Club + Resort Business October 2021

October 2021

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

®

The Blackthorn Club’s

Big Turnaround Locker Rooms

INSIDE: Designing Kitchens for New F+B Demands Steps for Successful Hospitality Staffing

Introducing Curtis Genesis.

A new brewing tradition.

Offer members exquisitely fresh coffee with the new Curtis Genesis bean-to-cup brewer.

Engineered for simplicity and reliability, it reduces waste and minimizes labor costs.

Genesis is designed with an easy-to-navigate touch display – for self-service or staff operation – all in a slim footprint.

PERFECTING THE ART OF BREWING SINCE 1941 WILBURCURTIS.COM |

Editorial

Advertising

Digital Media/Web/Development

Events

EDITOR

VICE PRESIDENT - GROUP PUBLISHER

VP, DIGITAL MARKETING

EVENTS MANAGER

vgoulding@wtwhmedia.com

josborne@wtwhmedia.com

Joe Barks

Tom McIntyre

jbarks@wtwhmedia.com 610-688-5666 office 610-416-3550 cell 175 Strafford Ave., Suite 1 Wayne, PA 19087

tmcintyre@wtwhmedia.com 216-533-9186

John Petersen

jpetersen@wtwhmedia.com 216-346-8790

Rob Thomas

rthomas@wtwhmedia.com 216-316-5294 1111 Superior Ave., 26th Floor Cleveland, OH 44114

SALES DIRECTOR

Tony Bolla

tbolla@wtwhmedia.com 773-859-1107

EDITOR, CLUB + RESORT CHEF

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER

jdechellis@wtwhmedia.com 412-260-9233

aburk@wtwhmedia.com

Ashley Burk

Joanna DeChellis

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER

Jake Bechtel

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Course + Grounds:

Betsy Gilliland Jeff Bollig Design + Renovation:

EVENT MARKETING SPECIALIST

jbreuler@wtwhmedia.com

ozemanek@wtwhmedia.com

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Video Services

dmiyares@wtwhmedia.com

VIDEOGRAPHER

SR. DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER

bvoyten@wtwhmedia.com

Dave Miyares

Pat Curran

VIDEOGRAPHER

DIGITAL PRODUCTION MANAGER

gmccafferty@wtwhmedia.com

rhall@wtwhmedia.com

Finance

DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

CONTROLLER

nlender@wtwhmedia.com

bkorsberg@wtwhmedia.com

Reggie Hall

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER

DIGITAL PRODUCTION/ MARKETING DESIGNER

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE SPECIALIST

sking@wtwhmedia.com

jmilton@wtwhmedia.com

Production services

VP STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER

jhopper@wtwhmedia.com

shulett@wtwhmedia.com

WEBINAR COORDINATOR hkirsh@wtwhmedia.com

mrook@wtwhmedia.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

jcooper@wtwhmedia.com

Kim Dorsey

Creative Services

Stephanie Hulett

VP, CREATIVE SERVICES

Mark Rook

Jane Cooper

Erin Canetta

Garrett McCafferty's

Nicole Lender

pmcintyre@wtwhmedia.com 216-372-8112

Marilyn Odesser-Torpey Lauren Sasala Tad Wilkes

Bradley Voyten

pcurran@wtwhmedia.com

Samantha King

Food + Beverage:

Olivia Zemanek

jbechtel@wtwhmedia.com 440-465-1914

Patrick McIntyre

Pamela Brill

Jen Osborne

DIGITAL MARKETING COORDINATOR

Josh Breuler

PUBLISHER

SENIOR EDITOR

Virginia Goulding

ecanetta@wtwhmedia.com

Brian Korsberg

Jamila Milton

Jay Hopper

Halle Kirsh

WEBINAR COORDINATOR kdorsey@wtwhmedia.com

ART DIRECTOR

OCTOBER CLUB INDEX

mclaney@wtwhmedia.com

Club and resort properties featured in this issue

DIRECTOR, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Atlanta Country Club, Marietta, Ga. .........................................................10

bsprague@wtwhmedia.com

Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, N.J. ...........................................................18

Matthew Claney

.

BallenIsles Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. ......................24

Bruce Sprague

Blackthorn Club at The Ridges, Jonesborough, Tenn. .........................26 The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. ....12, 14, 23 The Club at Horseshoe Bay Resort, Horseshoe Bay, Texas .............9

WTWH MEDIA, LLC

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

Colonial Country Club, Fort Myers, Fla. ..................................................32 2011 - 2020

Country Club of Salisbury, Salisbury, N.C. .........................................36 Edgeworth Club, Sewickley, Pa. ..................................................................54

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 2021, WTWH Media, LLC

Richmond County Country Club, Staten Island, N.Y. ......................20

Club + Resort Business ISSN 1556-13X is published monthly by WTWH Media, LLC, 1111 Superior Avenue, 26th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44114. Copyright ©2021. 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© 2021 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.

Sawgrass Country Club, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. ............................22

Rio Verde Country Club, Rio Verde, Ariz. ..........................................34 Rockland Country Club, Sparkill, N.Y. ..................................................42 Summit Hills Country Club, Crestview Hills, Ky. ...............................40 Tampa (Fla.) Yacht & Country Club, Tampa, Fla. ...............................38 Wichita Country Club, Wichita, Kan. ........................................................40

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THE ROB REPORT

Celebrating Longevity I WAS RECENTLY IN French Lick, Ind. for a feature story on the French Lick Resort—home to a pair of amazing golf courses from Donald Ross and Pete Dye—and historic hotels, a casino and so much more. It’s also the birthplace of NBA legend Larry Bird, but that’s beside the point.

After completing a round of golf on the Dye course, I went into The Mansion for lunch with Dave Harner, the resort’s Director of Golf Operations. As we sat there and talked about the golf courses, renovations, overcoming challenges presented by the COVID pandemic, etc., he mentioned that he started at the resort in 1976.

At first, the number didn’t register. But when you think that Y2K—and all the panic that surrounded what the change of centuries was going to do to our digital world—was more than two decades ago…1976 began to sink in.

In 1976, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest won the Academy Award for Best Picture; the aforementioned Bird was at Indiana State University and his future professional league merged with the ABA; gymnast Nadia Comaneci recorded the first perfect 10 for her routine on the uneven bars at the Montreal Olympics; and Jimmy Carter defeated incumbent Gerald Ford for the presidency. In other words, it was a long time ago.

During my time in the public relations world, one of the properties I worked with was Sun Valley Resort in Idaho. My contact at the resort was Jack Sibbach, the Marketing and Public Relations Director.

Sibbach began working at the resort in 1978. He started working as a doorman at the Ram Restaurant and, during his tenure, worked as the resort’s night manager, ran the recreation center, did food and beverage jobs (including managing several restaurants), did maintenance, and worked in the ski school.

“We’re all very lucky to have the Holdings as owners,” Sibbach said in a 2016 interview with the Idaho Mountain Express as he was preparing to transition out of his role. “If we’re willing to work, they would put us to work.”

While 1976 and 1978 are impressive start dates for Harner and Sibbach, I recently heard of one man who has them both beat. Greg Bingeman has worked at Susquehanna Valley Country Club in Hummels Wharf, Pa. since 1965!

Bingeman began as a high-school student “doing the grunt work,” he told the Sunbury Daily Item, and then attended Penn State University’s turfgrass management program.

Bingeman is not yet retiring—he told the Daily Item he plans on working every morning Monday through Friday—but is finally slowing down.

Dave Harner

“We have a person who’s going to take my position, but I’m still gonna be around,” Bingeman said. “I’ve worked seven days a week for 50 years, it’s time to give it up.”

You’ve earned it, Mr. Bingeman!

For those of you just starting your journey, can you imagine being at the same property for 50 years? And for those of you who have already reached the 50year mark, I want to know how you did it. Please shoot me an e-mail and share your thoughts.

Rob Thomas • Senior Editor

rthomas@wtwhmedia.com

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

October 2021

l Club + Resort Business l 5

EDITOR’S MEMO

Do You Believe in ‘Bleisure’?

A growing trend to watch, according to Stephanie Diamond, the Vice President of Human Capital Management for Global Rescue, a provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk-management services, is “bleisure.”

“Bleisure,” Diamond helpfully explains, is a “portmanteau”—the process of blending two words to create a new term, such as when smog was coined by combining smoke and fog, or motel by combining motor and hotel.

In this case, the combination (some might say butchering) is of “business” and “leisure.” And the term describes what Diamond thinks will become more commonplace and emerge as a “silver lining” as the pandemic eases.

“Bleisure travel—tacking leisure days onto a work-related trip—is not new,” Diamond says. But it is likely to become a more prevalent practice, she believes, as business travel returns.

And that will become the case, she adds, as it becomes more apparent that: • Virtual meetings can’t replace the value of face-to-face meetings.

• Personal interaction will always be more effective at establishing and maintaining relationships, fostering trust and driving business growth.

So how does this relate and apply to the club business? Just as with “staycations” (another tortured term), clubs may be in one of the best positions to

Just as with “staycations,” clubs may be in one of the best positions to try to capitalize on the trend for combining business and leisure, if it does indeed take hold. try to capitalize on the trend, if it does indeed take hold. Because clubs by their nature certainly offer the best environments for effective personal interaction in an enjoyable and memorable setting.

Think about it: A lot of your members are now at your club more because they’re working from home more and using the time they’re saving, by not commuting or traveling themselves, to be able to be at your property. But many of them still have to conduct business, and a lot are probably coming to realize themselves that Zooming and e-mailing can only go so far and may be jeopardizing important personal connections with their customers and associates.

Why not promote having the club serve as an ideal “bleisure” location?

Offer packages where members can invite a client, or clients, to come for an extended combination of meetings and recreational/social activities.

If you have lodging facilities you’re trying to fill (and that are staying emptier these days because travel is down), this can really have great appeal. But even if you don’t, everything else on your property still beats what’s available in offices or hotels. And it could all be enough to help your members attract the attention of, and land attendance with, key contacts they might otherwise be losing touch with.

Diamond notes that the “bleisure” concept was “particular popular prior to the pandemic with the younger generation and those in the tech industry.”

And now it is “increasingly becoming mainstream and spreading to creatives and consultants, and now more corporate types with families,” she adds. All of these are high-target demographics right now for just about every club I talk with.

So while the term is pretty forced, maybe it’s worth exploring how the concept could be put to good use in a club setting.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t also prompt the creation of a “bleisure” suit.

Joe Barks • Editor jbarks@wtwhmedia.com

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www.clubandresortbusiness.com

INSIDE

October 2021 • Vol. 17 • No. 10

THIS

ISSUE

26

The Blackthorn Club’s Big Turnaround

Just 10 years after its founding, the Jonesborough, Tenn. property faced an uncertain future. But after an ownership change, club rebranding and crisp execution of a strategy to offer a more well-rounded slate of amenities, it has now completed its “little engine that could” journey and climbed to capacity for full-facility memberships.

(Photo Courtesy Blackthorn Club at The Ridges)

Locker Rooms

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

16

Top Ranked

LEGENDARY LOCKER ROOMS

C+RB’s new list of the Top 20 club and resort locker-room facilities.

32 LAYING IT ON THE LINE Design + Renovation

How repositioned layouts have helped club kitchens boost productivity and add new service features.

5

The Rob Report

6

Editor’s Memo

9

Golf Operation

10 12 14 54

Food + Beverage 38 STEPPING UP THE SEARCH

Chefs and front-of-the-house managers are pulling out all the stops to still attract the best kitchen and dining-room staff.

4 Club Index 8

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+ Grounds 42 Course MODERN MARVEL

CELEBRATING LONGEVITY DO YOU BELIEVE IN “BLEISURE”?

