Clubhouse Notes

Starting a New Journey

IT’S TIME TO TURN OVER A NEW

LEAF. That thought was foremost in my mind when I accepted the positi on of Associate Editor with Club + Resort Business. Aft er spending a quarter-century in traditi onal journalism, I am excited about this new opportunity at C+RB.

I became a journalist because I enjoy learning about new subjects and believe everyone has a unique story to share. I’ve tried to operate with that mindset on each story I’ve writt en and edited during the past two-and-a half decades. In my work with the Akron Beacon Journal and a group of weekly publicati ons covering citi es near Akron, Ohio, I’ve primarily covered the acti viti es of local government, but have also writt en about electi ons, court cases, new businesses and sports.

I’ll bring a journalist’s perspecti ve to this job, but I also have personal experiences that I can draw upon. Stepping into this role covering the private club and resort industry has prompted childhood memories of growing up as a member and summer employee at a modest country club. My family from about 1980 through the mid-1990s belonged to a no-frills place called Georgetown Country Club in Ann Arbor, Mich. Situated in a neighborhood of Colonial, Ranch and Cape Cod houses on the south side of the city that is home to the University

I became a journalist because I enjoy learning about new subjects and believe everyone has a unique story to share.

of Michigan, Georgetown CC off ered a swimming pool, four tennis courts, an unassuming clubhouse and a well-maintained 9-hole, Par 28 golf course.

I have fond memories of learning to swim and play tennis, goofi ng around at the pool with my friends, and playing a lot of golf at Georgetown. It is where I developed a love and appreciati on for the game of golf that I carry with me today. For two summers while I was home from college, I taught golf lessons to children and worked in the pro shop. The club was focused on providing a friendly, welcoming atmosphere to members and guests, as well as keeping our neighborhood connected throughout the spring and summer months. With its casual sensibiliti es, Georgetown felt less like a country club and more like a community center.

As I recall my overwhelmingly positi ve experience as a member and an employee of a non-traditi onal country club, I’m interested to see how country clubs and

Phil Keren • Associate Editor

pkeren@wtwhmedia.com resorts are evolving, parti cularly since our world was turned upside down two years ago. As readers of this publicati on know, golf experienced a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as an outdoor acti vity that could be enjoyed with social distancing and some other precauti ons. According to the Nati onal Golf Foundati on, there were 3.2 million people who played their fi rst ever round of golf in 2021; that fi gure is nearly 30% higher than the number of fi rst-ti me golfers who hit the links in 2019.

I’m curious to learn what leaders of clubs and resorts are doing to att ract golfi ng newbies to their faciliti es and how they will try to retain those customers over ti me. In additi on, I’d like to know about other strategies being employed to grow membership. If you are an owner or a general manager of a club or resort, feel free to drop me a line at pkeren@ wtwhmedia.com about the eff orts and projects you’re undertaking. I look forward to hearing from you as I begin this new journey.