Club + Resort Business September 2020

September 2020

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Reaching New Heights

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EDITORIAL

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DIGITAL MEDIA/WEB/DEVELOPMENT

EDITOR

VICE PRESIDENT - GROUP PUBLISHER

VP, DIGITAL MARKETING

Joe Barks

Tom McIntyre

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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Course + Grounds:

Betsy Gilliland Jeff Bollig Food + Beverage:

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SEPTEMBER CLUB INDEX

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Club and resort properties featured in this issue

Jane Cooper

Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, Mo. ................................................24

jcooper@wtwhmedia.com

Country Club of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y. .......................................46 Cumberland Trail Golf Club, Pataskala, Ohio ....................................22 Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, Galena, Ill. ......................................................24 Governors Club, Chapel Hill, N.C. .........................................................28 Kenwood Country Club, Cincinnati, Ohio ............................................32

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Manchester Country Club, Bedford, N.H. ..........................................40 2011 - 2020

Mill Creek Golf Club, Mebane, N.C. ...........................................................40

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

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Meridian Hills Country Club, Indianapolis, Ind. ........................................38

September 2020

Pete Dye Golf Club, Bridgeport, W. Va. ...............................................42 Primland, Meadows of Dan, Va. ...................................................................44 Rochester Yacht Club, Rochester, N.Y. ..................................................46 The Shore Club, Cape May Court House, N.J. .....................................26 St Davids Golf Club, Wayne, Pa. .................................................................43 Summit Hills Country Club, Crestview Hills, Ky. .................................16 Wanakah Country Club, Hamburg, N.Y. ..............................................54 www.clubandresortbusiness.com

EDITOR’S MEMO

A Case for History The club business is certainly not immune to scrutiny, and legitimate criticism, surrounding the renewed focus on eliminating offensive images and practices from America’s social fabric.

The industry can expect to have a big target on its back as a business segment that’s generally perceived, fairly or not, as one of the biggest offenders when it comes to exclusionary policies and poor track records for hiring a diverse workforce and providing equitable advancement opportunities. If you haven’t already done so, your Board and management team should already be proactively preparing responses to demonstrate either why those charges don’t apply to your particular club, or to acknowledge where you’ve fallen short and show how you’re taking steps to improve in those areas. Because it’s only a matter of time before every club will feel some heat to defend its record or change its ways.

Beyond those larger issues, many clubs are also having fingers pointed at them for retaining vestiges of history and tradition that no longer play well in the current social climate. Several clubs have recently dropped “Plantation” or other associations with the Old South or Confederacy from their names, and it’s hard to argue there was any reason to try to hold on to those types of connections.

Some other examples that have been put under the microscope, however, aren’t quite as cut and dried. Our report about the Philadelphia Cricket Club (PCC) and its logo that depicts a Native American (see pg. 11) drew high readership when we first posted it online, and it wasn’t just because it’s long been recognized as one of the club industry’s most distinctive and popular symbols. Many clubs could relate to the dilemma that PCC now faces, because they too have connections with similar imagery.

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

The club business is certainly not immune to scrutiny, and legitimate criticism, surrounding the renewed focus on eliminating offensive images and practices from America’s social fabric. But that doesn’t mean tradition can’t still be defended.

I was recently at one club where the GM showed me a totem pole on the property and a trophy area within the clubhouse that included a framed headdress and other similarly themed objects.

All relate to that club’s participation in a longstanding golf tournament with other area clubs (in a region with a rich Native American heritage) that has provided generous support to local charities.

This GM told me he’d seen our report on PCC and immediately realized he probably needed to be ready to face similar challenges. If and when that came about, he hoped he would be able to make a persuasive argument for why the event has not directed any disrespect at any culture and why its traditional symbolism is worth preserving, to maximize its popularity and the charitable benefits it produces.

For this club and others with similar situations, I’d suggest taking a cue from what we’ve seen among the professional sports teams that have also come under renewed fire. The Washington [Football Team] relented, finally, to end its use of a name and imagery that were hard to defend. Baseball’s Braves and Indians are proving to be a little more resistant to the pressure to change. And hockey’s Chicago Blackhawks (whose logo is very similar to the Cricket Club’s) made it clear the team has no plans to make any change, citing how its name and logo “symbolizes an important and historic person, Black Hawk of Illinois’ Sac & Fox Nation, whose leadership and life has inspired generations of Native Americans, veterans and the public.”

Just as our report notes that the logo issue has prompted internal discussions within the Cricket Club, it’s healthy for all clubs to now engage staff, members and leadership in a review of traditions and practices. But that shouldn’t be undertaken with the assumption that it must always lead to change, and that no tradition can now be defended or still held in high regard.

Joe Barks • Editor jbarks@wtwhmedia.com

September 202O

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INSIDE

September 2020 • Vol. 16 • No. 9

THIS

ISSUE

16

Reaching New Heights at Summit Hills CC

The timing has all been good for the Crestview Hills, Ky. club this year, as new outdoor facilities, attractive incentives and an energized leadership have led to a 25% growth in membership and activity-filled participation throughout the property.