DEALING WITH BAD BEHAVIOR Membership + Marketing

WINNING THE WAITING GAME Golf + Fitness Technology

HOW PERFORMANCE CENTERS CAN APPEAL TO ACTIVELY AGING ADULTS Golf + Fitness Technology

REELING IN THE RELUCTANT Idea Exchange

EARNING THE LION’S SHARE

How an updated logo that still nods to tradition has helped the 128-yearold Edgeworth Club boost its image— and sales.

After a decade of improvements, the golf course at Rockland CC is creating a buzz among members and the surrounding community.

49 Product Showcase

53 Ad Index www.clubandresortbusiness.com

GOLF OPERATIONS

DEALING WITH BAD BEHAVIOR

By Anthony T. Holder, PGA • Director of Golf The Club at Horseshoe Bay (Texas) Resort

GOLF IS A GAME of honor where participants often call penalties on themselves.

That said, golfers have been known to become inebriated or cause damage to the course. When these delicate situations arise, it becomes the difficult task of golf professionals to step in.

Club + Resort Business: How would you recommend dealing with a member or guest who has become unruly after drinking too much?

Anthony T. Holder: This has to be handled with delicate gloves, as the smallest comment or indication of poor body language could escalate the situation.

Speak with others in the party to identify those who are rational and would agree that this individual’s actions are indeed unruly and unbecoming. The strength is in the numbers and with those this person has a deeper relationship with.

Remove the individual from the public view, to prevent any potential for him or her to act out in the form of entertainment.

Try to relate with the individual and begin to build credibility by listening, showing empathy and understanding, and that you genuinely care about their well-being.

Arrange for transportation to get the individual home safely; there is no need to begin the process of outlining a “code of conduct” until the culprit is sobered up, as it would just potentially enrage them and escalate the situation. The following day, schedule a meeting to outline the code of conduct at the club and what the consequences would be should this happen again.

Be sure to outline a summary of this incident (and any incident with a member/ guest) and place it in their membership file, so the club has good records on whether this is becoming a trend.

There would then need to be an investi-

customer is clearly showing poor behavior, don’t follow “ Ifthem the into the same trap, as this makes you wrong as well. I

love a quote I once read that said, ‘Ships don’t sink because of the water AROUND them. Ships sink because of the water that gets IN them.

”

gation into when and where this individual was overserved and, if it occurred on our premises, a coaching/counseling session for our internal staff.

The last piece would be a final followup with the individual, to make sure they felt the matter was handled appropriately.

This is an important step, as you always find some subtle things that the culprit noticed that you may not have picked up on. If you follow this process, you can really fine-tune how these types of challenging situations are handled, and build enormous respect and credibility among the membership and staff.

C+RB: How would you recommend dealing with a member or guest who has damaged the course?

AH: This depends on whether it was an accident or done with malicious intent.

Either way, we would have security come and write up a report, including photos and statements from witnesses.

Obviously, any damage to the property done on purpose would not be tolerated and would result in fines, suspension, or termination of membership depending on the scenario, which is also outlined in our membership policies and guidelines.

In any circumstance, the person’s safety and health are always the number-one priority. We start with making sure everyone is OK, then try to determine whether it was accidental or malicious, and then take the necessary steps from there.

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

C+RB: Is there wording in club documents that addresses this potential behavior?

AH: Yes, our membership policies and guidelines include a “code of conduct” for both members and guests.

C+RB: How do you instruct employees to handle poor behavior from members and guests?

AH: We always say, “Two wrongs don’t make a right!” So if the customer is clearly showing poor behavior, don’t follow them into the same trap, as this makes you wrong as well.

I love a quote I once read that said “Ships don’t sink because of the water AROUND them. Ships sink because of the water that gets IN them.” Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside you and bring you down. We are the professionals, and we should act as such. Sometimes it is very tempting to respond with emotion, but we must use logic when working in the hospitality/service industry.

It is a lot easier for the manager to step in and defend the club’s position when the front-line associate has maintained a professional demeanor, as opposed to taking an alternative approach. More often than not, when the staff maintains a strong line of professionalism, it is very evident (even for the culprit, once calmed) to realize who was in the wrong.

MORE ONLINE

For more of this Q+A, see the online version of this article at www.clubandresortbusiness.com October 2021

l Club + Resort Business l 9

MEMBERSHIP + MARKETING

WINNING THE WAITING GAME

By Bri Payne • Membership and Communications Director Atlanta Country Club • Marietta, Ga.

THE YEAR 2020 WAS worse than being a devoted Atlanta sports fan. But one thing’s for sure: The golf industry thrived like no other. Clubs saw a rapid increase in membership interest and exponential growth in new members added. As a result, many clubs approached the ultimate pinnacle of membership sales success: the exclusive waitlist.

Now more than ever, though, we live in a world that craves instant gratification.

So what happens when a prospect can no longer waltz into your club, sign on the dotted line and write a check to join right then and there? It can make them want it even more...to a certain extent.

But it also makes club membership directors face a new challenge: How long are prospects willing to wait for your club, how can you convince new prospects to join the waitlist, and how the heck can you keep everyone excited to wait for a membership they wanted yesterday?

While a waitlist is every club’s dream, it doesn’t last forever, especially if you’re looking to uphold its exclusivity for the long haul. Even at my club, with a history of having a waitlist, we have still found ourselves shifting our priority to now keeping those on the waitlist committed, all while continuing to persuade quality candidates to join a continuously growing line.

My club’s Membership Committee and I started planning and hosting mingles, with a special focus on inviting both prospects and their spouses or partners. Inclusivity is an important factor that plays into camaraderie, and at the same time it’s becoming more common to see membership as a

Atlanta CC’s Membership Committee planned and hosted mingling events that included guests currently on the waitlist as well as those close to making a commitment to get on it. The club’s waitlist has grown to record high levels in the past two years.

husband/wife/family decision. I personally find this to be essential when it comes to new prospects.

The most important key that played into our overall success was taking a strategic approach when creating our invitation list.

We followed a rough 60/40 breakdown: 60% of the invited guests were those currently on the waitlist to join, while the other 40% were close to making a commitment to get onto it, and needed a final push to commit.

Having this mix of prospects helped us in two ways: 1. It engaged those currently on the waitlist and kept them excited for their day to join, while recommitting to their willingness to wait.

2. The overall excitement from those on the waitlist radiated onto prospects who were still contemplating making

“Now more than ever, we live in a world that craves instant

gratification. So what happens when a prospect can no longer waltz into your club and write a check to join right then and there? How can you keep everyone excited to be on a waitlist for a membership they wanted yesterday?

”

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the commitment to get onto it.

Essentially, through this approach we added an additional layer to the standard prospect event we all know too well. Not only did we have current members in attendance to share their love of the club, we also had waitlist prospects who were naturally eager to express their excitement for their turn to get in.

This win-win formula took prospects from just continuing to contemplate their decision to pursue membership, to becoming fully committed on the waitlist. It also helps to have a membership that has a genuine kindness with the ability to make connections organically. Mix that with a golf course that sells itself, and everyone is willing to wait their turn.

Pivoting our prospecting process in this way allowed us to catapult our waitlist to an all-time record high level for the club, resulting in 136% growth in 2020. And currently, our waitlist is up 182%, compared to a year earlier.

Bri Payne is a membership sales, retention and communications professional with over eight years of experience in the golf and country club industry. She has served as Atlanta Country Club’s Membership and Communications Director since January 2020. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

Customer Spotlight Club Name:

Conway Farms Golf Club

Member Made Reservations in ForeTees: 92% Members logins through the App: 91%

ForeTees Systems Used:

App, Website, Dining, Simulator, Golf & Caddie Management

ForeTees is the connective tissue between the Conway Farms membership and staff. Fully integrated between golf, dining, the app and website, the ForeTees language is instrumental with our Club’s success – communication, ease of use, and most important – exceptional customer service. No call or email goes unanswered within minutes.

ForeTees is our one stop shop for all things Conway Farms.

- Robin Martin, Operations Director

Club Software Made Simple Reservations Tee Times, Dining, Tennis, Pickleball, Simulators, Fitness and more.

Member and Staff Apps Easy Reservations, Food Ordering, Push Notifications, Club Branding and more.

Club Management Point of Sale, Financial Reports, Member Reports, Banquet Events and more.

Website and Communication Member and Public facing website, email campaigns, custom designs, and more.

www.foretees.com

sales@foretees.com

GOLF + FITNESS TECHNOLOGY

HOW PERFORMANCE CENTERS CAN APPEAL

TO ACTIVELY AGING ADULTS

By Matt Kilgariff, Director of Player Development, The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe (Calif.)

WHEN DESIGNING YOUR GOLF PERFORMANCE center and creating programs for it, be careful not to overlook a very important demographic—the actively aging adult golfer.

Create programs designed especially for this group that focus on mobility, flexibility, and speed. Be sure to consult and collaborate with your fitness professional to create frequent and ongoing clinics, classes, and workshops that will help keep them safe and injury-free.

Do your best to schedule programs that would be offered during times that fit the majority of this group’s availability.

Some in this group may have more free time than others.

And as always, you need to find the best ways to maximize your time. So be flexible, and learn through trial and error what works and what doesn’t.

Create programs with the same philosophy and techniques you would for most any golfing group. Make it your mission to discover what these golfers are looking for. Some may be looking for just a low-key, fun or social atmosphere.

For them, make it enjoyable by being creative and doing things such as playing music on the range or having a “9 & Wine” early-afternoon event.

Keep in mind that others in this group may be looking for technique refinement or competition opportunities.

The major concern I hear from these golfers is how they struggle with the loss of power and distance. If your golfers are expressing this to you, focus on how to help them hit the ball farther. What will it take to increase or maintain their swing speed?

The two major sources of power in the golf swing are proper wrist-hinge, and pressure-loading on the takeaway.

With proper hinge and loading, they will be able to unload while maintaining lag (the angle between the forearm and shaft) with the wrists and hands.

When starting their takeaway, make sure that the student is properly setting the club. Setting the wrists on the takeaway is very important, as it provides a lever that can be released into impact, creating a whip effect.

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The major concern from these golfers is “ how they struggle with the loss of power and distance. Focus on how to help them hit the ball farther. What will it take to increase or maintain their swing speed?

”

The best training aids when working on wrist-hinge are Swingyde and Total Golf Trainer. These aids allow a player to feel and understand how much wrist-hinge is needed to maintain lag into impact.

Golfers need to coil on the takeaway, turning pressure into the instep of the trail foot. What I often see with this group is strictly a “lifting” of the club, with no real turn.

They typically sway to the outside of their back foot and then throw the club back “at” the ball. No coil leads to no speed and no power.

The best tools to measure this are Swing Catalyst and BodiTrak. Both devices measure foot pressure and show you where the foot is being loaded. You want to see the heel and big toe of the trail foot loading on the backswing, and not let the pressure shift to the outside of this foot. This will allow the player to properly sequence back through the ball, using ground force to help create power.

Bottom line, make these members a priority. A considerable part of your role is to do all you can to keep these individuals engaged in all areas of the game. Offer them creative opportunities to play as much golf as they can, by doing your part to help them stay happy, healthy, and safely enjoying this amazing sport for as long as they can.

Matt Kilgariff is a PGA professional who spent much of his career working for Butch Harmon and the Harmon Family. He is currently the Director of Player Development at The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Prior to joining The Bridges, Kilgariff was Director of Player Development at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. Matt has also been part of TaylorMade’s National Advisory Staff since 2012.

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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GOLF + FITNESS TECHNOLOGY

REELING IN T

By Keke Lyles

IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT regular attendees at the gym and in fitness classes are usually the individuals who are the most in shape. At least physically, they look the part.

It is also not surprising that these same members tend to have the most energy, because of the time and dedication they put into taking care of their bodies.

So if it’s clear that spending time and effort at the gym will get the results that most of us would want—a healthier body and a happier life—why do many still have a difficult time making that a priority? And how can we create programs and other incentives that will bring more members into the club’s gym to focus on fitness?

