Anticipation -  So ask yourself this. Are you creating Anticipation in your club or resort offerings? Are you keeping it fresh and regularly trying new things? Do you brainstorm with your staff for new ideas? Are you willing to step out of the box? Are your events really special or just called special because that's what you've always called them. In my conversations and visits to... Click Here to Continue

 Are You Serious About Sales? - One of our Legendary Partners recently asked me for an agenda for a Sales Meeting for his Resort. I put together a one page document that detailed the components necessary for an effective meeting, but as I looked it over, I felt more explanation was necessary. So, I began to expand on the simple format and explain a bit about the... Click Here to Continue

 Food for Thought! - In assessing the operations of many clubs/resorts each month, I find that one of the most poorly operated, inconsistent areas of club/resort operations is Food and Beverage.  Especially in member owned environments, which are often overseen by a club board, people seem to think that because they dine out, they somehow have some level of  expertise... Click Here to Continue

 Position Agreements - Why Job Descriptions are worthless and Position Agreements are priceless! A job description is nothing more than a general “to do” list and then it is for the employee to figure out what is most important.  What usually happens is that the employee defaults to only those things in the job description that the he enjoys doing.  The results and Click Here to Continue.

 Are You Performance Driven? - I am amazed at the number of clubs and resorts I speak with who fall far short of creating expectations and accountabilities in their businesses for their key management personnel.  Business is about producing a “bottom line” in accordance with the experience your members and guests want and are willing to pay for.  Click Here to Continue. 

 Follow The Leader! - Remember playing Follow the Leader? It's a game I played on occasion as a kid at parties or sometimes after school. The format as I recall began with choosing a “leader” or "head of the line" and then everyone lined up behind the leader. The leader then moved around and everyone had to mimic the leader's actions. Any players who... Click Here to Continue. 

 It's a Forfeit! - Everyone in the golf business has heard of a forfeit, right?  Forfeits happen often in match play club events when there aren't enough players to fill a bracket or when a player simply can't show up for a match .  So, the match is forfeited!  It is given to a competitor because the other competitor for whatever reason, didn't, wouldn't, or couldn't compete... Click Here to Continue.

 Who Do You Know Who? - There is no better source for a new lead for membership at your Club than a referral from a new or current Member. I talk to several Clubs each week and always ask about a member referral program only to find that the Clubs, though desperately in need of new members, do not have a member referral plan in place. Used effectively ... Click Here to Continue.

 Refundable Initiation Fees! Why? - Every week I speak to Private Clubs experiencing problems with membership.  To gain an understanding of their situation I ask a series of questions that include the Initiation Fee required to join the Club.  The majority of time, there is a provision for the return of a portion or in some cases all of the Initiation ... Click Here to Continue.

 Got Plans - As we enter the final two months of 2008, your Club should be well on its way if not finished with its Business Plan for 2009.  Yet, I find that in many cases Clubs have not yet even started the process.  When I ask why the plan hasn't begun, I hear a litany of amusing responses, well actually unfounded excuses.  A sampling of the feedback includes ... Click Here to Continue.

 Are you overlooking your members? - New Members and a growing dues line (the number of members in each category of membership multiplied by the dues for each category and then summed over all categories) is the MOST CRITICAL need for Private Clubs. Even at Clubs with the most satisfied Members, attrition is going to occur due to relocation, health related problems, changes in family situations, or financial problems. If these ... Click Here to Continue.

 Help, I Need More Members! - I hear this refrain from Private Country Clubs all over the Country. With a falling stock market, unemployment at all time highs, and more homes in foreclosure than at any time in history, Private Clubs are experiencing record high attrition and are finding it increasingly difficult to find new Members. Yet, I am amazed at what I hear after a few questions to club managers and the lack of action being taken to do something ... Click Here to Continue.

 Whats My Line? -  I was channel surfing the other night when I ran across a rerun of a game show that had a successful 17 year run from 1950 to 1967. The show's name is “What's My Line?” and although the format of the show does not apply to the golf industry in any way, it got me thinking about the importance of the “right lines” in your business... Click Here to Continue.

 What Are You Doing? - 2009 is underway. A new president and Congress are in place and facing a difficult challenge as our country and its economy are hurting. Unemployment is at a 17 year high, the stock market continues to struggle, foreclosures continue to rise, and large companies, because of their poor business practices, continue to have their hand out for gov... Click Here to Continue.

 Who Are Those strangers In My (Club) House? - Who is that guy? Who are those people? How often have you heard that from your members in the golf shop in the morning while waiting to check in for golf? Or, questions about the group playing in front of them on the course? Well, those strangers might just provide the very best opportunity for your... Click Here to Continue.