse noticed a sign that read “Warning: Red-winged Blackbird Habitat.” Her comment was that if the club cares this much about a bird, chances are they care even more about their members.

And she is right. Our brand, by extension, naturally covers nesting birds at Medinah, too.

Think about the signs you have at your club, and how they may inadvertently express unintended sentiments. Remember that everything you do is a visual representation of your belief system and an active part of your everyday brand, whether intentionally or inadvertently.

6.

How can a club manager’s personal branding strategy be relevant to his or her club’s brand strategy?

7.

What books can also shed valuable light on the topic of branding?

I created my personal brand strategy about 10 years ago, after I noticed that my peers and my network started to only associate me with my clubs. While I am an extension of the club, I didn’t want to be so closely tied to it that I felt like I was riding on its coattails, whether that meant getting credit for accomplishments, or blamed for blunders, that were not of my own making.

That is when I decided to develop a personal branding strategy, through which I spelled out a plan for how to grow and enhance my personal brand. I developed my own professional mission statement: To improve the lives of the people I work with and work for.

From there, I crafted a list of words I wanted my personal brand to represent—empathetic leader, innovator, mentor, educator, influencer, strategist, visionary, connected, and humble. I developed specific strategies and tactics to try to embody these words so that, one day, my peers and network can use them to describe me.

Many club professionals confuse their clubs’ brand with their personal brand—they are not the same, and it’s not wise to conflate the two. You are not the club, and the club is not you. If you work for a well-recognized club, it is not that difficult to leverage your club’s brand to enhance your own. What is even more challenging is to develop a personal brand that is strong enough so that your own personal brand enhances and adds value to your club’s brand. To me, that is the ultimate goal of a successful brand.

There are so many, but the ones I enjoyed and recommend are the following: 1.

Contagious (Jonah Berger) 2.

Stories That Stick (Kindra Hall) 3.

Crushing It (Gary Vaynerchuk) 4.

Never Eat Alone (Keith Ferrazzi) 5.

This is Marketing (Seth Godin) STAYING FOCUSED When developing your brand, make sure it is specifically defined and not too broad in scope. Resist trying to be something for everyone. Your brand must be easily identifiable, and you must have the ability to deliver on that brand on a consistent and long-term basis.

This may sound funny to hear, but our chicken coop is, perhaps, almost as important as our golf courses. It is the culmination of everything that we do and that contributes to our defining brand. Having the kids gather around to learn about raising chickens and to gather eggs is just as impactful to family life as playing a round of golf. One may ask, what do chickens and eggs have to do with golf? In our case, everything, as it is all interwoven with, and a potent reminder of, our allegiance to our successful brand.

Branding is an obvious function of any business entity. But how many organizations and individuals truly know who they are, what they do, and how they are perceived?

Branding is the only communicative vehicle that answers these questions in the way that you determine. C+RB August 2020

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DESIGN + RENOVATION

PhotoClub Boca Grove Golf & Tennis Club 24 + Resort Business l Courtesy l July 2020

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

serving the masses

The explosion of pickleball and continued steady growth in traditional tennis is driving the need for more efficiently designed and full-service racquet facilities.

By Pamela Brill, Contributing Editor

CLUBS ARE CREATING QUITE A racquet—literally. With vast improvements being made to indoor and outdoor spaces, courts are getting resurfaced, older nets are being replaced by sturdier models, and the overall playing experience is reaping the benefits. Facilities looking to bolster their reputation, either as a world-class training space or simply as a practice arena for members and local leagues, are smart to invest in this increasingly popular part of club life.

UPPING THEIR GAME At The Moorings Yacht & Country Club in Vero Beach, Fla., a comprehensive overhaul in racquet facilities resulted in both renovated court space and first-time offerings. Last year, the club converted three of its tennis courts and added four brand-new pickleball courts. “The demand for pickleball prompted us to start the racquet sports renovation,” says Ursula Gunter, The Moorings’ Director of www.clubandresortbusiness.com

Membership and Marketing. The pickleball courts were built as a direct result of member demand, Gunter notes..

Adjacent to the clubhouse and fitness center, The Moorings’ former Har-Tru courts with above-ground watering are now hydro courts, offering a safer, more consistent playing surface. “They are appropriately saturated throughout the day and do not have dry and/or muddy areas that can cause injuries,” explains Gunter.

In addition to member safety, the automated watering of these courts helps

to reduce labor costs. Hydro courts use 60 percent less water than those with above-ground watering, Gunter notes, which also adheres to the club’s Green Initiative.

But perhaps the hydro courts’ greatest advantage—a quick turnaround following a rainstorm—benefits its members most of all. “Currently, any amount of overnight rain will take courts #1-3 out of play until at least 11 a.m., which greatly hinders prime-time play and confuses morning reservations,” notes Gunter.

SUMMING IT UP > Updating court design and style can yield greater usage for members interested in non-traditional racquet sports, such as pickleball.

> Adding viewing stations and patio areas creates an atmosphere that promotes greater member participation and involvement.

> Energy-efficient enhancements need not require full-scale overhauls to provide cost-saving benefits.

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DESIGN + RENOVATION

As part of the entire renovation process, an outdated golf course maintenance building was torn down to accommodate the resurfaced courts and create a pad for the four pickleball courts. The club is currently in the midst of updating six additional tennis courts. “The new surface will make Har-Tru courts much more playable,

safer and easier to maintain,” Gunter adds.

While The Moorings does not have the ability to host any sanctioned professional events, its stadium court is utilized for single-court events. Thanks to the recent conversion, the club will also be able to use its adjacent court #1, which offers a prime viewing location.

BACK TO ITS ROOTS AT SAND VALLEY in Nekoosa, Wis., tennis players can experience the game in a setting that resembles the early days of the sport. Known for its grass-course tennis court design, the resort boasts 15 natural-surface courts against the backdrop of sand dunes, creating a spacious oasis for discriminating players.

Amassing a 3.6-acre footprint, the grass tennis courts are located near the golf practice range and just off the first tee of Sand Valley’s first golf course, which opened at the same time in 2017. Made up of a combination of ryegrass and fine fescue, the courts create firm playing conditions that harken back to the purest form of traditional tennis.

“Our ryegrass/fescue courts have a similar grass mix to the courts at Wimbledon, the oldest and most

famous of tennis’ Grand Slam tournaments,” says General Manager Michael Carbiener. “From our perspective, grass-court tennis is ‘tennis as it was meant to be.’”

To maintain the courts, general upkeep requires two to three mowings a week, and lines are painted twice per week. Nets are rotated across all 15 courts to evenly distribute their wear and tear during the peak season for play.

Before the colder weather sets in, a preventative snow-mold fungicide treatment is applied, to counteract the effects of long-term damage.

“Fescue is highly resistant and tolerant to snow molds, but ryegrass is very vulnerable,” notes Carbiener.

Since the courts were constructed, Sand Valley’s grounds have been snow-covered for close to 100 days.

Sand Valley’s 15 grass tennis courts feature a ryegrass/fescue mix similar to the courts at Wimbledon.

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Whether hosting an event, practice or member games, the club is taking the necessary precautions to play safely. In addition to posting guidelines on all court entrances, a sanitation team disinfects the entire racquet sports facility on a daily basis.