For younger members who are serious about golf or tennis, they typically are already much more willing to put in the work that will help transform their bodies into high-performing machines. They are usually looking to get any advantage they can to better their performance in their other activities.

There is also a smaller group of more mature members who are starting to realize that Father Time is catching up to them and are looking for every way to help slow that aging process down. Additionally, there’s the social group of members who exercise together to stay healthy, but also use that time to connect and spend time with their friends.

Beyond these groups, though, there remains a large number of members who simply do not utilize what the gym can offer. My experience has taught me that they are actually willing to engage in activities, but just need to be helped along to start the journey. They need to be educated in the benefits of exercise, shown how it will translate into the activities they care most about, and offered solutions that are welcoming to those who are not as comfortable in the gym setting.

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Older members who haven’t stepped foot inside the gym are not going to want to walk into a high-intensity interval training class with a bunch of younger members. Nor will they want to step into a yoga class with a social group. It is important to understand what their needs are, and how to engage with them so they feel comfortable coming into the fitness center.

Consider having a stretching, mobility and stability class for these members. Encourage your Fitness Director to go out onto the driving range and build relationships with the members who usually do not come into the gym. For special events like tournaments, consider hiring stretch therapists to set up on the warmup range and provide a free, 10-minute stretch session for all players.

Perhaps once a month, if you have men’s and women’s leagues, you can also provide a stretch therapist or massage therapist in their respective lounges, to promote recovery after their rounds. The goal here is to bring the gym to them.

Another creative and very beneficial amenity to offer is a golf-specific warmup. Some clubs have bought third-party software to show members how to properly physically warm up for golf. Even better, you can get your fitness staff to create in-house content that can be pushed out to the members, through a simple QR code that’s provided either on the range or the first tee box and that links them to a follow-along video warmup demonstrated by your fitness professionals. This is a unique opportunity to showcase your fitness staff and get them in front of members who would not normally meet them.

Throughout the golf course, you can place other QR codes that highlight mental focus, deep breaths, stretches, etc. This way, as golfers play their rounds, they will have many opportunities to connect and interact with the fitness staff. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

N THE

RELUCTANT

After you start bringing the gym to the members, you will also need to have a plan in place to start to transition them into the gym. Having the staff build relationships with individual members will not only help them feel safe, it can also create a sense of accountability.

Invite members in for a free initial screening that will give an objective report about where they are physically. Once that’s completed, the door can be opened to a conversation, to point out areas that need improvement. That is another opportunity to connect with the members, hear what their needs or biggest concerns are, and align with the staff on what direction is needed.

It is important to keep in mind that the goal is to get a member to utilize the facility more, and not to try and sell services. If you want to get a member who is already hesitant to come into the gym to run away for good, then try to sell away. Be patient and show them that you care for their health, and be willing to create and offer services that will get them engaged.

When targeting mature members who have been reluctant to come to the gym, keep in mind that during the aging process, we quickly lose our ability to generate power. From there, we lose the ability to move quickly, and ultimately we lose our strength. As all of these attributes are declining, our soft-tissue structures—muscle, tendons, and our fascia—all become less pliable, making it harder and harder to move freely and much harder to train those qualities that we are losing. Focus on developing programs that address these areas, but in a safe and effective way.

Challenging your members with active range-of-motion training, progressive stability exercises and bodyweight power-exercise progressions are great ways to bring the more mature member back into the gym. The key thing to

If it’s clear that spending time and “ effort at the gym will get the results

that most of us want—a healthier body and a happier life—why do many still have a difficult time making that a priority?

And how can we create programs and other incentives that will bring more members into the club’s gym to focus on fitness?

”

remember is to keep your members safe by only having them perform movements they are capable of. Then, as they really master those movements, you can have them progress to more difficult or demanding exercises.

At the end of the day, your fitness facility should be a place where all members want to spend part of their day.

The truth is, many of the members who don’t use it currently just don’t know what benefits it offers, or might be overwhelmed about how to best take advantage of them.

So empower your fitness staff to engage with members throughout the club. Friendships will be formed that will encourage healthier lifestyles, a sense of community will be built, and members will see their membership in the club in an entirely new way.

Keke Lyles is recognized as a leader in human performance, with experience with professional athletes and Navy Special Warfare operators.

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l Club + Resort Business l 15

Legendary Locker Rooms

CLUB + RESORT BUSINESS HAS RELEASED its list of Top Ranked Locker Rooms for 2021.

The table below presents the rankings of club and resort properties that submitted entries, as judged independently by a panel comprised of club professionals from several of the industry’s most well-respected properties and a leader in the world of locker-room amenities.

The rankings reflect the judges’ scoring of data provided on the size of the locker rooms; number of lockers; extras such as shoe services and televisions; availability of dining and a bar, and amenities such as therapeutics, spa and sauna. Photos and other background information submitted with each entry were also considered.

The judges scored each entry independently, assigning points to the various aspects of the data and information submitted.

In addition to the profiles of the Top 5 ranked properties included in this issue, details about all of the Top Ranked Locker Rooms will be presented online at clubandresortbusiness.com and across our social-media platforms.

Location

Men’s Area Total Sq. Ft.

Men’s Area Total Lockers

Women’s Area Total Sq. Ft.

Springfield, N.J.

12,300

660

2,442

Staten Island, N.Y.

4,000

323

1,400

Sawgrass Country Club

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

3,883

200

2,969

Ranking

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1 2 3 4

Baltusrol Golf Club

The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe

Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

5,304

350

3,122

5

BallenIsles Country Club

Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

4,196

178

3,450

6

Robert Trent Jones Golf Club

Gainesville, Va.

3,500

344

1,200

7

Forest Creek Golf Club

Pinehurst, N.C.

9,000

372

1,200

8

Deerwood Golf Club at The Clubs of Kingwood

Kingwood, Texas

5,950

200

1,275

9 10 11 12 13

The Bridgewater Club

Carmel, Ind.

3,790

353

2,445

Richland Pointe Wellness Center

Greensboro, Ga.

963

12

1,038

Red Run Golf Club

Royal Oak, Mich.

4,500

508

2,500

Miramont Country Club

Bryan, Texas

3,904

158

1,832

The University of Texas Golf Club

Austin, Texas

1,728

306

814

14

Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort

Río Grande, P.R.

N/A

462

N/A

15 16 17 18 19 20

The Club at Mediterra

Naples, Fla.

4,500

507

3,700

Bear's Paw Country Club

Naples, Fla.

1,000

44

1,000

Park City, Utah

3,000

315

3,500

South Euclid, Ohio

15,000

304

N/A

Kenmore, Wash.

N/A

315

N/A

Mamaroneck, N.Y.

1,800

165

2,800

Richmond County Country Club

Glenwild Golf Club Mayfield Country Club Inglewood Golf Club Beach Point Club

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Wome

Locker Rooms

Women’s Area Total Lockers

Steam Room(s)

Whirlpool/ Therapeutic

Sauna(s)

Shoe Service

Bar / Dining

Number of TVs

2

270

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

11

0

72

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

2

9

100

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

4

2

223

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

7

0

148

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

4

0

60

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

3

0

120

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

5

5

30

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

6

5

258

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

5

8

14

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

12

0

210

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

2

2

68

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

3

48

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

4

357

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

7

0

401

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

3

0

44

No

No

No

No

Yes

2

0

315

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

5

104

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

5

50

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

6

115

No

No

No

No

Area . Ft.

0

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1

Locker Rooms

BALTUSROL GOLF CLUB SPRINGFIELD, N.J.

WHEN FIRE AND WATER DAMAGED this storied golf club’s clubhouse (“Saving a Special Place,” C+RB, February 2021), rebuilding the men’s locker room presented a fortuitous opportunity to showcase Baltusrol’s 125-year history. Throughout the spacious men’s locker room, historical memorabilia—including photographs, magazine covers, scorecards, and videos—are on display.

The functionality of the locker room space is apparent, with stair access from the main level of the clubhouse and outside, ground-level entrances. Generously sized lockers, showers, and steam—fixtures in the locker rooms of many fine clubs—are enhanced by the personalized service of locker-room attendants. Shoeshine, ironing, and an array of amenities including food and beverages are available to members and their guests.

The men’s locker-room dining area includes a spacious service bar and seating area for drinks or dining. Here, too, historical memorabilia convey the story of Baltusrol’s courses and champions—only fitting for a club that has hosted 17 major and national championships. Locker18

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room dining spills over onto an outdoor patio, adjacent to the new scoring room, to take advantage of temperate weather and afford ease of access to the nearby practice putting green.

The club is proud of its history and made a major investment in telling its story in a tasteful and informative fashion.

Members are very proud of their club’s past and traditions, and have gone to great lengths to preserve and exhibit it. As the club likes to say, “Our history defines our future.”

As part of the renovation, Baltusrol added the scoring room, open to all golfers and guests, where the tournaments it has hosted are celebrated with photos, scorecards, trophies, and interactive displays, all tastefully presented to illustrate the club’s rich championship pedigree of USGA and PGA events. The treasures include replicas of the U.S. Open and Wanamaker trophies. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

LOCKER ROOM EQUIPMENT ROOM CLUBHOUSE SPA HOUSEKEEPING LAUNDRY DORM ATHLETICS AQUATICS RESTROOM GYM PROSHOP SHOE SHINE

The Finest Buying Experience for your Locker Room and Housekeeping needs!

www.DuffysTriC.com Linsell Family Owned & Operated since 1978

800.274.8742

Locker Rooms

2

RICHMOND COUNTY COUNTRY CLUB STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.

RICHMOND COUNTY COUNTRY CLUB (RCCC) boasts first-class amenities, a championship golf course, a state-of-theart aquatic facility and newly renovated fitness center, eight Har-Tru tennis courts with a pavilion, an exciting bocce league, exquisite dining options, exceptional service, impressive events, and picturesque views of the surrounding harbor. Since 1888, RCCC has been known around the world for its rich tradition and family values.

In 2021, RCCC completed an exciting renovation of its golf clubhouse campus, featuring prestigious locker rooms with an abundance of amenities for members and guests.

The men’s locker room at RCCC totals 4,000 sq. ft. and boasts 323 lockers. The women’s area comprises 1,400 total sq. ft. and 72 lockers. First-class amenities include steam rooms, whirlpool and therapeutic, saunas, shoe service, and a bar with dining available for members and guests. A pair of TVs let members watch sporting events or stay informed about the news of the day.

Golf arrived at RCCC in 1894. The growing popularity of the sport was led by George Hunter, George Armstrong, and James Park. Hunter and Armstrong were members at St. Andrews, and participated in the “unofficial” amateur championship of 1894. These pioneer golfers designed a 9-hole course.

In 1897, RCCC moved to its present location on the Dongan Hills to accommodate the rising interest in golf. A new 9-hole course was built, and a second 9-hole course was created the following season. The present clubhouse was acquired from a lavish estate.

In 1989, the state of New York demonstrated its interest in Staten Island’s Green Belt by purchasing the golf course, then giving RCCC a 99-year lease. This provided an opportunity for the club to finance noticeable course enhancements, cover annual maintenance costs, and build a modern clubhouse adjacent to the championship golf course.

To this day, RCCC continues the vision of excellence established by its founding members, and proudly provides first-class amenities and state-of-the-art facilities in the heart of Staten Island.

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FORE Supply would like to thank you for your support during these unprecedented times!

FORE Supply has proudly served our customers for more than 75 years and we will continue to do so for many years to come!

Thank you!

www.ForeSupply.com

(800) 543-5430

Locker Rooms

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SAWGRASS COUNTRY CLUB PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLA.

TODAY’S CLUBHOUSE MUST BE DESIGNED to impress members and their guests who travel to play other worldclass clubs. A very high hospitality standard is expected. The elevated golf experience can no longer provide a place just for changing, but should provide areas that transform the social aspects connected with the game of golf and luxury, pampering spaces.