(Cover Photo Courtesy Summit Hills CC)

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

22

Design + Recreation

SOCIALIZING WITH DISTANCE

How bars and pubs are making themselves pandemic-proof.

Club Architect 28 FROM DRINKS

5

Editor’s Memo

8

The Rob Report

10

TO DESSERT

Creating popular settings for both casual and upscale dining.

A CASE FOR HISTORY

THE EVOLUTION OF A GOLFER

C+RB News Roundup

BOCA WEST CC’S $45M IMPROVEMENT PROJECT INCLUDES NEW AQUATICS CENTER

Plus other industry, supplier and people news.

32

Food + Beverage

WELL-ROUNDED APPROACH

Sean Sennet, CEC, is enhancing Kenwood CC’s strong culinary reputation with new equipment and programs.

42

Golf Operations

READY, SET, HOST

How clubs are getting creative to still support socially distanced golf outings.

54

38

Course + Grounds

MAKING THE MOST OF MAINTENANCE FACILITIES

Maximizing the space where crews start and end their days.

4 Club Index 6

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Today’s Manager 46 FAMILY TRADITION

Michael Smith’s Excellence in Club Management recognition also affirms his shared legacy.

49 Product Showcase

Idea Exchange

WALK OF LIFE

Wanakah CC’s 100-hole walking golf marathon continues to grow each year in participation and the support it provides for local charities.

53 Ad Index www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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THE ROB REPORT

The Evolution of a Golfer I BEGAN PLAYING GOLF PRETIGER WOODS and pre-housing boom. Because I was too young to drive, either my mom or a buddy’s mom would take us to the course, drop us off and pick us up at a designated time.

Memberships were cheap then—less than $100 for Monday-through-Friday playing privileges—and we’d play from sunup to sundown, only stopping for a hot dog, lemonade and bag of chips.

Because the sport hadn’t yet captured national attention, we often had the course to ourselves, or so it seemed, for much of the day. There would be some traffic in the morning for senior and women’s leagues and again around 6 p.m. for evening leagues, but in between we’d have carte blanche. Playing 54 holes was commonplace.

As is typical for kids that age, we became bored of playing the same 18 holes multiple times a day, multiple days a week, for an entire summer. Instead of finding another activity—returning to baseball, taking up tennis, heading to the beach—we’d make up different games on the golf course.

We’d play from the first tee to the seventh green, eighth tee to the second green, etc. Challenge each other to loft a wedge over a seemingly-too-high tree, or turn an iron over and play a shot from the opposite side of the ball. We’d even designate the order in which we had to play clubs—wedge off the tee, 7-iron on the second shot, driver on the third, etc.

Imagine how difficult it is to hit a 3-iron out of a greenside bunker.

All of this playing over several years did wonders for my game, confidence and handicap. I quickly went from struggling to break 100 to regularly shooting in the 80s and getting down to a 2 handicap within a few years.

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Rounds are up from Maine to California, and the sport I fell in love with as a youth is making a comeback. The best news for our industry…it’s not all middleage men. Research shows the number of junior golfers could grow by as much as 20 percent this year.

The world was mine, or so I thought.

Life, as we all know, has a way of getting in the way of play. I never did find that trust fund I was looking for and any unknown, wealthy uncle is either still living or chose to bequeath his fortune elsewhere. Jobs turned into a career, my teens turned into 20s, 30s, etc., and a single kid with no responsibilities became a father of three with a lot on his plate.

As I’m typing this, I’ve logged 18 holes in 2020. COVID has had a lot to do with that, of course, but I’m in the minority these days. We’ve shared quite a few stories from clubs across the country who’ve experienced a rebirth, of sorts, this year. Rounds are up from Maine to California, and the sport I fell in love with as a youth is making a comeback.

The best news for our industry … It’s not all middle-age men who are finding

their way back to the golf course. Kids, many younger than I was when I began, are now teeing it up. A lot of team sports were forced to suspend activities this summer, so golf was the beneficiary of children with time on their hands and bodies full of energy.

Research done by the National Golf Foundation shows evidence that the number of junior golfers (ages 6-17) could grow by as much as 20 percent this year. Putting that in concrete numbers, approximately 2.5 million kids played golf in 2019, making the COVID-related bump in the neighborhood of half-a-million added youth golfers. If a similar percentage fall in love with the sport like I did many years ago, we’re looking at plenty of years of prosperity ahead.

What is your club doing to attract and retain the next generation of golfers?

I’ve seen plenty of experts speak about “keeping it fun” as the most important aspect of engaging youth and beginning golfers, but I’d love to hear specifics from your club. Is everything for junior players confined to the practice facility, or do you also introduce them to the actual tees, fairways and greens?