IMPROVED PLAY Attractive amenities aren’t the only advantage of the renovated tennis and pickleball courts at The Crosby Club in San Diego, Calif. “[They] see a lot of use every day, and the update is not only pleasing aesthetically, but also improves the playability of the courts,” says Athletic Director Matt Seideman.

Last January, the club’s three tennis courts were resurfaced with brand-new windscreens, paint, nets and fence work.

The addition of pickleball courts were also part of the project, giving an extra boost to the club’s sports center.

Court designs were selected to benefit different aspects of play and maintenance. Tennis courts feature a hard-court construction with a cushion underlay that Seideman credits for being “great on the joints when running and lunging, compared to traditional, concrete-based hard courts.” Hard courts also offer the benefit of durability and ease of maintenance.

In contrast, the pickleball nets are heavyduty with steel, screw-in posts, in case the nets need to be removed temporarily.

To differentiate each playing zone, The Crosby Club opted for a distinct coloring scheme for various sports. Tennis courts tout a powder-blue inside zone, with a green outside zone for separate “in” and “out” areas. Pickleball courts are represented by dark- and light-blue zones (see photo, pg. 28)—spaces which, according to Seideman, can help players “differentiate between the back court and kitchen areas, or the ‘no-volley’ zone. ” Along with the tennis-court resurfacing and pickleball-court construction, the area has also been beautified by a new patio area, where players can take a break or wait for an open court. “A viewing ledge was installed for a small audience [to] stand and rest their arms www.clubandresortbusiness.com

THE MOORINGS YACHT & COUNTRY CLUB Vero Beach, Fla.

“The demand for pickleball prompted us to start the racquet sports renovation.”

—Ursula Gunter, Director of Membership and Marketing

while seeing some exciting point play,” Seideman adds.

Thanks to this generously sized racquet facility, The Crosby is able to host interleague competitive play with neighboring facilities, including the Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club and Rancho Bernardo Swim and Tennis Club. An online court booking system helps to balance group matches

M A ST E R PLAN N ING

with member access and has proved to be especially useful during the pandemic.

“The great thing for both tennis and pickleball is that they are within safe ranges of distancing, six feet apart for both doubles and singles play,” notes Seideman.

To further promote safe play, the club has put down more court markings, recommended that members supply their

A RCHI T ECT UR E

own tennis balls, and now requires that personal items such as waters and towels be brought from home.

FULL-SERVICE VENUE Providing members with comprehensive racquet amenities has helped the Boca Grove Golf & Tennis Club in Boca Raton, Fla., cement its reputation as a premiere

I NT ER IOR DESIGN

P RO CUREMENT

Spaces for Your Community STUDIO JBD & JEFFERSON GROUP ARCHITECTURE Peter Cafaro / 401.721.0977 / PCafaro@JBDandJGA .com

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

August 2020

l Club + Resort Business l 27

DESIGN + RENOVATION

THE CROSBY CLUB San Diego, Calif.

“The update is not only pleasing aesthetically, but also improves the playability of the courts.”

—Matt Seideman, Athletic Director

facility. Over the last three years, the club erected two pickleball courts in 2017, a new tennis pro shop in March 2018 and four additional pickleball courts in June 2020.

This steady stream of renovations was largely driven by an overall need for more space. “Our tennis pro shop shared a building with fitness, and both amenities were outgrowing their footprint in that building,” explains General Manager Jennifer Jolly.

The now-completed tennis complex is

located across from the main clubhouse, creating a convenient destination for members and families using the locker rooms and dining facilities. In addition to the center’s 10 Har-Tru courts, there’s what Jolly refers to as “the jewel of our facility”—an imported Italian red-clay stadium court.

“Before the French Open, a lot of [professional players] came to practice on the red clay, including Andy Murray and Kevin Anderson,” Jolly says, noting the court’s

ability to offer more cushion and produce a higher, slower bounce. While the cost of installation is double that of a green clay court, maintenance is similar.

Pickleball has also proved to be a hot commodity for Boca Grove, driving the need to turn one of the club’s underutilized hard courts into additional court space. “It seems that people who used to play tennis several years ago and suffered injuries have come back to playing pickleball,” observes

•

•

•

•

Jolly. “In the afternoons, in fact, we have several golfers who come over to play.”

Given the versatility of the court space and style, Boca Grove has been able to serve as a practice center for area schools, as a tournament space for nationally ranked junior players, and as a destination for several top pros training for events.

“Kevin Anderson holds a charity event here every December,” she adds.

To help bolster its world-class reputation, Boca Grove is planning to erect a sports and wellness center, complete with resort-style pool, children’s splash pad and two-story fitness facility that includes locker rooms, restrooms, pool café, kids’

BOCA GROVE GOLF & TENNIS CLUB Boca Raton, Fla.

“Our tennis pro shop shared a building with fitness, and both amenities were outgrowing their footprint in that building.”

—Jennifer Jolly, General Manager

camp and fitness classrooms. Before this project is completed next summer, the club is focused on maintaining a safe environment for players during the COVID-19 pandemic. During tennis clinics, two players are permitted on one side of the court. Designated seating is more than six feet apart, and members are required to bring their own drinks and towels.

• For use indoors and outdoors • Outdoors keeps food cold for 4+ hours on a single charge • Digitally controlled temperatures • Your outdoor catering cold hold solution!

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A BREATH OF FRESH AIR At Tunica National Golf & Tennis in Tunica Resorts, Miss., the four indoor clay courts were long overdue for maintenance updates. While the tennis complex had been named Facility of the Year by the USTA in 2004, over time, the HVAC system and dehumidifiers needed to be replaced to improve operational efficiency. Renovations

DESIGN + RENOVATION

were completed in July 2019.

Tunica National’s enhancements are part of the KemperSports Green to the Tee program, which focuses on sustainable maintenance practices. “Over the years, this program has guided our decision to replace all parking-lot lights with LED lights, which has created substantial savings on our monthly electric bill and maintenance costs,” says General Manager/Director of Golf Bob Wolcott.

To date, this implementation has also made tremendous strides in labor reductions; where the resort had typically replaced light bulbs at least four times per year, the staff has not had to change a single bulb in the last two years.

With such a high success rate on the exterior premises, Tunica National decided to make similar changes in the clubhouse and tennis facility. Swapping out 1,000-watt metal halide bulbs in more than 50 fixtures across the tennis-court area with LED lights was made possible with a grant from the USTA. “Now, we are using less energy and we have removed the electrical ballasts for the lights, which also helps to create a quieter experience for tennis,” notes Wolcott. C+RB

TUNICA NATIONAL GOLF & TENNIS Tunica Resorts, Miss.

“We are using less energy and have removed the electrical ballasts for the lights, which also helps to create a quieter experience for tennis.”

— Bob Wolcott, General Manager/Director of Golf

FORE Supply is dedicated to keeping your staff and guests as safe as possible. Call or visit us online Celebrating to find out more about our sanitizing options as well as our other COVID-19 related supplies!

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Together we’re stronger.

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(800) 543-5430 www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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FOOD + BEVERAGE

SOURCES OF

Comfort SUMMING IT UP > Even as clubs need to reduce menus because of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, comfort-food favorites such as meatloaf, burgers and salads with proteins can satisfy a large portion of existing demand. > Pairing entrees with sides ahead of time and serving the same vegetable blend with all dishes can help to relieve strain when short-staed. > Look for ways to stretch dining space into unused areas such as banquet rooms and bars to accommodate demand as members return, while still following social distancing 32 l Club + Resort Business 2020 other health guidelines. l August and

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The pandemic has made club members crave comfort foods more than ever, and chefs are responding by providing feel-good favorites for indoor, outdoor and takeout dining.