For a club with a rich history in tournament golf, the locker room and surrounding golf operations are as important, if not more important, than the food-andbeverage amenities. Sawgrass Country Club needed a place to celebrate its rich history and create a place where golfers could relax and share old and new stories with other members and their guests.

The membership voted to invest in a Peacock + Lewis-designed replacement clubhouse. Because golf is at the center of

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the members’ lifestyle, the construction was built in phases, to allow members and their guests to use a portion of the existing clubhouse while the new one was being constructed.

Locker rooms today include card tables and sitting areas within the space. The men’s locker room at Sawgrass goes above and beyond with the addition of concierge tailoring services, for the ultimate personal service. The entire lower level of the new clubhouse is dedicated to golf operations. The centralized locker rooms wrap the lower level of the club with an outdoor colonnade lined with windows.

The millwork cabinetry is well-appointed for grooming and efficiently integrates appliances such as ice machines, refrigerator drawers, storage, and a large TV. Wet areas connect to the locker bays with no doors, making good use of space. A towel cabinet creates a visual blind between the locker room and showers and is filled with fresh towels, plenty of drawer space and a laundry hamper.

The new clubhouse carpets interpret the classic and tailored style of Scottish houndstooth. The men’s stained lockers and leather chairs create a warm and inviting space.

The ladies’ locker room is resort-style, with a gentle, concentric circle-pattern carpet accented with salmon, watermelon and coral pops of color and crisp linen lockers. The ladies’ lounge has been such a hit that ladies are scheduling this room to host intimate private parties. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

Locker Rooms

4

THE BRIDGES AT RANCHO SANTA FE RANCHO SANTA FE, CALIF.

THE BRIDGES AT RANCHO SANTA Fe is home to some of the most outstanding locker-room facilities for both male and female members. The Bridges offers an ultra-modern experience that includes exceptionally comfortable seating, windows offering stunning views, welcoming balcony breezes, and spa amenities that help members relax while freshening up after a long day on the court or course.

The Bridges offers full-service dining out of the lounge areas for both the men’s and women’s locker rooms. Both serve as a staging and welcoming area before entering the locker-room facilities. The men’s lounge features a full bar, pool table, shuffleboard, dart board, indoor and outdoor seating, and five flat-screen TVs. The ladies lounge features indoor and outdoor seating, card tables, a reading nook and two flat-screen TVs. Several high-end products are made available to members through the locker rooms. The Bridges can coordinate skincare and massage services through the Sports Centre, which features an on-site esthetician. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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Locker Rooms

5

BALLENISLES COUNTRY CLUB PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA.

THE MOMENT MEMBERS AND GUESTS enter the BallenIsles locker rooms, there is a sense of home and comfort.

From the fine furnishings to the warm greeting from the locker-room attendants who are ready to assist, a sense of peace and tranquility is created for everyone during their visit.

The club’s locker rooms are conveniently located at both the Sports Complex and the newly renovated locker rooms at the clubhouse, offering open and welcoming gathering spaces. Individual lockers are available to store belongings, and large vanity areas are filled with products and amenities to prepare for the day.

A variety of relaxing lounge areas are available, including the sauna/steam rooms and multiple showers. Or members may choose to lay back and relax for a few moments in the facility’s quiet rooms. The rooms are stocked with complimentary snacks, sweets, daily newspapers, and magazines.

Within the Sports Complex locker rooms, members and guests have easy access to the club’s on-site Cosmo & Company Salon & Spa, which offers massages, facials, hair and nail services.

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• • •

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Hotel Room at the Grand Hyatt Nashville on the nights of March 20th - 22nd All meals from Sunday night through Tuesday afternoon Conference sessions & education Live cooking demonstrations Networking opportunities Chef Lounge A night on Broadway Event Club and Resort Chef of the Year Competition Continuing education credits Conference materials

C2C22_RegOpen_9-21_Vs1.indd 1

9/16/21 3:29 PM

» BLACKTHORN CLUB

THE BLACKTHORN CLUB’S B

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S BIG TURNAROUND Just 10 years after its founding, the Jonesborough, Tenn. property faced an uncertain future. But after an ownership change, club rebranding, and crisp execution of a strategy to offer a more well-rounded slate of amenities, it has now completed its “little engine that could” journey and climbed to capacity for full-facility memberships.

By Joe Barks, Editor

JOHN LUCCHESI, USPTA-Elite, the Director of Tennis at the Blackthorn Club at The Ridges in Jonesborough, Tenn., is sitting in a spot on the property that he’s occupied countless times since being brought to the club to start its tennis program when it was founded in 1997.

Some of what Lucchesi sees from that vantage point still looks very much as it did when he first arrived—the Arthur Hills-designed golf course and the barn on Hole No. 13 (see photo, pg. 29) that was preserved from the farmland on which it was built; the building at the nearby pool that served as the first clubhouse; and the original four tennis courts that Lucchesi used to start his program.

But as he turns in other directions—and allows his memory to travel as well—all that Lucchesi takes in presents a picture that is vastly changed from www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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» Blackthorn Club

The Blackthorn Club team now has an expanded range of programs and facilities to manage, and a full membership roster that’s using it all to the fullest. Left to right: Christopher Haley, General Manager/COO; Mike Davenport, PGA, Head Golf Professional; Russell Lutz, Superintendent; James Allen, CEC, Executive Chef; John Lucchesi, USPTA-Elite, Director of Tennis; Rachel Ingram Busenlehner, Director of Member Engagement; Becky Goodyear, Director of Administration; Jennifer Villarte, Events Coordinator.

from what he first saw, and what he’s since experienced, after becoming the club’s first employee nearly 25 years ago.

Behind Lucchesi are the club’s newest major facility improvements, representing over $1 million in investments for a new 16,800-sq. ft. indoor tennis/fitness/lounge facility, and three new outdoor pickleball courts. Those additions, along with other advancements including a new children’s playground, new event initiatives and an ever-growing culinary program, have

combined with the general revival of golf, racquet sports and club life to lead to the formation of the club’s first wait list—and mark the culmination of what General Manager/COO Christopher Haley calls “a little engine that could” story that traces the Blackthorn Club’s determined climb back up from a precipitous slide it experienced in the first decade of its existence.

NEW IDENTITY That story actually began under a dif-

Blackthorn’s golf course has been Audubon-certified for 12 years, and while its rolling terrain poses mowing challenges, Superintendent Russell Lutz says the Arthur Hills design “did a really good job with drainage” and has not needed major renovation in 20-plus years.

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ferent name: The Ridges Golf and Country Club, which was founded as a developerowned club that followed the late-’90s model of jumping on the Tiger Woods-inspired golf boom, selling homes around an atttractive course and property, and then eventually converting full ownership to the membership.

But like many of those clubs, The Ridges G&CC fell victim to the Great Recession and saw its membership ranks fall to less than 175 dues-paying members just ten years after its founding. Its saving grace, however, was that its developers were not distant, faceless corporations, but local businessmen who had vested interests—including their own homes—in the property, and the club.

The families of two of the original developers repurchased the club from the membership and renamed it Blackthorn Club at The Ridges. With for-profit status, a streamlined, committee-free structure was established, and a strong management team was assembled to set the rebranded club on the path to establishing itself as a full-service, family-centric private club with a wide range of vibrant programs.

As the original and most-tenured member of that team, Lucchesi now directs a www.clubandresortbusiness.com

robust tennis program that has grown from when he was “begging people to play” to one that now regularly sees full occupancy of the original four courts, as well as the new indoor tennis courts and outdoor pickleball courts.

The introduction of pickleball at the club—first on courts laid out in the indoor facility, and then in the dedicated outdoor complex—quickly brought over 100 converts into a newly formed league. Just as importantly, Haley says, it helped to draw many members who “had never been to that side of the campus,” and in the process discovered other amenities and ways to fully enjoy the property.

While Lucchesi’s seniority among the Blackthorn Club management can’t be topped, there’s plenty of other welltenured experience now on hand to direct other parts of the operation. Superintendent Russell Lutz has been leading the care of the golf course for 15 years, with his crew routinely maintaining 100 acres of the hilly terrain while also establishing and retaining Audubon certification for the property over the past 12 years.

The course designers “did a really good job with drainage,” Lutz says, and also to ensure that shade problems on the greens have been minimal while still retaining a parkland feel. All of that, along with Northeast Tennessee’s

AT A GLANCE:

Blackthorn Club At The Ridges

JONESBOROUGH, TENN.

Founded: 1997 Owners: Duke and Maggie Ingram, Rab and Nita Summers Membership: 920 in all categories. Capped at 400 for golf.

Clubhouse Size: 12,000 sq. ft.

Golf Course Designer: Arthur Hills Annual Golf Rounds: 26,000 General Manager/COO: Christopher Haley Director of Member Engagement: Rachel Ingram Busenlehner Director of Administration: Becky Goodyear Head Golf Professional: Mike Davenport, PGA Superintendent: Russell Lutz Director of Tennis: John Lucchesi, USPTA-Elite Executive Chef: James Allen, CEC Events Coordinator: Jennifer Villarta

Lifestyle Design TO ENHANCE THE MEMBER EXPERIENCE

Bringing members together with designs that foster community and camaraderie.

STRATEGIC PLANNING MASTER PLANNING ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN PROCUREMENT

SIGN UP FREE! for club industry trends & insights BALD HEAD ISLAND CLUB North Carolina

Follow @chambers1899

MD 410.727.4535 / TX 972.253.3583 / MN 612.295.0725 / DC 202.851.3201 / FL 239.673.1790

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» Blackthorn Club

Blackthorn’s push after its rebranding to establish itself as a full-service, family-centric club was anchored by its original aquatics complex and most recently enhanced by its new indoor tennis/fitness facility. “That was the piece we didn’t have, and it pushed us forward to full membership,” says General Manager/COO Chris Haley.

favorable Smoky Mountain climate, has helped to keep the course in optimal condition while avoiding the need for any major renovations. “We have never really needed to even get into overseeding,” Lutz says.

Inside the clubhouse, Blackthorn’s dining program also benefits from the collective leadership experience brought by Events Coordinator Jennifer Villarte, whose 11 years at the club has covered a variety of roles including server, bartender and floor

manager, and Executive Chef James Allen, CEC, who came to the club over 10 years ago. Together they have directed continued growth and expansion of creative and enticing food-and-beverage offerings, even with the challenges posed by the pandemic (helping to sustain the momentum was the fact that no staff had to laid off, thanks in part to members’ support of a GoFundMe drive). Themed “staycation” dinner options, both to-go and on-site, have been among the popular features enjoyed by members.

“We’re beating projections every month,” says Allen, who displayed his talents at C+RB’s 2020 Chef to Chef Conference in Charlotte, N.C. with a “Play With Your Food” presentation that included the innovative use of chocolate fountains to provide red-eye and white-pepper gravy and other sauces on buffet

action stations. “I’m still getting other chefs calling me about that,” he says.

Blackthorn’s golf operation is now directed by Head Golf Professional Mike Davenport, PGA, who came to the club in 2017 after 15 years with the Reynolds Lake Oconee resort in Georgia. Davenport’s experience handling the volume at that property proved to be invaluable as Blackthorn saw its rounds surge over the past two years, from under 20,000 to now a projected 26,000 for 2022.

“We saw a 3 to 5 percent increase [in 2021] we didn’t anticipate, even though we were expecting strong demand, and we’re planning for more of the same for 2022,” Davenport says. He is also launching new programs, such as a senior memberguest this fall (“two days instead of three, less social, lower-key”), for targeted participant groups that he wants to make sure stay engaged.