Rob Thomas • Senior Editor

rthomas@wtwhmedia.com

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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- Scott Craig, Director of Culinary Operations at Myers Park

INDUSTRY ROUNDUP BOCA WEST CC’S $45M IMPROVEMENT PROJECT TO FEATURE NEW AQUATICS CENTER AFTER THE COMPLETION OF its luxurious,

European-inspired spa last summer, Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla. is now moving ahead with an approved $45 million club-improvement program that includes new construction of an Aquatics Center and the expansion and refresh of the existing Sports Center Complex. Projects will be completed in a phased implementation process to minimize member inconvenience.

The 96,000-sq. ft. Aquatics Center, scheduled to be completed by November 2022, will showcase an expansive, tropical and plushly landscaped pool deck; the Splash Pool Bar & Grill, an alfresco restaurant and bar overlooking the pools as well as the Palmer Golf Course; a bath house with showers and lockers; a multi-purpose event space; two activity lawns; and five pools, including a four-lane lap pool, a family pool with zero entry, an adult pool with submerged loungers, a teaching pool, and a kids’ pool with a splash pad.

The two-story, Sports Center Complex, through a project that is also to be completed by November 2022, will similarly undergo a full-scale restoration and be

enlarged to 72,000 sq. ft. The Fitness and Wellness Center will weave in several movement studios with state-of-the-art technology for spin, aerobics, pilates and core training. A serene spa and relaxation courtyard will be added, with an outdoor wet area and outdoor rooftop bar and terrace overlooking the Palmer Golf Course, as well as a Grab-N-Go Market Café with a fountain courtyard for dining.

Other new features will include an adult game room and updated billiards room,

new two-story lobby, and a valet entrance with a three-lane porte cochere and a multilevel water feature.

The club’s dining destinations will also undergo ancillary enhancements as part of the improvement projects. The My Pi Restaurant will receive a new bar with expanded dining availability, and an openconcept kitchen including a sushi and pizza bar. The adjacent Onyx Bar will be enlarged to entertain larger crowds with an outdoor rooftop terrace.

CLUBCORP SELLS PAIR OF COURSES TO SCULPTOR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT CLUB CORP HAS SOLD Devils Ridge Golf Club in Holly Springs, N.C., and Brookfield Devils Ridge GC was sold for $4 million Country Club in Roswell, Ga. to Sculptor Capital Management for $4 million and $9 through a 20-year sale/leaseback agreement. million, respectively.

ClubCorp, one of the nation’s largest owners of private golf courses, and the New York hedge fund struck a 20-year sale/leaseback agreement for the more-than150-acre Brookfield Country Club golf course and amenities, according to Fulton County (Ga.) property deeds, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.

A similar deal was struck for Devils Ridge Golf Club, the Triangle Business Journal reported.

ClubCorp said it will continue to operate both clubs as part of its network.

Brookfield Country Club features 10 tennis courts and an 18-hole, par-72 golf course that opened in 1972, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported. It was entirely Brookfield CC was sold for $9 million, also reconstructed in 2000. The Devils Ridge course features 18 holes, two practice putthrough a 20-year sale/leaseback with ting greens, a driving range, clubhouse with dining options, and a bar.

Sculptor Capital Management.

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PHILADELPHIA CRICKET CLUB ASKED TO DISCONTINUE LOGO A church in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pa. has asked the neighboring Philadelphia Cricket Club to discontinue use of its feathered American Indian head logo, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, because it projects “a painful racial insensitivity into our neighborhood.”

The club had not yet issued a response to the request, The Inquirer reported.

The 166-year-old Cricket Club and the St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church have long stood side-by-side in the Philadelphia neighborhood, The Inquirer reported, but now the church wants the club to retire its logo, saying it “represents the white supremacist legacy of our neighborhood” and harkens back to an era when white settlers romanticized Native Americans.

The church’s complaint about the Cricket Club’s logo was registered in a letter sent on June 29th by its rector, Rev. Jarret Kerbel, to club President F. John White, The Inquirer reported.

The growing diversity of the Chestnut Hill neighborhood demands consideration of “what it means for children and families—especially children and families of color—to be exposed to your logo every day,” Kerbel’s letter said. “We ask you to retire the offensive logo and replace it with something more benign.”

David Contosta, a professor of history at Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill College and author of The Philadelphia Cricket Club, 1854-2004, America’s Oldest Country Club, told The Inquirer there are “no records,” but only several speculative explanations, for why the Cricket Club, which was founded in 1854 by a group of University of Pennsylvania alumni who played the game as The most trusted golf industry insurance program students and wanted to continue their competibacked by the power of A-rated insurance carriers and tions, has used the Native American face as part 25 years of experience — beyond a doubt. of its logo.