By Marilyn Odesser-Torpey, Contributing Editor

AFTER THREE MONTHS OF WAITING for the reopening of on-site dining at Essex County Country Club in West Orange, N.J., members are returning en masse (though socially distanced, of course), eagerly anticipating not a five-course fancy dinner, but a hearty helping of some good old-fashioned meatloaf.

“We were supposed to open our dining room at the beginning of July, but a spike in virus cases rescinded that,” says Mark Sokolofsky, the club’s Executive Chef. “But we have reopened our upper- and lower-covered patio seating, and we’ve been filling those tables up a week in advance.”

Although Sokolofsky offers a varied menu of innovative, seasonal and upscale fare, many members opt for “down-toearth, simple food,” he says.

“If I try to take meatloaf off the menu, members will ask me where it is,” he notes.

For this popular dish, Sokolofsky uses the trims from the filet mignon, chain and certified Angus beef steaks that are cut in the club’s kitchen. To make the meatloaf succulently moist (as well as his meatballs—see recipes for both on pg.

35), he uses a panade (fresh breadcrumbs soaked in milk).

Another way he preserves the interior moisture is to cook the loaf, covered in aluminum foil, in a water bath.

The club’s signature burger, its best-selling casual item, went through a serious vetting process, including the meat blend and the accoutrements, by the chef and club-member House committee. Their input is reflected in the burger made from certified Angus beef topped with apple-smoked bacon, Wisconsin sharp cheddar cheese, beefsteak tomato and leaf lettuce.

Pre-pandemic, members were used to building their own burgers from a condiment bar at the grill between the 9th and 10th holes of Essex County’s golf course. But now, Sokolofsky notes, cooks must assemble and wrap them in foil before they are put out for the players. “The members enjoyed topping their own burgers, and they do miss that,” he notes.

Italian comfort foods also appeal to Essex County CC’s members. Two favorites are the Bolognese lasagna, the second top-selling dinner item after the meatloaf, and cavatelli from a small family producer, served with sausage, broccoli rabe, roasted garlic and red pepper flakes. “We sell at least

Hugs on the Side TO GIVE MEMBERS A TASTE of their home away from home during the dining room shutdown, Michael Harlow, Executive Chef of the Country Club of Paducah (Ky.), developed family dinner packages for curbside pickup.

Among the family-style offerings have been meat and four-cheese lasagna with Italian salad, garlic green beans and garlic bread sticks; buttermilk fried chicken with mashed potatoes, country green beans and warm apple cobbler; and Yankee-style pot roast with roasted potatoes and root vegetables, savory biscuit and carrot cake for dessert.

Members liked the service so much that the club is continuing to offer it, even though both indoor and outdoor dining resumed at 25% capacity on May 22.

With their takeout orders, Harlow gives members a sweet surprise, such as a slice of apple pie or fresh warm cookies.

“There’s so much tension in the world today, it’s our way of showing that we care about our members,” he explains. “It’s kind of like giving them a hug.”

Members can order via text, e-mail or telephone calls. Harlow encourages members to order earlier in the day—between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.—by offering those who do a 10% discount on their meal. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

August 2020

Executive Chef Michael Harlow gives a 10% discount to CC of Paducah members who get their family-dinner orders in before the evening rush.

l Club + Resort Business l 33

Recipe PAWLEY ISLAND LUMP CRAB CAKES YIELD: 8 portions INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. lump crab meat 1/2 red onion, minced 6 green onions, minced 3/4 cup mayonnaise 2 lemons, juiced 2 egg whites 1/2 tsp. ground coriander 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 cup cracker meal 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. white pepper 4 cups panko breadcrumbs

PROCEDURE :

1 Make the dressing in a stainless-steel mixing bowl; mix thoroughly red onion, green onion, mayonnaise, lemon juice, egg whites, ground coriander and cayenne pepper.

2 Add lump crab and fold in cracker meal gently without breaking up crab. Let mixture stand in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3 Scoop 3-oz. cakes and completely coat in panko breadcrumbs.

Place on a cookie-sheet pan.

4 Cook on a flat griddle with butter at 350º F. until crisp and golden brown on both sides.

SUBMITTED BY MICHAEL HARLOW, EXECUTIVE CHEF. COUNTRY CLUB OF PADUCAH (KY.)

20 of the cavatelli per day,” Sokolofsky says.

To make service more efficient during a period when kitchen staff has been reduced, Sokolofsky did some streamlining of his menu. Usually, he would pair each of his entrée dishes with different starches and vegetables, with as many as eight different starches and 10 different vegetables on one menu.

Now, though, he offers the entrées already paired with sides. For example, all meat entrées come with mashed potatoes, and fish dishes with jasmine rice. And all dishes are served with the same vegetable blend.

To make sure members did not have to miss their favorite foods, Sokolofsky made takeout available during the club’s closure, and Essex County’s kitchen turned out over 100 meals, mostly dinners, per day.

“Fortunately, business never went down for us,” the chef explains. “But now that our outdoor dining is open, our members prefer the full club experience.”

COMFORT THAT’S CLOSE TO HOME The members of the Country Club of

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Paducah (Ky.) like it when Executive Chef Michael Harlow gets creative with Southern comfort classics. Examples include adding bacon to a pimento cheese sandwich, and salmon and fried green tomatoes for a riff on a classic BLT. But some iconic regional specialties are served straight up with their traditional sides, such as the cornmeal-dusted fried catfish with hush puppies, and white beans and ham with braised turnip greens.

And steak is not just reserved for celebratory dinners at the CC of Paducah. It shows up in numerous incarnations on the casual menu, both in the clubhouse dining room and the sports bar downstairs.

The familiar Caprese salad, with tomato, fresh buffalo mozzarella and basil, becomes heartier fare when it is crowned with slices of an 8-oz. steak and a balsamic vinaigrette. A New York strip sandwich and steak quesadilla are also featured on the menus at both dining spots.

Both outdoor and indoor restaurant service at the club resumed on May 22 at 25%. Casual fare is available in the main dining room, downstairs sports bar and outside deck. On June 29, the pool grill opened, serving chicken breast, burgers, brats, hot dogs and baby back ribs.

Spotlight on Sanitation CLEANLINESS IS ALWAYS A HIGH PRIORITY, but with the heightened attention to deep and continuous sanitation and reductions in staff, some chefs are taking extra measures when it comes to keeping their kitchens and dining rooms clean and safe.

Mark Sokolofsky, Executive Chef at Essex County Country Club in West Orange, N.J., believes that the circumstances have resulted in a more efficient cleaning system for his club.

“Members are always coming back and asking for a tour of the kitchen, so we have to keep things spotless,” Sokolofsky said. “You could eat off the floor of our walk-in.”

To make sure that continues, Essex County hired a full-time porter to work from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., six days a week. The porter’s sole job is to clean, and he comes in before the staff arrives, to make sure the night staff has left everything up to the club’s standard of cleanliness. In addition to the clubhouse kitchen and dining room, the porter is responsible for checking out the storage and delivery areas and the pool area, including the disposal area behind it.