With the Blackthorn Club’s full-facility membership now having reached capacity of 400 in June, a waiting list started,

A full slate of “Girls’ Night Out” events, such as “Paint a Pumpkin,” has been launched as part of the Blackthorn Club management team’s renewed focus on activities that can maximize the appeal of all that the club offers and ensure full engagement of a membership that now totals over 900 in all categories.

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The club’s dining program continues to grow and “beat projections every month,” reports Executive Chef James Allen, CEC. Themed “staycation” dinner options, both to-go and on-site, have been among the popular features enjoyed by members.

and the newest facilities now completed, the focus of Haley, who also came to the club in 2017, can now shift to directing full engagement of a membership that now totals more than 900 across all categories. “[The new facilities] were the pieces that we didn’t have, and pushed us forward to full membership,” he says. “Now we want to make sure we maximize the appeal of all that we have.”

To help reach that objective, Haley can draw on another resource who does have as much experience with the property as even John Lucchesi: Director of Member Engagement Rachel Ingram Busenlehner, a member of one of the two ownership families who actually grew up in The Ridges community, and who also brings insights and ideas gained from playing collegiate golf and working in membership capacities for other private clubs.

With the new-membership influx bringing in over 70 families where everyone is 40 or under, the Blackthorn Club event schedule is now filled with a variety of activities such as “girls night out” socials, “Axes and Ales” couples’ date nights that (safely) combine axe-throwing and beertasting, and even “Pickleball and Proseco” (with fried pickles as an hors d’ouevre), to help promote the newest amenity.

Off-property excursions are also being arranged to local wineries, repertory theaters and other attractions.

“Only about 20 percent of the membership lives in the development,” says Haley.

“We want to create clubs within the club that help people get out and meet others.

The things we do don’t necessarily have to be cutting-edge, but they should be leading-edge. And we’ll always keep our ear to the ground, to make sure we’re delivering what members want and expect.” C+RB www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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DESIGN + RENOVATION

LAYING IT

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Repositioned layouts have allowed club kitchens to boost productivity, from prep to plate, while accommodating a variety of new ways to provide food-and-beverage service.

By Pamela Brill, Contributing Editor

AFTER SPENDING THE last year readapting menus for fewer caterings and more carryout, kitchen design has required flexibility in layout and space configuration like never before. Clubs that were able to shuffle their a la carte and banquet lines have benefitted from improved service and better output.

As in-person dining begins to resume in greater numbers, kitchens that make the best use of their space will be well-positioned to handle an increase in volume for a greater variety of service options.

CHANGING DIRECTION At Colonial Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla., creating distinct areas for a la carte and banquet service was essential to streamlining the kitchen design. “The club and kitchen in particular needed to be reimagined, to better handle the workload and flow of service that could meet our members’ expectations,” says Executive Chef Todd Warosh. “One [priority] was the ability to continue full a la carte dining service while hosting large functions such as weddings and fundraisers.”

As part of a full club renovation, Colonial’s kitchen reopened in March 2021 with the ability to manage all aspects of the club’s food-and-beverage operation from a better vantage point.

Photo Courtesy CC of Salisbury

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DESIGN + RENOVATION COLONIAL COUNTRY CLUB Fort Myers, Fla.

“The kitchen needed to be reimagined, to

better handle the workload and flow of service that could meet our members’ expectations. We are now preparing for a blockbuster year in 2022, with possible revenues 35 to 40 percent higher than before the renovation and the pandemic.”

—Todd Warosh, Executive Chef

Key to enhancing the now 5,000-sq. ft. kitchen was an expanded footprint with tailored updates. The addition of 800 sq. ft. of new foundation extended a corner of the space by 100 sq. ft. and allotted a sizable portion of the loading dock for permanent coolers and a freezer.

Another major design enhancement was a change (quite literally) in direction: turning the hood system and cook line 90 degrees. This enabled all traffic to go around both sides of the line flow, “instead of having to walk around the ends of it to get through the kitchen,” Walsh notes.

Not only did the cook-line shift enable a separation of a la carte and banquet service and prep, but the decision to increase it to 27 feet made room for new equipment, including a double-stack combi oven, convection ovens, a large sauté station, CVap drawers and an expanded steamtable with carving stations on each end. (Another double-stack CVap cooker, multiple holding boxes, two extra fryers and a high-temperature pizza oven rounded out the equipment list.)

On the banquet line, a custom 24-foot heated plating table creates a designated spot for live plating, while 24 feet of prep tables off the plating line makes space for production carts and other equipment. In addition, a dedicated pastry room for the pastry chef was an essential component to the redesign.

Behind the scenes, the rejiggered layout also warranted updated plumbing and electric work. Long floor drains 34

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were installed in prime areas, such as in front of the ice machines, steam-jacketed soup kettles, tilt skillet, CVap cookers and dish-machine area. The original flooring was replaced with a polyaspartic coating featuring colored paint chips chosen for texture and slip resistance.

While Colonial CC has one main kitchen, it can now be divided into multiple areas for service. This flexibility came in particularly handy over the last year when the pandemic shifted the kitchen’s output.

“Our takeout and delivery services did uptick for a while, but that was easily handled in the layout that we set up,” notes Warosh. And even with restrictions in place, the kitchen was able to provide a memorable member-dining experience, he adds. “This allowed us to keep our core kitchen staff through it all, which

was crucial in the current employment market,” he says.

Going forward, Colonial is now well set up to adhere to any necessary changes to procedure, offering plenty of room for the cook staff and front-of-house alike. The revamped space has enabled the chef to redesign his menu and better appeal to members’ tastes and dietary needs.

“We are preparing for a blockbuster year in 2022, with possible revenues 35 to 40 percent higher than recent years before the renovation and the pandemic,” notes Warosh.

STREAMLINED SERVICE A need for greater efficiency prompted a complete renovation of the existing kitchen at Rio Verde (Ariz.) Country Club.

With a reorganized layout creating more

Colonial CC’s kitchen can now be divided into multiple service areas, a flexibility that came in handy when shifting to more takeout and delivery volume during the pandemic. The renovation also replaced original flooring with a polyaspartic coating featuring slip-resistant colored paint chips. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

RIO VERDE COUNTRY CLUB Rio Verde, Ariz.

“The staff was able to set the a la carte line similar to a banquet line, allowing for a quick a la carte feature to be pushed out the door in minutes. Since [the kitchen renovation], we have also had minimal issues with plumbing and drainage.”

—Chris Mirza, Director of Food and Beverage

room for additional equipment, the kitchen reopened its doors in June 2019 and has since helped to enhance the club’s dining experience.

To ensure better productivity for both the chefs and servers, the existing layout was revamped for ease of overall operations. According to Director of Food and Beverage Chris Mirza, both the banquet

MA ST E R P L A N N I NG

and a la carte lines were rotated ninety degrees to improve the flow of service.

“The dish pit (previously located in the back) was also put towards the front of the kitchen to allow wait staff to clear the plates in a timely manner,” Mirza says.

The logistical changes also paved the way for a host of equipment updates.

A new freezer, beer cooler and walk-in

A RC H I T EC T U R E

cooler were added, the latter of which was increased by 100 percent for expanded storage. A tilt skillet, broiler, additional ranges and a steamer were also integrated into the design, to improve banquet service and maintain meal temperature.

“Wine dinners saw the biggest enhancement, which allowed the culinary team to create more high-end items,”

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P RO C U R E M E NT

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October 2021

l Club + Resort Business l 35

COUNTRY CLUB OF SALISBURY Salisbury, N.C.

“Making room for a more

defined workspace tremendously impacted the kitchen’s flow and space utilization for maximum production.”

—Frank O’Hara, Clubhouse Manager

notes Mirza. Streamlined equipment layout also improved the quality of a la carte service, resulting in consistent product for membership every time.

On the back end, this series of updates warranted a complete overhaul of the kitchen’s plumbing, electric and flooring.

Mirza describes the plumbing enhancements as a “huge improvement.”

“Previously, we would have backups with floor drains and kitchen sinks,” he notes. “Since the update, we have had minimal issues with plumbing and drain-

ing.” New electric has eliminated intermittent breaker shutdowns, and original tile flooring with pesky grout has been replaced with an easier-to-clean style.

While Rio Verde’s kitchen has had ample time to reap the benefits of a revitalized kitchen, its usefulness truly kicked into high gear during the height of COVID. “The kitchen handled the shift in business in a superb way,” Mirza says, noting that while a la carte service dropped significantly, the kitchen kept busy fulfilling takeout orders.

SUMMING IT UP > Creating more efficient lines for a la carte and banquet services may warrant a shift in their kitchen positioning.

> Reconfigured space can create more room for the addition of new equipment

that further enhances productivity as well as culinary capabilities and creativity.

> More equipment may necessitate updated electric, plumbing and flooring.

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“The staff was able to set the a la carte line similar to a banquet line, allowing for a quick a la carte feature to be pushed out the door in minutes,” he adds.

With business back in full force, the rejuvenated kitchen has helped to support the club’s new Box Bar Grille, not only by creating memorable meals for regulars, but also reintroducing others to club dining. F&B sales have seen a 15 to 20 percent increase, thanks to the revived space.

“Since the renovation, we have seen a lot of members come out to dine who have not been to the club in years,” notes Mirza.

MEMBER-DRIVEN RENOVATION The celebration of last year’s 100th anniversary at the Country Club of Salisbury (N.C.) didn’t end in 2020. This past February, the facility kicked off a multiphase renovation project that included improved kitchen efficiency. “We wanted to make an upscale casual dining experience with upgraded functionality and consistency in all spaces,” explains Clubhouse Manager Frank O’Hara.

After developing a centennial campaign team and assessing member feedback on prospective improvement plans, a five-month construction plan was mapped out and demolition began.

With members of the committee taking the first few swings, the reimagined culinary space began to take shape and was completed by July. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

To accommodate the club’s growing banquet business, the kitchen’s existing footprint required a 500-sq. ft. expansion and a major equipment overhaul; approximately 95 percent of the components were replaced, sparing only the walk-in cooler and freezer. These changes made room for distinct banquet prep and plate-up areas, as well as an upstairs drystorage area for greater efficiency.

“Leaving a more defined workspace tremendously impacted the flow and space utilization for maximum production,” notes O’Hara.

Behind the scenes, all drain lines were scoped and repaired, while multiple floor drains and centralized cleanouts were added. New equipment necessitated rewired electric throughout the space as well. Because the kitchen services the main dining area along with multiple

Things heated up quickly for the CC of Salisbury in its 101st year, with a multiphase clubhouse renovation that included a 500-sq. ft. expansion and major equipment overhaul for its kitchen.

auxiliary rooms, the prep and production spaces are now better equipped to handle the increased workload that the Salisbury staff now bears.

The kitchen’s updated amenities have proved valuable for members still utilizing pandemic-driven F&B programs.

The freezer has housed prepared goods from the newly instituted Take & Bake program, and additional room for warming capabilities meets the demand for to-go orders. More space for dry goods serves as storage for grocery staples and

other items available in the club’s Pop-Up Market.

Since the kitchen’s summer re-opening, O’Hara notes a definite surge in F&B services and the club’s surrounding spaces.

“Along with the creation of a new menu, specials and bar selection, the membership has gravitated to support the club in this capacity,” he says. C+RB

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October 2021

l Club + Resort Business l 37

FOOD + BEVERAGE

Stepping Up Search

the

In the face of how the pandemic has dramatically altered the employment landscape, chefs and food-and-beverage managers at club and resort properties are pulling out all the stops to still attract and retain the best fits for their kitchen and dining-room staffs.

By Marilyn Odesser-Torpey, Contributing Editor

THE ENTIRE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY is hurting for quality employees, and clubs and resorts have not been spared.

“We get loads of applications, but when we follow up, many don’t even respond—and even of those who do, fewer than 10% show up for the interview,” says Carlos Addarich, Executive Chef of Tampa (Fla.) Yacht & Country Club. “And of those we actually hire, many just don’t show up for their first day of work.”