The Inquirer’s report included a quote from Ask your insurance agent to contact us for a competitive quote. one club member who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “A lot of Cricket Club members feel the Black Lives Matter movement has awakened us all to the insensitivity of the logo,” the member said. “But then there’s a lot of people who feel tradition is important, and since the logo 800-523-2788 EXT. 300 | PREFERREDCLUB.COM was originally meant as an homage, it can still be viewed that way.” www.clubandresortbusiness.com

September 2020

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INDUSTRY ROUNDUP TWINEAGLES CLUB APPROVES $22.5M MASTER PLAN FOR TALON COURSE, CLUBHOUSE

MEMBERS OF THE TWINEAGLES Club

in Naples, Fla. approved Phase One of a Master Plan that calls for the renovation and modernization of the club’s Talon Course, and an expansion and renovation of the clubhouse. The project will include work on an indoor/outdoor bar and casual-dining venue, card/activity room, the Midway Cafe, and an expanded dining/event room and balcony overlooking both the Talon and Eagle championship golf courses.

In addition, four new bocce courts will be built adjacent to the clubhouse.

The cost of Phase One is estimated at $22.5 million, with construction on the Talon Course scheduled to be completed in January 2022. Work on the new clubhouse is slated to be finished by November 2022.

Oher phases of the Master Plan will be considered at a later date.

Nicklaus Design, which originally designed the Talon Course in 1999, will oversee the renovation and modernization of the course. Humphrey Rosal Architects will direct the clubhouse renovation.

To help fund the amenities and improvements, members also approved initiation fees, a first for TwinEagles. The initiation fees will not go into effect until April 1, 2021.

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MULTIPLE CASES OF COVID-19 LINKED TO CLUB EVENTS AT LEAST 21 REPORTED new cases of the coronavirus were traced to club events held in Michigan and New York in August and July.

An official with the Flushing Valley Golf & Country Club in Flushing, Mich. said the facility will stop hosting large indoor events after six cases of COVID-19 were linked to a wedding reception there on August 15, mlive.

Six cases of COVID-19 were linked to an com reported. indoor wedding reception at Flushing Valley The Genesee County (Mich.) Health Golf & Country Club.

Department said the reception was held indoors with more than 100 people and told mlive.com those guests and employees of the club also “may be at risk for contracting and spreading” coronavirus.

Angelo I. Arca, Flushing Valley’s General Manager, said the facility was being sanitized and that the club remained open and employees were being tested for the virus, mlive. com reported.

Other weddings and events that were already scheduled were either being moved outdoors or cancelled, Arca added. He noted that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders regulating the size of large gatherings have been confusing and officials at the club “misunderstood” what was required. “[But] if we misunderstood, we’ll take the blame,” he said.

Columbia County, N.Y. reported that it was tracking 15 new cases of coronavirus that had been traced back to golf outings in the county, WNYT NBC 13 of Albany, N.Y. reported.

The county’s health director pinpointed the outbreak to two golf events held in July, WNYT reported, and the outbreak from the events led to 96 people being put under mandatory quarantine.

THE RANCH CC RECAPITALIZES WITH CONCERT GOLF

THE MEMBERS OF THE Ranch Country Club in Westminster, Colo. voted 304-9

to recapitalize with Concert Golf Partners. The 46-year-old club in Westminster, Colo. will have all existing debt eliminated through the arrangement and new improvements estimated at between $1 million and $2 million will be completed within two years, with member assessments permanently eliminated.

The Ranch CC has a Richard Phelps-designed 18-hole golf course on 155 acres with rolling terrain and endless vistas of the Rocky Mountains, which plays 6,566 yards from the back tees with a 134 slope. The club also offers four outdoor and four indoor (bubble) tennis courts, a 25-yard swimming pool with a zero-entry family pool, and a state-of-the-art fitness center. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

PRIVATE CLUB WITH VIRTUAL GOLF PLANNED FOR ATLANTA’S BUCKHEAD SECTION BELIEVING THAT PROSPEROUS MILLENNIALS may be less likely than their

parents and grandparents to join exclusive golf clubs, two Atlanta (Ga.)-based tech entrepreneurs think they have found a new model that can lure today’s young professionals, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.

David Cummings and Michael Williamson are in the process of launching the Intown Golf Club in Atlanta’s Buckhead section, the Business Chronicle reported. The project, which has some celebrity investors including tennis pro Andy Roddick and his wife, Brooklyn Decker, includes modernized amenities that would be found at traditional country clubs. But instead of an 18-hole course, Intown Golf Club’s sporting element is centered around high-end golf simulators.

Intown Golf Club will boast 10 Trackman virtual swing bays featuring large screens, 4K graphics and the latest launch-monitor technology with high-speed cameras and radar, to give players access to an assortment of advanced metrics about their swings, the Business Chronicle reported. The course simulations include famous venues such as St. Andrews in Scotland.

Beyond the swing bays, Intown Golf Club’s amenities will include a members-only restaurant, men’s and women’s locker rooms, conference rooms, a pro shop and a fitness center with exercise classes including yoga and stretching, the Business Chronicle reported. The club will offer a variety of membership levels with prices around “a few thousand dollars” per year, according to Cummings.