A full-time porter is now dedicated to helping assure members of Essex County that sanitation is a top priority, reports Executive Chef Mark Sokolofsky.

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Recipe

“

Sixty to 70% of our members

MEATBALLS AND MEATLOAF

prefer lighter, more casual meals,

YIELD: 50 4-inch meatballs, 12 servings of meatloaf (2 slices per serving)

especially those who dine here two

INGREDIENTS:

”

or three times a week.

— Richard Kunsch, Executive Chef, The Haven CC

For sanitation purposes, Harlow has switched to single-use paper menus in the indoor and deck dining areas. An insert, revised every two weeks, features comfort-food family dinner, appetizer and dessert specials.

“Tuesdays are particularly busy for us, because that’s when the new inserts come out,” he says.

KEEPING THE LIGHT AND CASUAL Richard Kunsch, Executive Chef of The Haven Country Club in Boylston, Mass., also switched to disposable paper menus when his outdoor dining area reopened in mid-June and his main dining room resumed service two weeks later. To accommodate the pentup demand for dining out while still following social distancing and other health guidelines, Kunsch has been able to stretch his dining space into the club’s banquet room and bar, which has high-top deuce tables.

“When we opened, we did as many covers as we did during the same period the year before,” Kunsch notes.

With a reduced kitchen staff, Kunsch cut his menu—50% of which is casual fare—in half. “Sixty to 70% of our members prefer lighter, more casual meals, especially those who dine here two or three times a week,” he says.

Large salads are popular and are anything but an afterthought on The Haven’s menu. A Mediterranean salad, for example, is abundant with mixed greens, quinoa, cous cous, chickpeas, roasted tomatoes, olives and feta, and served with a lemon shallot vinaigrette.

A maple-roasted salmon salad (see recipe with the online version of this article at www.clubandresortbusiness.com) also “got great reviews,” according to Kunsch. He also turns casual salads into upscale entrees by topping them with grilled salmon, shrimp, seared scallops or lobster. C+RB

10 lbs. ground meat (filet mignon off-cuts, chain and Angus blend) 5 large eggs, whipped 1 loaf white bread, chopped in food processor 1 pint milk 2 tbsp. dried basil 2 tbsp. dried oregano 2 tbsp. granulated dried garlic 1 cup fresh chopped parsley 1 large onion, chopped fine in food processor until smooth, then strain excess liquid 1 tbsp. fresh ground pepper 2 cups parmesan cheese 3 cups ketchup, separated into 1-cup portions • Soak the bread in the milk.

• Mix all ingredients except ketchup in a large mixer

PROCEDURE FOR MEATBALLS:

1 Scoop 4-oz. meatballs onto lined sheet pan.

2 With hand, wipe extra virgin olive oil onto another sheet pan.

3 Lightly moisten hands. Roll balls until smooth and with no cracks.

4 Place meatballs on olive-oiled sheet pan.

5 Cook at 350º F. for 15 minutes.

6 Using a fish spatula, turn meatballs over and let rest until cool.

7 To store: Place nine cold meatballs each (three orders, three meatballs per order) into two-gallon Ziploc bags, label and date. Refrigerate until needed.

PROCEDURE FOR MEATLOAF:

1 Divide meat mixture among three loaf pans.

2 Smooth the top, with no cracks, and press meat lower around the edge of the pan.

3 Top each loaf with one cup ketchup.

4 Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil.

5 Bake in a deep hotel pan with two inches of water at 350º F., until temperature in the middle is a minimum 165º F. 6 Drain excess liquid from loaf pans.

7 Let cool on a rack in the refrigerator.

8 Remove from pans and slice into eight portions, being careful to maintain a smooth edge.

9 Cryovac each portion individually, label and date, and refrigerate.

SUBMITTED BY MARK SOKOLOFSKY, EXECUTIVE CHEF, ESSEX COUNTY COUNTRY CLUB, WEST ORANGE, N.J.

MORE ONLINE For the recipe for Maple-Roasted Salmon Salad from Richard Kunsch, Executive Chef, The Haven Country Club, see the online version of this article at www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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August 2020

l Club + Resort Business l 35

COURSE + GROUNDS

KEEPING

IRRIGATION WELL-GROUNDED

The latest irrigation technology helps golf course superintendents save water, time and money.

By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor

MANY GOLF COURSES HAVE HAD to change some of their maintenance operations on the fly in recent months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Already having to adjust to new protocols, superintendents certainly don’t need to spend time trying to tame a temperamental irrigation system as well.

At two properties that completed golf course renovations last year that included the installation of a new two-wire irrigation system, the latest technology has helped their superintendents alleviate irrigation worries—and maximize water conservation while improving efficiency.

IN WITH THE NEW, VS. FIXING THE OLD Hobe Sound (Fla.) Golf Club installed a new $1.2 million, two-wire irrigation system and pump station as part of a golf course renovation project, which modernized the 18-hole layout and made it more environmentally friendly. The renovation project, led by golf course architect Tom Fazio II, started on April 1, 2019 and was completed by July 20 of that year. The golf course reopened for members on October 30, 2019.

While the property kept the same routing for the course, Hobe Sound regrassed the 30-yearold turf with TifEagle on the greens and TifTuf Bermudagrass on the rest of the course. TifEagle is known for its speed, consistency, and playability on greens, and the hybrid TifTuf is more droughttolerant than its Bermudagrass predecessors.

“The game of golf has changed a lot in 30 years,” says Golf Course Superintendent Clinton Tingen, who was hired in 2018 to oversee the golf course construction project.

Irrigation systems have changed in three decades as well. Hobe Sound’s previous system, which had undergone minor upgrades on the green surrounds in 2003-04, was the original hydraulic system that had been installed in 1989. Water tubes ran all over the golf course to each individual head, reports Tingen, and poor coverage left the golf course with a number of wet and dry spots.

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SUMMING IT UP >

With an updated, user-friendly irrigation system, a golf course can reduce water usage, increase eďŹƒciency, and pinpoint accuracy.

>

State-of-the-art irrigation systems help golf course properties eliminate the need to make constant repairs, saving time as well as parts and labor costs.

>

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The type of grass on a golf course inuences irrigation operations.

May 2020

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COURSE + GROUNDS

“

Water distribution is vital to playability every day. Individual head

control prevents over- and under-watering, and watering greens that don’t need to be watered. We can water the course in a four-hour window at

”

night, not first thing in the morning [when we’re] running into golfers.

— Clinton Tingen, Golf Course Superintendent, Hobe Sound GC

The maintenance crew was dedicating manhours daily to repairing heads, so installing a new irrigation system was ultimately more cost-beneficial than constantly repairing the old system, Tingen says.

As part of the project, the property also sleeved the wet well and the intake from the pumphouse, replaced the pumps and operating system, and installed highdensity polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, which are smaller in diameter than the previous pipes, on the main and lateral lines.

SAVED BY A SETTLEMENT Rochester (Minn.) Golf & Country Club also replaced its irrigation system as part of a $6.4 million makeover of its 18-hole golf course. The project, led by golf course architect Tom Doak, began in the late summer of 2018, and the golf course reopened in the spring of 2019 with a new two-row irrigation system that has easily accessible sprinkler heads.