Aside from pay rates (“Most candidates 38

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won’t even talk to you if your pay rate is less than $15 per hour,” Addarich states), many are now more leery of the hospitality industry because of the long hours and workweeks it requires.

“They’re looking for a consistent fiveday week, because achieving a satisfying work-life balance has become increasingly important to people, especially since the pandemic,” Addarich notes. “They tend to be more concerned about their work hours and days than they are about their benefits package.”

Once everything is back to normal and COVID is under control, Addarich predicts, the entire hospitality industry will have to reinvent itself as a workplace to become more appealing to quality personnel.

The kitchen at Tampa Y&CC has an impressive employee retention rate, Addarich reports, with a senior banquet cook who has been with the club for 27 years, a line cook for 26 years, a sous chef for 20 years and a banquet chef for 15 years. But he is still considering creating some part-time positions in the yacht www.clubandresortbusiness.com

SUMMING IT UP > H iring can’t be done on just an asneeded basis anymore; time should be devoted each day to checking and developing sources for finding and recruiting possible candidates. > T he best source for finding qualified candidates remains current employees and giving them incentives for recommending people who will fit in and stay. > P ut as much emphasis on the questions that candidates ask during interviews as to how they answer the ones posed to them. > G ive as much weight to desirable attributes that candidates display, such as attention to detail in their appearance, friendliness, and humility, as to their experience and knowledge. > O nce new people are on board, watch them closely during their first few weeks to see who shows initiative and a willingness to jump in and learn new things—and who just stands around. > F ind ways to show your best-performing employees that their efforts are noticed and appreciated on an ongoing basis, and not just as part of periodic reviews.

Photo Courtesy Tampa Yacht & Country Club

club’s back of the house, to be able to commit to giving staffers the two days off per week they want and fill in the gap times.

MORE THAN A JOB Candidates are also looking for clearly defined career paths from hospitality employers, according to Harmen Rost van Tonningen, the Food and Beverage Director who is responsible for hiring front-ofthe-house employees for Tampa Yacht & Country Club.

“We let candidates know that we pro-

mote from within and offer a great deal of training in various aspects of food-and-beverage service, to prepare them to move up and into different departments that might be of particular interest to them,” Rost van Tonningen explains.

For example, Tampa Y&CC recently arranged extensive food training with a new meat purveyor that was designed to give both the front- and back-of-the-house staff a better understanding of its products and how they should be handled. Team members also learn about wine and beer from Rost van

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Tonningen, who is a trained sommelier, and about bourbons and whiskies from of one the bar managers who is particularly knowledgeable about these spirits.

“We don’t want our staff to become simply order takers,” Rost van Tonningen emphasizes.

“We want them to understand everything about the food and beverages we serve, so they can explain to the membership how dishes are prepared, what to avoid if they have allergies or specific food preferences, and what beverage pairs best with each dish.”

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FOOD + BEVERAGE

IMPRESSIVE IMPRESSIONS

Carlos Addarich, Tampa Y&CC’s Executive Chef, learns as much from looking at job candidates’ shoes as from their smiles.

EVEN CANDIDATES WITH NO PRIOR foodservice experience are given a chance for a position at Tampa (Fla.) Yacht & Country Club if they show up at the interview looking presentable and are polite, says Executive Chef Carlos Addarich. Overall attention to image is important to him, from the shoes up to the smile.

“A person who takes care of their shoes shows pride and attention to detail,” he explains. “Friendliness is also key; you can’t teach someone how to smile.”

Alexander Learned, Food and Beverage Director at Wichita (Kan.) Country Club, looks for two major attributes: work ethic and front-of-the-house personality.

“Either you’re born with them, or you’re not,” he says.

“Having a server who is an introvert is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.”

Humility is important to Charles Myers, Executive Chef of Summit Hills Country Club in Crestview Hills, Ky. “New employees have to be teachable,” he said. “The hardest thing to deal with is a know-it-all.”

employees to grow into well-rounded professionals, and demonstrates that the club can offer employees a rewarding lifelong profession, rather than just a temporary or dead-end job.

WORTH THE INVESTMENT While attempting to staff up for kitchen and pool foodservice operations, Alexander Learned, Food and Beverage Director at Wichita (Kan.) Country Club, reports that out of 100 interviews scheduled for one recent month, only 10 of the applicants showed up. Only five of them were suitable for hiring, and of that five, only two brought back the paperwork—and those two then left after three weeks on the job.

According to Learned, the club is taking the steps needed to invest in building and retaining a quality team, even raising the pay rate as much as 20% for kitchen staff.

Special attention is also being paid to the evening line cooks, to try to make the chef’s life easier.

To retain staff, the club was kept open during the pandemic. “We didn’t feel right not to take care of them,” Learned says.

Like Addarich and Rost van Tonningen, Learned has found that candidates highly value time flexibility. “We get a lot of college-age students, and they need to work around their class schedules,” he points out.

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“We work with them as much as we can to create a positive work environment.”

Full-time employees at Wichita CC get a benefits package that includes vacation days, health care and a 401(k). Hourly employees also get a 401(k), and the club matches the amount they put in.

And even when the club is fully staffed, Learned and his front-of-the-house manager and kitchen chef still take time to cast the net for candidates as part of their daily duties.

“I dedicate two hours every day to hiring,” he notes. “To find the best candidates, you have to make sure you’re in the right place at the right time.”

DOING MORE WITH LESS At Summit Hills Country Club in Crestview Hills, Ky., the staffing situation has been relatively stable for core full-timers. But hiring for supplemental positions for the summer kitchen and snack shack was such a chal-

“

lenge that Executive Chef Charles Myers had to operate with a relatively lean team, even though the pay rates were raised.

The few employees Myers was able to hire had worked at the club previously, so they knew what to expect in terms of work hours, he says.

“Our Board certified that we could use discretionary funds for overtime, so we’ve had some staffers working over 50 hours a week,” he reports. “We also keep the lines of communication open, so employees know we’re not trying to work them to death.”

Despite the difficulty of finding new hires, Summit Hills found ways to do better than 50 to 60% of clubs in the area, and 90% of independent restaurants, Myers believes.

“We emphasize our stronger hiring points such as competitive pay rates, benefits and no late nights, because we know candidates are talking to other clubs and restaurants as well as us,” he notes.

To identify the most promising candidates, Myers listens closely to the questions they ask during the initial interview.

“We expect them to be concerned with pay rate and working hours, but if that’s all they ask about during the interview, I don’t think they’re right for us,” he says. “We look for people who have a genuine interest in the profession, instead of those just looking for a paycheck.”

For full-time positions, candidates who ask about procedures and how many people work on the line, and also express interest in the food and menu, are likely to be the investments that yield the best returns for the club, Myers notes. With summer college help, it is more a matter of discovering their strengths, to identify the niches where they would be most effective and happy during their two- or threemonth tenures.

Once new people are on board, Myers

I dedicate two hours every day to hiring. To find the best candidates, you have to make sure you’re in the right place at the right time.

”

—Alexander Learned, Food and Beverage Director, Wichita CC

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

Tampa Y&CC attracts candidates by emphasizing the training they can receive not only in wine from Food and Beverage Director Harmen Rost van Tonnigen (right), a sommelier, but also special sessions arranged with purveyors and other staff members with special areas of experties.

watches closely during their first few weeks, to see who shows initiative and a willingness to jump in and learn new things. He also makes note of those who just stand around.

To incentivize staffers to stay, Myers asks them for their “ideal schedule” and tries to give them those days and times whenever possible. Whether they have family obligations or even just want to attend Fridaynight football games, he does his best to work around them.

“Letting them know that we care about their quality of life makes them happy,” he says. “I haven’t had to turn down a single request for time off all summer, despite being short-staffed.”

TAPPING THE SOURCES AT HAND For Rost van Tonningen, Addarich and Myers, the best source of quality candidates—before as well as during and after the pandemic—has continued to be current employees.

In addition to relying on employment websites like Indeed for qualified leads, all of their clubs offer incentives to referring staffers, who can receive a finder’s fee for each new employee who stays on the job for a specified period.

“One of our bartenders brought us eight people who we hired, completely outfitting our bar during the summer,” Myers reports.

“That bartender stands to earn $4,000 in referral bonuses, and the bar was one area we didn’t have to worry about.”

One of the first things Rost van Tonningen looks for in a candidate, even more www.clubandresortbusiness.com

than foodservice experience, is a pleasant demeaner and a willingness to learn. Addarich prefers candidates who have resort or country-club experience instead of having worked for independent restaurants.

“There are fewer bad habits to break when their background is similar to the way we do things at the club,” he says.

Foodservice experience helps for kitchen staff, but Learned emphasizes that the club is not a corporate kitchen and that everything is made from scratch. Enthusiasm for learning can go a long way.

Learned actually prefers to hire candi-

dates for dining-room servers, food runners and pool staff who have not worked in the foodservice industry before.

“They’re more open and apt to learn our way of doing things,” he notes.

Recently, Myers has also had good luck hiring candidates whose training had to start from scratch.

“In the past six months we have hired two phenomenal kitchen employees, one who had no foodservice experience at all, and the other who had worked in fast food,” he said. “We trained them from the ground up.” C+RB

SPECIAL RECOGNITION SATISFACTION AND RETENTION SOARS when employees know their efforts are noticed and appreciated. For Charles Myers, Executive Chef at Summit Hills Country Club in Crestview Hills, Ky., expressing that to staffers begins with thanking each one for their exemplary service every day before he leaves the kitchen.

During the summer, Myers also distributes cash tips to staffers. And when the summer season ends, club memSummit Hills CC Exbers, under Myers’ guidance, volunteer to cook and tend ecutive Chef Charles bar for a party to show the staff their gratitude.

Myers (above, right) At the party, the employees can play golf while enjoyfinds a variety of ing refreshments from the beverage cart, swim and have ways to show—and drinks by the pool, or just eat and have a good time. give—thanks for Every employee also receives a donated raffle prize. exemplary work.

Beyond special recognition events, Harmen Rost van Tonningen, Food and Beverage Director at Tampa Yacht & Country Club, does not wait until high-performing employees’ annual reviews to increase their pay. “That surprise personal acknowledgement of their performance means a lot to them,” he notes.

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COURSE + GROUNDS

MODERN M

Photos Courtesy Rockland CC

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www.clubandresortbusiness.com

MARVEL After a decade of improvements, the golf course at Rockland Country Club, a longtime environmental leader, is creating a buzz among the membership and the surrounding New York community.

By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor

FORWARD THINKING HAS LONG BEEN a hallmark of the operations at Rockland Country Club in Sparkill, N.Y. Starting with its pursuit of Audubon International certification that began in 1997, Rockland, which was incorporated in 1906 just 15 miles northeast of Manhattan, has been an early environmental leader in the tri-state region. The property, which has implemented a master plan that included environmental parameters to enhance its beauty, garnered national recognition as one of six winners of the 2020 American Society of Golf Course Architects Environmental Excellence Awards.

However, the master plan, which began 10 to 12 years ago, included other components as well. For instance, in the last three years, the golf course underwent a complete redesign of the practice area and a comprehensive bunker renovation.

“We wanted to improve the quality of the golf course and bring it into the modern era,” says General Manager Michael Pacella, CCM. “All of this was to move us forward and get us set up for the future.”

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COURSE + GROUNDS

Golf Scorecard Rockland CC’s par-5 18th hole (shown in “before” photo above, and “after” photo on pgs.

42-43) was redesigned to add strategic options off the tee and to improve its aesthetics. A new “borrow” area was created in front of the 11th hole, which is parallel to No. 18, and fill from that area was used to shape new mounding on the closing hole.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY The bunkers, which hadn’t been renovated in more than 20 years, had reached their life expectancy, adds Pacella, and functionality had become an issue.