Excellence in

Club

Management

®

Awards Entries are now being

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

AUDUBON CC UNVEILS NEW LIFESTYLE CENTER AUDUBON COUNTRY CLUB IN Naples, Fla. has unveiled its new 19,000-sq. ft. Lifestyle

Center. The two-story facility modernizes and expands the club’s fitness and tennis offerings, while also providing members with a new casual indoor/outdoor dining experience.

The focal point of the new Lifestyle Center is the new and improved Courtside Café, which is substantially larger and features an indoor/outdoor bar, display kitchen, poolside dining and increased outdoor lounging areas with firepit tables. Executive Chef Richard Nielsen, CEC, PCIII, oversees the culinary experience, which features a menu that will enhance a healthy lifestyle.

The new fitness center, located on the building’s second floor, features a state-ofthe-art weight studio and cardio room, two exercise rooms for fitness classes, a massage lounge, two treatment rooms, and men’s and ladies’ day-use locker rooms. The second-floor balcony can be used for outdoor fitness classes such as tai chi and yoga, or to accommodate seating for social gatherings.

The new building is located adjacent to the Club’s seven Har-Tru tennis courts and two bocce courts. A new HydroGrid exhibition tennis court and two gel-surface pickleball courts were also added as part of the project. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

& Resort Business and the National Club Association.

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

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING ENTRIES IS OCTOBER 23, 2020 For more information and to submit nominations, go to www.clubmanageraward.com

September 2020

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SUPPLIER NEWS TEXTRON TO RELOCATE JACOBSEN PRODUCTION TO U.K. FACILITY TEXTRON SPECIALIZED VEHICLES INC., a Textron Inc. company, announced that it will relocate all manufacturing of Jacobsen professional turf equipment to its facility in Ipswich, U.K. The move will begin this fall and be completed in stages over the next several months.

Simon Rainger TSV said the move will enable the company to focus its investments, skill, and improvements in mower production on a single facility, and leverage existing resources and expertise at its Ipswich facility. The plant, which currently builds Jacobsen and Ransomes mowers, is the oldest manufacturer of motorized lawn mowers in the world, having been in operation for more than 187 years.

The U.K. facility will produce mowers for all regions, including North America. Jacobsen will maintain its sales, parts, and customer-care teams in North America, and its network of North American distributors, to serve its customers in the U.S. and Canada.

“We are excited to establish our Ipswich, U.K. facility as the worldwide manufacturing center of excellence for Jacobsen equipment,” said Simon Rainger, Vice President, Turf for Textron Specialized Vehicles. “This move will enable us to operate more efficiently, and expand on the legacy of innovation and quality that our Ipswich plant has built over its long history.”

In a conference call on August 27th with editors of U.S. publications covering the club and golf markets, Rainger stressed that the relocation and “factory consolidation” of Jacobsen production to the UK would have no detrimental effect on cost or delivery lead times for North American customers. Over the past 20 years, he noted, more of the brand’s overall production for the North American market has been moved to the Ipswich facility.

“This is not really ‘new news,’” Rainger said. Over the past five years, he said, from 30 to 35 percent of machines delivered to North America have been made in Ipswich, and that percentage grew to closer to 50% over the last two years.

TORO ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF “SUSTAINABILITY ENDURES” PLATFORM THE TORO COMPANY HAS launched its “Sustainability Endures” platform, which will strengthen Toro’s strategic focus on sustainability and its long-standing commitment to making a positive impact financially, socially and environmentally worldwide.

Sustainability Endures introduces four strategic pillars—People, Products, Process and Planning—that help to define and guide The Toro Company’s sustainability strategies and execution of those strategies. Through these pillars, Toro is focusing on the environmental, social and governance areas that it believes are most material to the company and where it can make a meaningful impact, including health and safety, diversity, equity and inclusion, water conservation, product innovation and operational efficiency.

PEOPLE NEWS CLUB PEOPLE Berkeley Hall Club in Bluffton, S.C. named Adam Kushner as General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. Kushner previously served as the interim GM/COO since April 2020.

Adam Kushner He originally joined Berkeley Hall Club in November, 2015 as Director of Golf.

Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, N.J. appointed Michael Ferguson as General Manager. Ferguson was most recently General Manager of Rockaway River Country Club in Denville, N.J. 14

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Woodland Hills (Calif.)

Country Club named Ron Banaszak as General Manager. Most Ron Banaszak recently, Banaszak was Chief Operating Officer of The Fountaingrove Club in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz. named Ryan Johnson as Director of Racquet Sports. Johnson was formerly the Ryan Johnson Director of Tennis at Camelback Village Racquet and Health Club in Phoenix. Desert Mountain also named Arnaldo Cocuzza, CCM, as Director of Athletics Arnaldo Cocuzza & the Sonoran Clubhouse.