The property, which celebrated its centennial in 2016, first opened as a nine-hole course on 100 acres acquired from Mayo Clinic doctors E.S. Judd and D.C. Balfour.

The renowned A.W. Tillinghast reworked the Rochester layout in 1926-27.

The renovation project was financed by a sizable settlement with DuPont after the company’s weed killer, Imprelis, killed more

than 1,000 of Rochester’s distinctive pine trees about five years earlier.

The property’s old irrigation system was a hydraulic system with a single row down the fairways and around the greens. The system also had a common wire, as well as a wire for each individual head.

Golf Course Superintendent JT Hauser, who started working at Rochester in May 2020 after being at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club for four years, says the old system, which suffered frequent breaks, was completely outdated and long overdue for replacement.

As part of the renovation project, Rochester also put in a new pump house, a 1.5acre irrigation pond, and a new drainage system that feeds all of the water from the golf course into the irrigation pond. “It goes hand-in-hand with our irrigation system,” Hauser says of the drainage system.

The drainage system has alleviated water issues caused by development that has occurred near the golf course through the years. In addition, parts of eight holes rest on an impervious shale formation, and the drainage system redirects the chronic accumulations of standing water on those fairways and greens to the irrigation pond.

A sensor in the pump house activates the recharge system when the pond falls to a low level, and recycling water by way of the pond allows the property to reduce its groundwater usage.

Before the renovation project, the property pumped 10 million gallons of water from a well annually. Now, Hauser says, “We’re capturing and reusing all of our drainage water, and getting about 1 million gallons of water from the well.”

In addition, he reports, “It will take us about 10 years to use the amount of water we were using in one year.”

Mitigating the need to tap into the city’s water supply, the reuse system also ensures that the course has a reliable water source, even if conservation restrictions are in place.

Rochester added Wi-Fi throughout the golf course as well, which allows staff members to run the irrigation system from their smartphones or tablets, instead of having to use radios.

“We can water the majority of the golf course from mobile apps,” says Hauser. “It’s a lot quicker and more user-friendly. From a labor perspective, it’s more efficient.”

EFFICIENCY COUNTS Where benefits are concerned, efficiency is a good trait for an irrigation system to have. At Hobe Sound, which is situated on a sandy site, the two-wire irrigation system provides greater individual head control.

Replacing the irrigation system at Hobe Sound GC included installation of fused HDPE pipes—which are smaller in diameter and stronger than the PVC pipes from the previous hydraulic system installed in 1989—for both the main and lateral lines.

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“Each golf course has its own micro-environment,” Tingen says. “Individual head control gets rid of wet areas.”

In addition, with the installation of the new system, the number of sprinkler heads at Hobe Sound has increased from 800 to 1,148. “The distribution and efficiency are so much better,” says Tingen. “It makes for a lot different product.”

To determine irrigation needs, he uses weather-station data to calculate the evapotranspiration rate on a daily basis.

The rate is generally ¼- to 1/3-inch a day, but Tingen says the computer “does the math” for him.

“We’re not watering greens that don’t need to be watered. Individual head control prevents over-and under-watering,” he states. “Water distribution is vital to playability every day.”

By definition, efficiency is a time-saver as well. “We can water the golf course in a four-hour window at night,” says Tingen.

“We’re not watering first thing in the morning and running into golfers.”

And while Hobe Sound has a permit to use 24 million gallons of water per month, he notes, the property rarely comes close to using that much water.

PLENTIFUL BENEFITS Water usage is not an issue in the Midwest, notes Hauser, but he also appreciates the efficiency the new irrigation system brings to his course maintenance operation.

“We can water the surface we want to water, and we don’t have to water as often,” he says. “You can push the turf. You can dry it our further.”

On any given night during a long spell with no rain, Hauser says, he will use 100,000 to 400,000 gallons of water.

“I try to keep the golf course on the drier side, so it can handle rain,” he explains.

During the hot summer months, the Rochester grounds crew has been running the irrigation system three or four nights a week. Earlier in the year, however, the maintenance staff watered the golf course one or two nights a week. “I like to deepwater on Sundays, to try to get through the rest of the week,” Hauser adds.

He tries to avoid using the irrigation system on the greens, which consist of a mix of

The efficiencies and reliability of Rochester G&CC’s new irrigation system are saving the club “probably $50,000 a year at least from a labor perspective,” says Golf Course Superintendent JT Hauser. “And adding in the cost of parts, it’s probably closer to $75,000.”

bentgrass and poa annua. “We do a lot of hand-watering of greens because it’s more precise and more accurate,” he explains.

At Rochester G&CC, where the grounds crew does most of its watering at night, the new irrigation system pumps 1,500 gallons of water per minute. This capacity is more than double that of the previous system, which ran 650 gallons per minute.

“We can water the same amount of area in half the time now,” says Hauser.

In addition to helping the Rochester maintenance staff save time, the system offers financial benefits as well. “We spend less time making repairs and manually hand-watering,” says Hauser. “From a labor perspective, we’re probably saving $50,000 a year at least. And when we add in the cost of parts, we’re probably saving closer to $75,000.”

PIPELINE TO SUCCESS Efficiency is not the only benefit of the new two-wire irrigation systems that Hobe Sound and Rochester G&CC installed.

The fused HDPE pipes used for the entire system, reports Tingen, don’t have the leaks and bends or elbows that PVC pipes have.

“The water pressure is the same at the pump station as it is one-and-a-half miles away,” he adds.

Strong, flexible, and lightweight, HDPE pipe has non-toxic, corrosion- and chemi-

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

cal-resistant qualities that make it environmentally sustainable and durable. “The breaks that I typically see now are where the head is connected to the HDPE,” says Hauser, whose new system also has HDPE pipes. “With conventional systems, you can have breaks in the middle of the pipes.”

Because HDPE pipes are stronger than PCV pipes, Hauser adds, they are not as vulnerable to breaks when the maintenance staff blows out the pipes in the winter. In addition, he says, it is harder to get all of the water out of PVC pipes.

The reliability of the new irrigation system gives Tingen peace of mind.

“I know it’s going to work every night,” he says. “If there’s a problem, then an alarm goes to my cell phone.”

The design of the individual heads makes them user-friendly, he adds, and they are easier to work on if a head gets stuck or a screen needs to be cleaned. “We can work on the heads from above without digging a hole and disturbing the turf around the greens,” he explains. C+RB MORE ONLINE For additional details about the features and benefits of the new irrigation systems at Hobe Sound GC and Rochester G&CC, see the online version of this article at www.clubandresortbusiness.com

August 2020 l Club + Resort Business l 39

ProTalk

MINDING THE SHOP AT

“JACK’S PLACE”

Since becoming Head Golf Professional at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio earlier this year, Jason Marciniec has hosted PGA Tour events during back-to-back weeks and maintained the highest standards of his boss, Jack Nicklaus.

By Rob Thomas, Senior Editor

MUIRFIELD VILLAGE GOLF CLUB IN Dublin, Ohio is often referred to as “Jack's Place.”

That’s because it’s the creation of Jack Nicklaus, arguably the greatest golfer to ever play and one of the game's most decorated course designers. The Golden Bear acquired the 220 acres in 1966 and construction of the golf course started in 1972. Muirfield Village was officially dedicated on Memorial Day, May 27, 1974.