“The bunkers had gotten old. Drainage had become compromised. The sand had become contaminated,” says Golf Course Superintendent Matt Ceplo, CGCS, who has worked at Rockland for 26 years. “We were having a lot of washouts, and we had to pump them out after every storm.”

As part of the bunker renovation project, which began Sept. 24, 2019, the property installed Better Billy Bunkers. Rockland also changed the sand to a local variety that is firm, more playable, and packs easily, so that players don’t have to contend with buried lies.

With the addition of bunker liners and improved drainage, the frequency and severity of washouts has lessened. In addition, sub-soils, drainage gravel, and organic material no longer contaminate the sand.

When the bunkers were renovated two decades ago, Ceplo notes, “The technology wasn’t there. There were no bunker liners.

We just installed a normal bunker drainage system.”

In the latest renovation, the bunker surrounds were sodded to protect them from stormwater erosion before gravel was installed on the bunker floors. Once the gravel was in place and weather conditions 44

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allowed for it, the contractor sprayed the gravel floors before installing and compacting the sand.

Rockland also sought to deepen its greenside bunkers, to allow more of a blast shot from lowered sand elevations.

“You could almost putt out of a few of the bunkers,” says Head Golf Professional Bobby Everett, PGA. “The Better Billy Bunkers have a gravel base with a porous polymer on top. There’s no contamination from gravel or dirt. It’s like putting sand on concrete.”

The golf course, which had 69 bunkers before the renovation, now has 71 bunkers.

Most of them were rebuilt where they were previously located, Ceplo says, but some were positioned farther off the tee, to put them in play for longer hitters.

FULL ACCESS Other renovations, such as rebuilding the first green, were part of the project as well.

“It was severely sloped in the back,” Ceplo says. “We raised the front of it and leveled out the green.”

While the renovations to the first hole had no effect on its maintenance, he reports, they have improved the playability of the hole.

Previously, notes Everett, only about onethird of the first green was available for pin positions because it was too steep in the back. “Now we can use 100% of the green

ROCKLAND COUNTRY CLUB Location: Sparkill, N.Y. Club Websites: rocklandcountryclub.org and rocklandcountryclub.blogspot.com Year Opened: 1906 Club Type: Private No. of Members: 250 golfing members; 500-plus total members Golf Holes: 18 Course Designers: Robert White, 1906; John Harvey, last 20 years Golf Season: April to December Annual Rounds of Golf: About 20,000 Fairways: Bent/poa Greens: Bent/poa

for pin placements,” he adds.

The par-5 No. 18 was also redesigned to add strategic options off the tee and to improve its aesthetics. The property created a new borrow area from in front of the 11th hole, which is parallel to No. 18, and took fill from it to create mounding on the closing hole.

“By removing some of the material in front of the tee, it opened up a better view,” says Ceplo.

However, he says, connecting the fairways of the two holes did more than improve aesthetics. “Both 11 and 18 are now better holes,” Ceplo says.

As part of the renovation, Rockland also cut down about 100 trees to increase airflow, let in more sunshine, and improve turf conditions. Some of the trees had damaged root systems as well.

RIPPING OFF THE BAND-AID The master plan to renovate the www.clubandresortbusiness.com

Rockland started its renovation by trying to only close a few holes at a time, but eventually the entire course was shut down from October 2019 to April 2020 so all 18 holes could be completed. “We decided to rip the band-aid off and get it all done,” says Head Golf Professional Bobby Everett.

bunkers was approved in February 2019, and Rockland personnel say the general consensus of the membership, which voted to increase dues slightly, was that the golf course improvements were necessary.

“It’s nice to be at a club where (a) they wanted to make it better and (b) they backed it up financially,” Ceplo says.

Initially, Rockland closed a few holes when the project got underway. However, the property shut down the entire course at the end of October 2019.

The golf course reopened April 1, 2020, with finishing touches left to be done on two pot bunkers on No. 8, before reopening all 18 holes on Memorial Day.

“It got messy for a little while because of COVID,” reports Ceplo, “primarily because there were a lot of questions about what the state would and would not allow. We were a little later opening than planned, but that was due to COVID.” They discussed renovating nine holes one year, he says, and the remaining nine holes the following year.

However, Everett says, “We decided to rip the band-aid off and get it all done.”

TEAM EFFORT The project was run by the club’s Greens Committee, Pacella says. Ceplo, Everett, some members and architect John Harvey worked closely together as well. Harvey came up with the master plan, Everett says, and it was then tweaked by the group.

“It was a total team effort,” he adds. “My biggest opinion was to make any fingers in the bunkers a little softer and a little bit deeper, to give them more character. We

COURSE + GROUNDS

Superintendent Profile

MATT CEPLO Years at Rockland Country Club: 26 Previous Employment: • Assistant Superintendent, Ridgewood (N.J.) Country Club • Superintendent, Westchester Hills Golf Club, White Plains, N.Y. Education and Training: AS in horticulture, State University of New York-Delhi Certifications: CGCS, New York pesticide license Honors and Awards: • 2013 GCSAA President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship • Global Sports Alliance’s 2011 New York Environmental Steward Award • Rockland Country Club has been certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program since 2000.

• Honors for the property include the Metropolitan Golf Association’s 2012 Arthur P. Weber Environmental Leader in Golf Award, and the 2020 American Society of Golf Course Architects Environmental Excellence Award. .

don’t have a real long golf course, so we needed our bunkers to be a little more penal. We also got more downhill lies.”

Throughout the renovation, Ceplo managed the contractors and made sure the project stayed within the budget. “Everything was contracted out because of the massive size of the project and the time frame,” he says.

The superintendent kept members informed about the renovations. He keeps a blog, where he updated members about the project, and many of them came out to walk the golf course to see the progress as it unfolded.

In addition, the department heads communicated with each other every day about which parts of the golf course were open or closed.

Even though Everett, who started working at Rockland 36 years ago as a 12-year-old caddie, goes to Florida during the winter, the golf pro kept up with Ceplo’s blog. By monitoring the progress of the renovations, Everett was able to answer questions from members when they called him.

“Communication is absolutely paramount,” says Pacella. “We all stay in constant contact with each other throughout the day and throughout the week on issues we see—all for the betterment of the club.

Sometimes we have formal meetings, or we just sit down together for a coffee break.”

They speak daily one-on-one, Everett says, or all three of them get together to discuss matters. In addition, he says, each of them reports to committee chairmen 46

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who are members of the Board of Directors. Pacella is in charge of the clubhouse; Everett oversees the golf division; and Ceplo manages the golf course.

“I’m always in either one of their offices,” says Ceplo. “The membership has been very good. It’s a nice place to work.”

SPENDING WHAT’S NEEDED In addition to making the investment to improve the bunkers, notes Ceplo, the property has increased his maintenance budget.

While the cost of maintaining the bunkers hasn’t changed, he says, the staff ’s ability to keep them in top condition has improved considerably.

“We’re able to keep our bunkers more consistent and more playable,” Ceplo says.

“We can put more time into them. We can keep them raked, and it doesn’t take as long to fix them.”

Grounds crew members try to rake only the bottoms of the bunkers, but they have to keep an eye out for algae growth on the sides. The maintenance staff hand-raked the previous bunkers on Saturdays and

touched them up on Sundays. With the new bunkers, however, the staff hand-rakes them Saturdays and Sundays.

“The older bunkers had a lot of fingers,” says Ceplo. “These bunkers don’t have as many fingers, but they’re deeper.”

Everett also says the property went through slight “growing pains” to determine the right degree of firmness for the bunkers.

Because the sand is more packed now, the grounds crew has to “fluff up” the bunkers as well. With the increased budget, Ceplo has also been able to add staff members, and, unlike in years past, the maintenance staff now sprays the rough for disease.

“The club has made an effort to keep the golf course in better shape and more consistent,” says Ceplo.

WEATHERING THE STORMS In 2021, the new bunkers got unwanted but stern tests when Hurricane Henri and Hurricane Ida struck the area in rapid succession. Hurricane Henri, which brought heavy rains and widespread flooding to the Northeast and the New York City area on August 22nd, dumped five inches of rain on the golf course. The Rockland property then got six inches of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which pounded New York City and surrounding areas on September 1st after making landfall in Louisiana three days earlier. The property also got more rain in a shorter period of time from Ida. “Some bunkers were washed out from both storms, but none of the subsoil mixed in with the sand when they washed out,” says Ceplo. “They all drained. In prior years, we would have had to pump them all out.”

After the storms, he says, the grounds

“

We wanted to improve the quality of the golf course and bring it into the modern era. [The renovation] was really a game changer for us—members truly enjoy playing now, and guests are very much awed when they come. All of this was to move us forward and get us set up for the future.

—Michael Pacella, CCM, General Manager

”

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

crew repaired the bunkers in about one-third the time it previously would have taken.

“They required some TLC from the greens crew, but overall, they definitely fared well through the storms,” says Pacella.

Ceplo agrees. “The bunkers held up very well, which helped a lot in terms of getting the golf course playable,” he says. “They held up much better than the old bunkers would have.”

Flooding was worse around the pond and low-lying areas, Ceplo adds, and the golf course was cart path-only for one day after each storm, plus a few more days on some holes after Ida. “We actually were more concerned about staffing. It was hard to get here because a couple of roads were closed,” says Ceplo.

FORCE OF NATURE The Rockland property includes 150

“

We don’t have a real long golf course, so we needed our bunkers to be a little more penal. We also got more downhill lies. And on our first hole, now we can use 100% of the green for pin placements, instead of just a third of it because it was too steep in the back.

—Bobby Everett, PGA, Head Golf Professional

acres of rolling hills, woodlands, natural areas and ponds, and the golf course maintenance staff has improved its native-area management as part of the master plan as well. Years of experience have taught Ceplo that patience is paramount to cultivate native areas properly.

”

“The biggest problem with native areas is giving them time. In the short-term, they’re a headache and require a lot of maintenance,” he explains. “Keeping them looking attractive and giving the long-term plants that you want a chance to grow is certainly a challenge.”

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Club + Resort Business l 47

COURSE + GROUNDS The renovation only added two bunkers (to 71) on the Rockland course, but significantly changed their maintenance profiles. Where the older bunkers had more fingers, Golf Course Superintendent Matt Ceplo says, they are now deeper, with packed sand that requires “fluffing up” and more hand raking.

An increase in the course maintenance budget has allowed more staff to be hired to ensure proper care.

Course + Grounds Operations Profile

ROCKLAND COUNTRY CLUB Annual Budget: $1,337,900 Staff: Four full-time; four part-time; 12 seasonal Other Managers: Assistant Superintendent Andre Martin; Head Mechanic Mark Gallagher; Foreman Owel Torres Irrigation System: Rain Bird IC System; more than 3,000 heads Water Source and Usage: Irrigation pond; average usage 20 million gallons a year Equipment: Standard equipment list; Rockland owns all of its equipment Aerating and Overseeding Schedules: Core aeration of greens and tees in spring and late summer; fairways once per year late summer. No overseeding.

Upcoming Capital Projects: Addition of tees on Nos. 3 and 9 Duties and Responsibilities: Department oversees care and maintenance of entire property

Rockland has native areas throughout the property, and many of them have been established through trial and error.

Initially, Ceplo installed tall-growing plants such as blue stem, switch grass, and Indian grass, thinking that they could out-compete invasive species. When plants reach a height of six feet, however, they sometimes can look like they’re overgrown.

Under the master plan, Rockland created buffers and seeded areas with lower-growing grasses. The golf course has 2.5-inch rough, and the native areas have a mix of 30-plus species of grasses that are 6 to 12 inches high.

“We want to create an edge to give it a more maintained, manicured look,” Ceplo says. “We try to use as many native grasses as we can in out-of-play areas. They’re all different areas. They’re all low-mowing grasses. We also have fescue areas, even though they’re not native.”