Most recently, Cocuzza managed clubhouse operations at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. Wilderness Country Club in Naples, Fla. appointed Kevin Harris as Food & Beverage Director. Most recently, Harris was Director of Food and Kevin Harris Beverage for Countryside Golf & Country Club, also in Naples.

Mizner Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla. named Lisa Kyte as Director of Fitness, Lifestyle and Youth Activities. Kyte was most recently Director of Lisa Kyte Spa, Fitness, Aquatics and Children’s/Teen Activities at The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.). www.clubandresortbusiness.com

"T to e e m

G G F

PEOPLE NEWS Dana Rader, Director of Instruction at Belfair in Bluffton, S.C., has been honored by the Ladies Professional Golf Association as the 2020 recipient of the Dana Rader Nancy Lopez Golf Achievement Award. The award is given to an LPGA Professionals member who emulates qualities valued by Lopez: leadership, passion, giving and approachability.

SUPPLIER PEOPLE

Kopplin Kuebler & Wallace named J.G. Ted Gillary, CCM, CCE, ECM, CMAA Fellow, as a Consultant and Search Executive. Gillary, who recently retired as Executive Manager of the Detroit (Mich.)

Ted Gillary

Athletic Club, was honored through the Excellence in Club Management Awards co-sponsored by Club + Resort Business for Lifetime Achievement in 2020 (“Principled Performance,” C+RB, April 2020).

Rodney “Binx” Watts, a member of the 1967 Morgan State University golf team that won the CIAA college golf championship, died August 7 at the age of 75. Watts served as an Assistant Professional at Pine

GSI Executive Search appointed Andrew Minnelli, USPTA, PTR as Principal. Most recently, Minnelli served as Director of Tennis at the Seattle Tennis Club.

IN MEMORIAM

C. Grant Spaeth, a former U.S. Golf Association president, died at age 88. Spaeth, who served as the USGA’s president in 1990-91, played a key role in the creation of the U.S. Mid-Amateur and Women’s MidAmateur tournaments in the 1980s when he served on the association’s Executive Committee. Spaeth also confronted the issue of segregation at U.S. clubs, steering tournaments away from clubs that maintained exclusionary membership policies.

Ridge Golf Course in Lutherville, Md. and as Head Professional at Marlton Golf Club in Upper Marlboro, Md. He was most recently Director of Golf at The Timbers at Troy Golf Course in Elkridge, Md. Binx joined the golf team at Mount Saint Joe High School in Baltimore (Class of 1962), where he used his amateur status to challenge segregation rules in local private clubs.

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GREG GILG General Manager Field Club of Omaha www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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September 2020 l Club + Resort Business l 15

» SUMMIT HILLS CC

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

AT SUMMIT HILLS CC The timing has all been good for the Crestview Hills, Ky. club this year, as new outdoor facilities, attractive incentives and an energized leadership have led to a 25 percent growth in membership and activityfilled participation through all parts of the property.

By Joe Barks, Editor

MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THIS SUMMER on the interstate-highway bridges that span the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky have caused serious wayfinding challenges, to the point where navigation apps have directed users to cross from one state to another, then back again to recross on a different road, before finally pointing them towards their final destinations.

But those convoluted routes haven’t stopped a steady stream of both existing and new members from finding their way to Summit Hills Country Club in Crestview Hills, Ky. On February 1st of 2020, before anyone who wasn’t a medical historian knew anything about pandemics, Summit Hills had 400 members as it began to prepare for the club’s 91st year. Then those ugly red and gray balls with the triangular spikes began to make regular appearances on the nightly news , and Summit Hills’ leadership joined clubs around the country in hunkering down and starting to sketch out survival strategies. “We were thinking we would lose 25 to 50 members due to COVID,” reports General Manager Gary Behan, CCM. Fast-forward five months, and on July 31st alone—the last day of a membership initiative the club had planned for the year and decided to still forge ahead with—18 new members joined Summit Hills. “That’s a good year for us in one day,” Behan says, shaking his head in amazement asas 16

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» Hollywood GC

The Summit Hills management team takes a moment for a rare pause from an activityfilled year. Front row, left to right: Charles Myers, Executive Chef; Molly Makin, Membership & Marketing Director; Larry Miller, CEC, CCM, Clubhouse Manager; Barbara Pacella, Controller. Back row, left to right: Gary Behan, CCM, General Manager; John Cahill, Golf Course Superintendent; Tom Walters, PGA, Head Golf Professional; Christina Plappert, Dining Room Manager; Kara Molony-Hussey, Head Tennis Professional.

Photo by Tim Smith/C.T. Photography Group

he reviewed the latest update on a surge that has totaled 125 new members for the year.

The July 31st deadline marked the end of Summit Hills’ status as a for-profit equity club and the introduction of an initiation fee that would be part of its renewed status as a 501 (c) (7) operation.