While the classic American parkland golf course is nothing like its namesake—Muirfield Links in Scotland—Nicklaus named it to pay homage to the site of his first British Open title in 1966.

Having the legendary Jack Nicklaus as a boss could be daunting, to say the least, and hosting a prestigious PGA Tour event each year—the Memorial Tournament—is a lot of work. But Jason Marciniec, Muirfield Village’s Head Golf Professional, has been thriving since assuming that position in June, even with this year bringing a second tournament event just a week ahead of the Memorial.

In this “Pro Talk” interview, Marciniec relates how he’s hit the ground running since starting his new position in the middle of what’s already proved to be a very busy and challenging year.

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Configured Templates for Speedy On-Boarding Easy Access to Data Drill Down Analyses Custom Dashboards

PROTALK

Muirfield Village hosts the PGA Tour’s best players every year for the Memorial Tournament. This year, however, the Dublin, Ohio club hosted back-to-back events—an unprecedented occurrence.

CLUB + RESORT BUSINESS: Can you de-

C+RB: How did you react when you

C+RB: The Memorial was supposed to be

scribe a typical day at Muirfield Village?

JASON MARCINIEC: Nothing at Muirfield Village Golf Club is typical. Haha. With our membership being both local and national, we get different faces and questions every day. A member might be here just to have a milkshake, or they could be here on their only trip of the year because they live in California. So making sure I get to interact with the members and their guests is my top priority. A lot of this is done either on the putting green before they go out to play, or after the round, when I get to help them find that special shirt to take home.

learned the PGA Tour would be at the club for back-to-back tournaments?

MARCINIEC: The entire staff at Muirfield Village was excited by the news, because we know how to make the impossible happen on a regular basis. To be part of back-to-back PGA Tour events, which will most likely never happen again, was extremely special for all of us. The week prior to the two events, we hosted The Bearfoot Classic, which is our memberguest—so needless to say, we had quite a stretch of golf!

the first tournament since the restart to have fans. How did preparation change when you learned there would be no fans in attendance?

MARCINIEC: We knew there would not be any patrons when we learned we were hosting the Workday Charity Classic, so changes to our preparations were minimal.

The expectations and level of perfection set

by Jack Nicklaus never change, whether it is a regular day at the club or hosting 157 of the best players in the world.

P R O TA L K P R O F I L E

JASON MARCINIEC Current Position (since June 2020): Head Golf Professional, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio Years at Muirfield Village: 2 Years in Golf Industry: 17 Previous Experience: • Assistant Golf Professional, Muirfield Village Golf Club, April 2019-June 2020 • Head Golf Professional, St. Clair Country Club, Pittsburgh, Pa., Oct. 2013–April 2019 • Head Golf Professional, Cattail Creek Jason Marciniec, right, and General Country Club, Glenwood, Md., Feb. Manager Nicholas LaRocca worked 2012–Nov. 2012 closely to ensure the safety of • Assistant Golf Professional, Oakmont everyone on property for the back(Pa.) Country Club, April 2003–Jan. to-back PGA Tour events held this 2012 year at Muirfield Village GC. • Assistant Golf Professional, Seminole Golf Club, Juno Beach, Fla., Jan. 2004–Jan. 2008 Education & Training: Penn State University Honors and Awards: PGA Member since 2005 Tri-State PGA Merchandiser of the Year, 2015, 2016, 2019 Tri-State PGA Horton Smith Award (Education), 2017 Association of Golf Merchandisers Award, 2017

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C+RB: What adjustments did you have

to make regarding merchandise for the events?

MARCINIEC: Well, needless to say this was the biggest challenge we had to address.

When the PGA Tour suspended play, I put all of the merchandise for the Memorial Tournament on hold. Once I learned we were going to have some patrons, the merchandise orders were altered to reflect what I thought could be sold. All of our vendors and sales reps did an amazing job during a very tough time to ensure we did not get inundated with merchandise.

Then when we learned we were not going to have any patrons, all of us were shocked. So we as a staff got together and came up with a plan. We decided to extend our offsite store hours/days of operation and developed an online store for the Memorial Tournament. Derek Buckley and Garrett Wisniewski—both PGA Assistant Professionals—accomplished in three days what most would had taken a month to do.

They created the online store, took pictures of the product, managed the inventory, boxed and fulfilled every online order. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

Helped by fellow staff members Joe Wisler and Chad Middaugh, we were able to work though the merchandise on hand.

C+RB: Even without fans, you needed to

COURSE PROFILE

keep the Tour pros, volunteers and your staff safe. How did you ensure that?

MARCINIEC: Our General Manager, Nicholas LaRocca, was way ahead of the curve when it came to safety. Even before we were given the guidelines from the PGA Tour and the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], we had strict procedures for members and staff. Everyone’s temperature was taken before entering the property. Once on property, we were required to wear masks and maintain social distancing throughout the entire property. I also think Nicholas bought every available bottle of hand sanitizer, because no matter where you looked, you saw a bottle for everyone to use.

experience for your members and guests?

MARCINIEC: We provide the best overall experience at any club in the world because every staff member knows the expectations of our founder, Jack Nicklaus. At Muirfield Village the commitment to excellence is unmatched; we want every member and guest’s expectations to be exceeded. That is why the following phrase is often said at Muirfield Village: “The answer is yes; now, what is the question?”

C+RB: Of the changes you’ve made to

C+RB: Any advice you’d offer for a young

keep members and staff safe during the pandemic, will anything carry over going forward?

MARCINIEC: The taking of everyone’s temperature, mask requirements, and social distancing while on property will all continue.

Nicholas’ top priority during these times is, and always will be, the safety of the staff and members. All of us thank him for that!

assistant professional looking to one day take the reins?

MARCINIEC: My advise to any young professional would be to work for the right Head Golf Professional. That individual should mentor you and put you in positions to grow, not only as a PGA professional, but also as a person.

During my time with Bob Ford at Oakmont Country Club and Seminole Golf Club, I learned more from being around him than from any textbook. Watching Bob interact with members, guests, sales representatives, staff and caddies was priceless. He was the best at making all of those people feel special, and they all loved him for it. I’m where I am today because Bob Ford allowed me the opportunities to build confidence in myself, so that when I became a Head Golf Professional, I was going to be successful.

MUIRFIELD VILLAGE GOLF CLUB C+RB: How do you provide the best golfing

C+RB: How do you best work with other

An online store for merchandise was created after Muirfield Village GC’s golf staff learned no fans could attend tournaments. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

departments within the club—from General Manager and Superintendent to F&B and Membership?

MARCINIEC: One of the best traditions started by Nicholas LaRocca is “morning coffee.” Every morning at 8 a.m., myself, Nicho-

Dublin, Ohio

Website: mvgc.org Club Type: Private Golf Course Type: Parkland Golf Course Designer: Jack Nicklaus Year Opened: 1974 No. of Holes: 18 Par: 72 Yardage: 5,591 - 7,392

las and Chad Mark, Director of Grounds, all gather for coffee in the Captain Grill to talk about the upcoming day. It gives us a chance to ensure there are no surprises and that things continue to run smoothly. The members and guests often comment how great it is seeing us together. It is little things like this that have created a strong relationship between the three of us that could be unmatched in the golf industry.

C+RB: How can golf professionals continue

to “grow the game” to make sure the industry continues to get stronger?