In addition to planting native grasses and 48

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meadows through the years, the property incorporated some of the native plants into formal gardens around the halfway house and around some of the tees and cart paths. These areas require more maintenance, says Ceplo, because “they’re more up close and personal.”

Other natural zones are located off the beaten path and on the edges of wood lines. “People look at them from 20 to 30 yards away—at least if they hit the ball in the middle of the fairway,” Ceplo says.

Native areas can serve multiple purposes, he notes. “Most people think you’re going to put in a native plant because it will be adaptive to the environment,” says Ceplo.

“We put in native plants as food sources for caterpillars.”

While milkweed attracts monarch butterflies, birds eat the caterpillars. In addition, Ceplo says, insects make up 20% of a fox’s diet.

Everett believes that these sustainability efforts counteract the public’s perception that golf courses merely take up space and use lots of chemicals. “We want to be as environmentally friendly as we can,” he says. “It’s good public relations with the neighbors and the town.”

“Overall, we all live on this planet together,” adds Pacella. “It’s important for everyone and every industry to do their part.”

GAME CHANGER Other updates in the past several years have elevated the Rockland golf course as well. When the property rebuilt its practice facility two years ago, it added a shortgame area, expanded the range tees, and constructed a new indoor teaching studio.

In 2011-12, Rockland replaced its threeline irrigation system with a new five-line system, which covers more of the rough areas. The property also added a new pumphouse to serve the larger irrigation system, and its green roof helps with water runoff and erosion.

In addition, Rockland renovated 5.2 miles of cart paths and expanded the putting green, making it 50% larger, in 2012.

The reaction to the improvements from the membership has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Ceplo says, and the attention to detail has made Rockland more of a championship golf course.

The renovations in the last eight or nine years have generated a lot of buzz among the membership and the community at large. The property had a waiting list for membership this year, notes Everett, even though it raised the initiation fee.

“It was really a game changer for us,” Pacella says of the master plan. “Members truly enjoy playing now, and guests are very much awed when they come and play.” C+RB www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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W.Black Australian Wagyu 256.749.3987 www.wblack.com.au

T���� + U�������� Light the Night

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Club + Resort Business l 49

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

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First Impressions

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Groom to Improve

Product: Redken for Women Features: ▶ Tri-C Club Supply now offers a complete line of Redken, salon-quality haircare products for women ▶ Redken Shampoo and Conditioner is available in liters and gallons ▶ Redken Dry Shampoo is a must for the modern-day ladies locker room ▶ Ladies locker room staples, such as mousse and hair spray, are now available with Redken

All-WeatherStaging

Product: Clima-Core™ Platform Features: ▶ The Clima-Core is a weather-resistant, single-sided platform specifically designed for outdoor use ▶ This durable platform is designed to withstand the natural elements of the outdoors, such as hot or cold temperatures ▶ The honeycomb core’s top is weather-resistant making the platform suitable for a wide range of weather conditions ▶ The Clima-Core is water resistant and will not rot, swell, warp or absorb moisture ▶ This product is ideal for outdoor setting at hotels, convention halls, concerts, and more

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P��S���

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Power Polo Sustainable, Green Cleaning

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Product: Allover Chevron Golf Polo Features: ▶ 92% Polyester/8% Elastane ▶ Jersey fabrication is soft and smooth, providing comfort for the wearer ▶ Stretch to give full range of motion ▶ Opti Dri™ wicks away moisture ▶ Swing Tech™ ▶ UPF 50 sun-protection fabric ▶ Short-sleeve ▶ Machine wash ▶ Available in Big & Tall

Callaway

www.callawayapparel.com 50

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www.clubandresortbusiness.com

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

I���������

Raining Rotors

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Rain Bird

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Liquid Loving Lynx

Product: Lynx® Smart Satellite Features: ▶ Updated user interface. A larger backlit six-line display and familiar navigation make manual and diagnostic operations intuitive and productive ▶ Enhanced wireless communications. A new digital radio with an integrated modem delivers improved communication signal integrity, new diagnostic information and more control options ▶ Sensor input kit compatibility. The controller’s ability to integrate with the new Sensor Input Kit enables local or Lynx Central Control system response to information from anywhere on the course ▶ New diagnostic tools. Through the use of LED indicators and extensive menu options, the Smart Satellite clearly displays normal function and diagnostic information to assist with troubleshooting

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T��������� Reservations for All

Product: FlxRez Reservation System Features: ▶ Reservation systems for all areas of the club ▶ Aquatics/pool ▶ Fitness centers ▶ Driving ranges ▶ Golf simulators ▶ Spas and barber shops ▶ Tennis, pickleball, handball, bocce, etc ▶ Gyms and basketball ▶ Trap and skeet ranges ▶ Electronic scorecards (mobile app) ▶ and more

ForeTees

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The End of Radios

Product: Relay+ Features: ▶ Connects over WiFi and cellular network for seamless coverage across your course ▶ Eliminates the need for repeaters ▶ Relay survives anything from drops in water to drops on concrete ▶ Small, lightweight—no protruding, breakable parts like antennas ▶ Fewer repairs and replacements translates into more savings ▶ Talk in groups or in 1:1 private conversations ▶ Create unlimited channels ▶ Wired- and Bluetooth headset-capable ▶ Use the Relay dashboard to track, manage and even communicate with your team

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Club + Resort Business l 51

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

M����� S������� + A���������

G��� C���

Join the Club

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Private Club Consulting

Service: McMahon Group Features: ▶ Primary goal is to serve clubs and their leadership by helping to achieve maximum satisfaction for their members ▶ Identify the challenges facing clubs and work with Board members and general managers to develop unique solutions ▶ Understands trends in the club industry and has unparalleled experience in every aspect of club life, including an acute understanding of club politics ▶ Provide objective, unbiased consulting that is essential for achieving club goals ▶ Specializes in integrated consulting solutions ▶ Helps clubs recognize and prioritize issues while building consensus among the members ▶ Club member preferences are revealed and general managers get valuable feedback

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A Better Battery

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by Trojan will be available as an option to company’s standard flooded lead-acid (FLA) batteries ▶ These AGM batteries are protected by a “Life of the Lease” warranty ▶ Do not require watering—making maintenance worry-free ▶ Motive T875-AGM batteries have a shorter charging time than standard FLA batteries ▶ Manufactured from 98% recyclable materials

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www.clubandresortbusiness.com

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

T����� + C����� Mi Casa, Su Casa

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Product: 2by2 Specialty Ice Machine Features: ▶ 2by2 cubes are perfect for chilling and minimal dilution for cocktails or straight spirits ▶ Produces dramatic 1.9” x 1.9”x 2.3”square ice cubes ▶ Ice is also a garnish-elevating cocktail presentation ▶ Increase your revenue per drink served ▶ Small footprint easily fits under a bar ▶ Up to 50 lbs. of ice production per 24 hours ▶ Built-in storage bin with 22-lb. capacity ▶ Durable stainless-steel exterior with easy-to-remove-and-clean air filter

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ADVERTISER INDEX CALLAWAY GOLF COMPANY

13

FORETEES

11

CHAMBERS USA

29

HOSHIZAKI AMERICA

3

CRES COR

55

THE MONTAGUE COMPANY

56

OW LEE

37

www.callawaygolf.com

www.chambersusa.com www.crescor.com

CURTIS

www.wilburcurtis.com

2

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DUFFY’S TRI-C CLUB SUPPLY INC.

19

PREFERRED CLUB

31

ETHOS CLUB & LEISURE

45

STUDIO JBD & JEFFERSON GROUP ARCHITECTURE

35

EUSTIS CHAIR

47

YAMAHA

“FORE” SUPPLY CO.

21

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800-523-2788 / www.preferredclub.com 401-721-0977 / Pcafaro@JBDandJGA.com

7

866-747-4027 / YamahaGolfCar.com

October 2021

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Club + Resort Business l 53

IDEAEXCHANGE EARNING THE LION’S SHARE

By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor

SOMETIMES SIMPLICITY speaks volumes. When the Edgeworth Club in Sewickley, Pa., recently unveiled its new logo—a lion with a racquet in its paw—it spoke to the property’s venerable past, while also giving voice to its future.

The property, which was founded in 1893, rolled out the new emblem, an update of the previous logo that dated to 1957, on Memorial Day weekend of 2021.

“Our long-term members appreciate the historic aspect of the logo,” says General Manager Matthew Kurtas, Certified Sommelier, CCM. “Newer members feel like it lets them know they belong.”

The 13- to 14-month process to update the logo was driven by Bill Pietragallo III, the previous Board president, when he realized that Edgeworth had no logoed clothing that his three school-aged children could wear.

To develop the new logo, Edgeworth relied on input from the Board and The Patterson Group, a professional marketing group that helped with the design. Graphic artist Jeremy Ruby initially submitted 10 different designs to the Board.

For the sake of continuity, the marketing group helped Edgeworth identify the most important part of the existing logo, which featured the name “Edgeworth Club,” a divided crest, and the lion holding the racquet on its apex. That logo recognized pioneers in the area, the Edgeworth family of County Langford, Ireland, and the property’s history as a racquet sports destination, particularly after the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association held the 1957 Wightman Cup there.

Referring to the lion, Kurtas says, “We had this great aspect of the logo that we could capitalize on. We have this great heritage and this powerful symbol.”

Edgeworth, one of three private clubs within a two-mile radius near Pittsburgh, also wanted a new logo that would be friendlier for children. “New members on average are in their mid- to late

The Edgeworth Club’s updated logo (right) retained aspects of the club’s tradition reflected in the previous version while “being much more approachable and [reflecting] a friendly, youthful style of service,” says General Manager Matthew Kurtas.

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40s, and they usually have children,” Kurtas says. “Edgeworth Club’s next member is the child of a current member.”

In addition, the property sought a logo that was easier to embroider than the complex crested design. “The new logo is also easier to recognize from a distance in a variety of settings, and it doesn’t have to be as large to be seen,” adds Kurtas.

As part of the development process, the club surveyed focus groups consisting of the membership and staff and found that while members appreciated the tradition and pride evoked by the previous logo, they felt it did not translate well to personal items or apparel.

Those surveyed said they would wear more logoed gear if it was available and if the logo was “different, but the same.”

Edgeworth enclosed letters about the new logo with the members’ April and May statements, and also promoted the adoption of the new logo in its digital newsletter. It was then introduced, Kurtas says, through a virtual-store approach.

Staff members created displays of products that would be made available with the logo and posted them strategically. so members would see one every time they visited the club, regardless of why they were there. Signage was posted at the reception center, the fitness center, and the pool entrance. A QR code on the signs took members to the virtual store where they could pre-order items, and they could also leave feedback about other types of new-logoed products they might want.

Edgeworth also contacted its various committees, such as the Swim and Fitness Committee, to get other ideas for the types of products that could be merchandised with the new logo.

As a result of all of these efforts, the club has gone from offering two or three items with the previous logo to more than 20 products with the updated lion logo, which has now been placed on a wide range of items including Tervis tumblers, Yeti cups and coolers, tote bags, pool towels, polo shirts, quarter-zips, visors, and baseball caps.

Edgeworth is also using the new logo in its digital marketing and communications, all newsletters, and on temporary signs. But the club still employs the crested logo for formal events such as wine dinners or weddings, as well as on its menu and on letterhead. “It’s nice to have both, because you can create a visual cue for your guests,” notes Kurtas.

The property’s first true emblem, a calligraphed “EC” script that served as the inaugural logo in the late 19th century, also remains above the stone entrance to the clubhouse.

To generate continued interest in the new look, more products bearing the lion logo are been released on a staggered basis. Currently, Edgeworth is rolling out winter items such as hoodies, vests, and Christmas ornaments. And while products with both logos are still being made available, Kurtas says the lion logo is outselling the crested logo by a ratio of four or five to one.

“The [new] logo is much more approachable and reflects a friendly, youthful style of service,” he says. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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