While that certainly spurred some of the new membership interest and sped up commitments, it was only one part of a lot of good timing that has marked the year for Summit Hills, even if 2020 will still ultimately be remembered by most for much different reasons.

Another huge component of that timing was the convergence of all of the components involved with a $3.5 million renovation that produced a new outdoor bar and expanded seating and dining capacity on the patio outside Summit Hills’ clubhouse. The project also included a new snack bar that services both the club’s pool and golfers, and a new tennis/ pickleball court and baby pool (see photos, pg. 20).

The outdoor bar opened in July 2019 and was busy until the weather turned in November, Behan reports, with popular 18

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new events including “tailgate” gatherings for Cincinnati Bengals games.

Summit Hills expected even more activity this year with the opening of the snack bar, baby pool and new court. But after the pandemic hit, all was put on hold until Kentucky finally issued a go-ahead for pool openings at the end of June. Once that finally occurred, existing members poured in to use the entire complex and join golfers who were already boosting rounds on the Summit Hills course by 25 percent.

“All of the additional outside space and facilities have been a godsend,” Behan says. “It really appealed to our [existing] members who had little else they could do and literally needed a place for their pent-up demand. And we think a lot of the new memberships we’ve gained are mainly because [prospects] were able to see such an active club when they came here to see what we now have.”

A LONG TIME COMING The clock for the good timing that Summit Hills has benefited from this year was set several years ago, when the club’s leadership recognized a need to get

more aggressive and proactive in touting Summit Hills’ inherent benefits and got serious about long-range planning that would be built around member input and a broader amenities scope.

“We’ve always had a great setting and location, and have always been a family club, but we needed to do more to sell our product and reestablish our brand,” says current President Doug Myers. “Now we have resort-like facilities that make us stand out, and the activity levels we’re seeing across the board for all of our operations is not only an overwhelmingly positive and ‘almost normal’ sign for this year, it’s volume we really haven’t seen since before [the market crash and Great Recession of 2007-09].”

The new focus on a long-range branding perspective and facility improvements was followed by the Board’s newfound emphasis on letting the Summit Hills management team direct operations and implement new programs, Myers adds.

Behan arrived as GM in May 2019 and plunged in to complete and maximize the impact of the outdoor facility project, with the help of a team that includes the invaluable experience and expertise of www.clubandresortbusiness.com

At a Glance:

SUMMIT HILLS COUNTRY CLUB Summit Hills’ golf course never had to close this year and has seen a 25 percent rounds-increase pace hold steady from the first days of the pandemic.

Larry Miller, CEC, CCM, who has been at Summit Hills since 1972 and has been its Clubhouse Manager since 2005, after previously serving as Food & Beverage Director and Executive Chef.

With such a solid connection to the club and area, Miller has even helped Summit Hills retain hope that it can still keep some larger events on the books this year for local organizations and schools that have been longtime customers of the club. While some outings have been rescheduled into 2021, others have exhibited trust through their relationships with Miller and the club to remain interested in still trying to make theirs happen before this year is out.

“It’s a matter of being creative with menus and food stations while still being safe,” Miller says. “But after seeing all that we have here now, groups are still

Location: Crestview Hills, Kentucky Founded: 1929 Members: 525 Golf Course Design: William Jackson Annual Golf Rounds: 18,000 Main Clubhouse Size: 25,000 sq. ft.

General Manager: Gary Behan, CCM Head Golf Professional: Tom Walters, PGA Golf Course Superintendent: John Cahill Tennis Professional: Kara Molony- Hussey Clubhouse Manager: Larry Miller, CEC, CCM Controller: Barb Pacella Membership & Marketing Director: Molly Makin Executive Chef: Charles Myers Bar Manager: Chris Marsh Dining Room Manager: Christina Plappert

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» Summit Hills CC

The well-timed opening of Summit Hills’ new outdoor bar (above), as well as added outside dining space and a new snack bar, baby pool and tennis/pickleball court, have all contributed to increased activity that in turn has made an impression on prospective new members, with 125 joining the club by the end of July.

interested in trying to have their functions outside here, with the hope that the weather will cooperate as we get into the fall.”

In the meantime, Miller, Executive Chef Charles Myers and Dining Room Manager Christina Plappert will continue to meet surging demand for daily, and nightly, food-and-beverage service that’s shown no sign of subsiding and is often tilted heavily to the beverage side, thanks to the popularity of the new outside bar. “Our bar figures have been blowing the budget out of the water, even with wedding postponements,” says Plappert.

“There have been many nights when we’ve had more bar revenue than food.”

WORKING IT OFF Even with the new appeal of the outdoor bar and dining areas, Summit Hills’ members clearly aren’t spending all of their time sitting on the patio. On the golf course, which never had to close, the 25 percent rounds-increase pace has held steady from the first signs of the pandemic.