MARCINIEC: I think PGA Professionals can continue to grow the game by getting out and playing golf with their members.

They also need to allow their assistants to play and work on their golf games. At their facility, the PGA Professional is supposed to be the expert in playing, teaching, and merchandising. Creating an environment at your club that supports those three areas will ensure that the game of golf has a very bright future. C+RB “Pro Talk” features conversations with golf professionals at club and resort properties who are notable for unique achievements, programs and/or being in the news.

Know a successful golf pro you’d like to have interviewed? Send your suggestions to rthomas@wtwhmedia.com

ProTalk

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TODAY’S MANAGER

STANDING THE

TESTS OF TIME Like The Pacific-Union Club itself, what Tom Gaston has seen and experienced through the years prepared him well for putting the pandemic in proper perspective. His response to this latest challenge has also reaffirmed his selection as an Excellence in Club Management recipient.

By Joe Barks, Editor

Being on a bus on the Bay Bridge when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the San Francisco area in 1989 can have a way of putting “challenging times” in perspective. And that experience (which required him to walk two miles to safety and then take shelter in the city for four days) is just one of many that Tom Gaston, CCM, General Manager of The Pacific-Union Club (PUC) in San Francisco, Calif. has been through both personally and professionally over the years—and that have helped him shape a response to this year’s pandemic in a characteristically measured and productive fashion.

Gaston certainly sees the pandemic, which has kept his club completely closed since mid-March, as “significant” and something that will leave a permanent impact 44

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on important aspects of club management. But he also notes that collectively, in his 43-year career and his club’s 168-year history, a host of other calamities have also arisen and been overcome, including not only another pandemic, but also wars, famine, fires, riots and personal medical emergencies (Gaston, who does admit he’s thankful he’s never had to cope with a hurricane, once had a maitre d’ in his employ suffer a heart attack on the job and die in his arms).

And in all cases, Gaston says, the most dire situations should be approached no differently than day-today considerations—an operating philosophy that, in his case, has put him in position, effective this fall, to become the longest-serving manager (28 years) in The www.clubandresortbusiness.com

Pacific-Union Club’s storied history, as well as the 2019 recipient of The Mel Rex Award through the Excellence in Club Management Awards (see box, pg. 47).

“It’s all about always being prepared to take care of people, and not allowing any feeling of panic or crisis,” Gaston says. “In my case, I’ve also been very fortunate to have an extremely competent management team that recognizes how the most challenging situations are when the cream needs to rise to the top and everyone needs to stay focused on what needs to be done, and then on doing it.”

Preparation for the disruption caused by the pandemic began when The PacificUnion Club staff and board “saw this coming” in late February, Gaston says. It then appeared the club was within days of reopening before the situation in California and San Francisco “went backwards” in early July, he says, and the end of July still saw things “sitting still.”

“But the good news is, we’re OK,” Gaston adds. And that’s because his preparation, and the club’s, really dates back to lessons learned from previous challenges encountered over the years. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

Having known Mel Rex, former Executive Director/COO of the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, Pa., for over 30 years, Tom Gaston now also shares the recognition of The Mel Rex Award that represents both men’s contributions to club-management excellence.

August 2020 l Club + Resort Business l 45

TODAY’S MANAGER

Closed since mid-March because of the pandemic, The Pacific- Union Club staff has spent the time focusing on maintenance and improvement projects throughout its 67,000-sq. ft. clubhouse on San Francisco’s Nob Hill. The former mansion of silver magnate James Clair Flood is a National Historic Landmark, a California Designated Landmark and on the U.S. Department of Interior’s List of Historic Places.

“We have solid reserves, with a $7 million ‘calamity fund’ and a reserve fund that’s half as big,” says Gaston. “It’s all part of preparing the business to be ready to withstand any shock and be able to run for years, if needed, under whatever conditions might arise.

“We learned that lesson after [a major California earthquake] in 1994, when we started getting killed by earthquake insurance that had high premiums and deductibles,” Gaston explains. “And it was clear that we couldn’t count on getting bailed out by businessinterruption insurance, either.”

By building up its own fund and reserves, The Pacific-Union Club has been able to keep its entire 75-person workforce on 100

percent pay and benefits during this year’s pandemic—and to find plenty of productive things for them to do.

“We’ve told everyone, if you’re willing and able to work, show up and we’ll guarantee your job will be here,” Gaston says. “We certainly haven’t been sitting still—we’ve being doing lots and lots of maintenance projects and painting, and even put a new $400,000 skylight in our rotunda [of the historic mansion that the club occupies].” As an added bonus, he adds, the club found that “many [specialized contractors and suppliers] that we had a hard time getting to do work for us before now really needed it and were available.”

A major focus of the improvement projects, Gaston reports, has revolved around “reimagining the club on a different platform.”

When nominated for Excellence in Club Management recognition, Gaston was hailed by club leaders for transforming The PacificUnion Club from largely a luncheon club when he arrived in 1992 to one that now has a fully developed events program and robust catering business, in addition to a greatly expanded, full-service dining operation. But with the pandemic, Gaston says, it’s become clear that “events are dead and won’t come back until next year, and we need to get them out-of-mind [for this year].”

Instead, he says, the focus has shifted to emphasizing how the club can be uniquely positioned as a “fancy boutique hotel,” with its elegant rooms and suites in the historic mansion, and on “amplifying our dining service even more, to widen the gap that’s made us the best restaurant in town.” For the first time in the club’s history, it’s even ventured into outdoor dining, with service started

With its robust events and catering business on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak, The Pacific-Union Club’s current focus is on enhancing its status as “a boutique hotel” and amplifying its position as one of San Francisco’s finest dining venues.

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After becoming The Pacific-Union Club’s General Manager in 1992, Tom Gaston played an instrumental role in creating a full schedule of popular events to help it expand beyond being known as primarily a luncheon club. The focus will now shift to other member amenities and activities until the pandemic-induced hiatus on events subsides.

on six patio tables that can offer a spectacular experience from the top of Nob Hill, as long as San Francisco’s notorious fog and winds cooperate.

Noting that he’s never been able to find much about life at the club that’s been recorded in Board minutes or other documents during other calamitous times, Gaston has even used the downtime caused by the pandemic to start a “time capsule” that will include member-written remembrances of how this latest experience has affected them.

All of these steps reflect what Gaston describes as his primary prescription for sustained excellence in club management: “Be focused on what you’re supposed to be doing. If the club succeeds, you succeed.” It’s a simple formula that he learned from mentors and colleagues like Mel Rex, the former Executive Director/COO of the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, who Gaston has known for over 25 years and who he has always “identified as a model of profes-

sional style and grace, and as someone to emulate.”

And for Gaston, even in unchallenging times, there is always plenty that he is “supposed to be doing.”

“I still have a long ‘to do’ list, more goals than I can accomplish and a list of visionary ideas that I keep selling to [my club’s] Board,” he said in accepting his Mel Rex Award. “[That’s] because I still love my job and there has never been a single day when I wasn’t excited to arrive in the parking lot and start my morning rounds each day.

“After being around the hospitality and foodservice industry for nearly 50 years, I believe that the private club industry is the best part of the hospitality industry,” he added. “It is the only field where customer satisfaction is truly the first priority. And I am still there because of the unique character of the PUC—a club that values quality first in facility, products and services, that values its staff from bottom to top, and is the best truly private and purely social club in America.” C+RB

A CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE The Excellence in Club Management (ECM) Awards were established by the McMahon Group, Inc., the St. Louis-based consulting firm, in 1997 and have been co-sponsored by Club + Resort Business since 2006. The National Club Association became an additional sponsor in 2018.

The annual awards are selected through nominations submitted on behalf of qualified candidates by other parties. Award recipients are selected solely on the basis of their achievements at the club they currently manage. A Selection Committee comprised of a peer group of leading club managers conducts the judging for the ECM Awards.

Awards in four categories are given each year: • The James H. Brewer Award, for a manager of a Country/Golf Club with 600 or more full-privilege members

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

• The Mead Grady Award, for a manager of a Country/Golf Club with fewer than 600 fullprivilege members • The Mel Rex Award, for a manager of a City, Athletic or Specialty (Non-Golf) Club • The “Rising Star” Award for an assistant club manager A full listing of judges, in addition to information on past winners and on how to nominate candidates for future years’ awards, can be found at www.clubmanageraward.com.

The 2019 Excellence in Club Management winners were honored at an Awards Dinner held at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas on February 8, 2020 (“The Toast of Texas,” C+RB, March 2020). The Awards Dinner was sponsored by Denehy Club Thinking Partners, ForeTees LLC, Izon Golf, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives and Preferred Club.

August 2020 l Club + Resort Business l 47

PRODUCT SHOWCASE �������� ��������

I���������

Missing Link

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Rain Bird Golf

To Infinity and Beyond

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T���� + U�������� Flexible Shade

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Social-Distance Dining

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Bambrella

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Is Your Club

A Top

Innovator?

More than ever, great ideas are needed on an everyday basis for club and resort properties, to stay relevant in today’s vastly changed operating environment and to provide new levels of value and satisfaction for members and guests.

In its December 2020 issue, Club + Resort Business will once again honor Top Innovators through its 2nd Annual Awards that will recognize leading-edge performance in club and resort operations and management, including:

• Board of Directors Relations

• Youth Programs

• Clubhouse Design

• Other Recreation Programs (Archery, Equestrian, Outdoor Activities, Shooting, etc.)

• Course and Grounds Maintenance • Food-and-Beverage Programs, including Development of Signature Beverages, Dishes and Venues

• Outdoor Dining and Patio Design • Pool Operations and Aquatic Programs

• Fitness Operations and Programs

• Pro Shop Retailing

• Golf Operations and Programs

• Social Media

• Kitchen Design and Operations

• Special Events

• Locker Room Operations

• Staff Motivation and Training

• Maintenance Facilities

• Technology

• Member Marketing and Communications

• Tennis Operations and Programs • Websites

To have us see why your club and management team should be viewed as a Top Innovator, go to www.clubandresortbusiness.com and complete the online form. Or send an e-mail to editor@clubandresortbusiness.com to have us contact you for details.

Then watch to see if your club makes the list of C+RBʼs Top Innovators this year!

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

M����� S������� + A��������� T���������

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Repair and Inspect

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Join the Club

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Virus Killer

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Sports Solutions

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

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The Gold Standard

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Timely Remembrance Product: Verdin Golf Course Clock Features: ▶ Many two- and four-faced models ▶ Clocks are custom-made and UL-approved ▶ Superior Moonglow backlit dials are shatterproof ▶ Custom headers, colors and dials with logo ▶ Optional installation and maintenance by Verdin technicians

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Keep It Clean

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Features:

▶ Tri-C Club Supply now offers Sani Professional Cleaning Solutions

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Tri-C Club Supply – Duffy’s

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Circle Gets the Chair

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Stacking the Deck

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August 2020

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������� ��������� All In on Alon

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Opulent Spread

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August 2020

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IDEAEXCHANGE SAVING THE SEASON

By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor

WHEN SHUTDOWNS SWEPT ACROSS the nation earlier this year to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the spring sports seasons of high-school athletes were lost to the pandemic as well.

That prompted the private Newton (N.J.) Country Club to spring into action and open its gates, to allow the most recent juniors and seniors on the boys’ and girls’ golf teams at nine area high schools in Sussex County to play its 18-hole course for free in July and August.

The idea was the brainchild of Jeff Bonham, former Newton CC President and a member of the club’s Board of Trustees, and Mike Briegel, the current Board President.

“The entire spring sports season in all of New Jersey got wiped out this year,” says Bonham, who played golf and baseball when he was in high school. “It’s a great idea for any local club to do for local schools. We are in an area where there’s a group of nine high-school golf teams that play against each other.”

After all, high-school and junior golf are staples at Newton CC. The property serves as the home course for the golf teams of the public Newton High School, as well as an area parochial school, Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The club was also the site of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North 1 and 2, Group 1 tournament in 2019, and it was set to hold the tournament again this spring before the season was canceled.

And for more than 10 years, Newton CC has been the host of the New Jersey PGA Junior Masters, an annual two-day event that is held each August.

In addition, Jimmy Apostolico, a club member and part of its junior program that serves about 35 young golfers, won the state boys’ championship several years ago.

Bonham brought up the proposal to allow the students to play at Newton CC’s Board meeting, and it was approved easily. First, however, he ran the idea by the golf coaches at Newton High and Pope John XXIII. “They thought it was fantastic,” he says.

“They thought it was best for juniors and seniors, because they have their own transportation and they know golf etiquette.”

After the initial reaction from the Newton and Pope John XXIII coaches, the property decided to extend the opportunity to all of the high-school golf teams in the county.

“Each coach got very excited about it,” Bonham says. “Our membership is very excited about it, too. There’s never enough young people on the golf course for any of us.”

The high-school golfers are being allowed to play at the club seven days a week, but their hours are restricted to the afternoons.

Newton CC has a special affinity for supporting high-school golf, with club member Jimmy Apostolico (above) having won a state championship.

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Newton CC has been the home course for two high schools’ golf teams in its area, but after the pandemic shut down this year’s spring season, it opened its course so players from nine area schools could play at no charge throughout July and August.

“Most of our members play in the morning,” says Bonham. “The average age of our members is 55, but we remember what it’s like playing until sunset in the afternoons.

There’s nothing like it.”

The young golfers can walk when they play and carry or pull their own bags, just as they do in high-school tournaments. They need to check in at the pro shop before they go out on the course, and the coaches from each of the schools submitted a roster of eligible players to the property.

“The last rule is we want them to enjoy themselves,” says Bonham.

Newton’s PGA Professional Robin Kohberger, who has worked at the property for 35 years, will see to that.

“We’ll probably run a few tournaments,” he says. “Otherwise, they just need to show up and let me know they’re here.”

Kohberger knows the high-school golfers are not just athletes. They’re also competitors, and with the tournaments, the free-golf initiative will tap into that aspect of the game that they missed with their lost seasons.

“It’s terrible the way the virus took away high-school sports and graduations in our area,” Bonham says. “There’s no way for other sports like baseball or lacrosse to get back their seasons, but a golf course can do something about it, by offering their course for high-school students to play.”

He also thought it was important to open up the golf course to them at no charge.

“When high-school players play on their golf teams in the spring, they don’t pay,” says Bonham. “This is a good way for clubs to give back to their communities.” www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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