“I’ve seen husbands and wives playing together who I’ve never seen on the course before,” says Golf Course Super-

intendent John Cahill—and that’s saying a lot, because Cahill’s seen a lot, having worked himself at Summit Hills for over 40 years and being part of a family that has course-maintenance connections to the club that go back 90 years and have now been extended to a fourth generation (Cahill’s son Luke is now an Assistant Superintendent at the club).

Summit Hills’ golf operation was also infused with a jolt of new energy at the start of 2018 with the arrival of Tom Walters, PGA, as the club’s new Head Golf Professional. Bringing experience from clubs including Isleworth CC in Florida and Western Hills CC in Cincinnati, Walters also took over ownership of Summit Hills’ pro shop and has established a robust online presence for the shop (twpga. squarespace.com) in addition to reviving in-store sales by broadening the merchandise mix and enhancing the shopping experience.

“We’re trying to bring about a mindset change,” Walters says. “We want to move beyond just ‘We’re Summit Hills’ to have

Bucking the industry trend, Summit Hills has returned ownership of its pro shop to its Head Golf Professional, Tom Walters, and the change has led to a revival of sales, both in-store and online.

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Summit Hills CC was founded in 1929 on a dairy farm property and its golf course is the only one ever designed by Bill Jackson, a Golf Professional at Cincinnati’s Camargo Club.

a first-class image for everything we do.”

Kids and non-golfers certainly aren’t sitting on the sidelines, either, as Summit Hills has so far continued to defy the dire predictions for pandemic-induced gloom.

Membership & Marketing Director Molly Makin reports that she actually had to increase the size of the club’s monthly newsletter for July, adding another eight pages to be able to include all that members

needed to know about upcoming events and activities.

Trying to get an update from Tennis Professional Kara Molony-Hussey about all that’s going on in her part of the property, which also includes a grassy play area between the courts and pool, means dodging ping-pong balls and cornhole bags and having kids frequently sidle up with a request while she’s talking.

“Our first clinic for pickleball sold out and we’re already up to 170 adults that now play,” says Molony-Hussey, who’s been at Summit Hills for 18 years. “For anything I put on the schedule, people come. And then there are plenty who have just seen what a fun atmosphere it is and come hang out, because they just like to be here.

We’ve had nights with not one organized thing, and it’s still hopping.” C+RB

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DESIGN + RENOVATION

Socializing with Distance Bars and pubs are making themselves pandemic-proof, as they re-adjust their layouts to accommodate capacity restrictions and safe service practices.

By Pamela Brill, Contributing Editor

BACK IN THE DAY, SAFE barkeeping meant enforcing last call and flagging the overserved.

But since the onset of COVID-19, management responsibilities for pubs and bars have broadened to include sanitizing countertops and adjusting the space between bar stools and tables.

As the pandemic has ushered in a new set of rules and regulations, club and resort properties have needed to retool their dining establishments to provide a safer atmosphere for both guests and employees. By updating their indoor and outdoor settings, these facilities have successfully adjusted their layouts to conform to the necessary protocols, while still providing members and guests with safe and appealing gathering spots.

CASUAL YEAR-ROUND COMFORT Determining what type of dining best suits members and guests can sometimes be a test of trial and error. That was the case at Cumberland Trail Golf Club in Pataskala, Ohio, where a full-service restaurant that formerly housed a snack bar and pro shop had run its course. “Our members were not huge fans of fine dining, and it often felt out of place,” explains Head Golf Professional Luke Radabaugh. This past January, the space was transformed into a pub-style, family-oriented spot, and more aptly rebranded as the Cumberland Trail Bar and Grill.

Easing the transition from upscale to casual called for a more modern design. Dimmer lighting now creates a lounge-like feel, as does recessed lighting in the ceiling. A black, painted drop ceiling enhances the bar mentality, balanced out by colored walls with a sportier, casual flair.

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SUMMING IT UP > Blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor dining with a

flexible layout and easy pass-throughs promotes safe socializing.

> Offering well-designed dining amenities attracts potential customers outside the golfing community.

> Finding innovative ways to reduce seating capacity while maintaining space provides proper social distancing.

Photo Courtesy The Shore Club

To create a cohesive design between inside and outdoors, an area that had been covered now opens up into a patio with high-top tables that are easily accessible from the main dining room. “We also added big windows to allow diners to enjoy the same views of our beautiful 18th hole that the guests on the open-air patio do,” Radabaugh says. (An extended patio at the club’s halfway bar affords even more space to use the lounge furniture and gaslit fireplace.)

To minimize noise levels on a busy night, a removable wall encloses a portion of the dining room for private parties and meetings. A typical afternoon in prime season finds this area busy, with members imbibing cold beverages after a day outdoors and patrons indulging in nightly specials. “Our chef has brought the area affordable meals with a gourmet touch,” notes Radabaugh. “We are quickly

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

becoming known for our upscale bar-style food and drinks, and that will hopefully carry the business through the winter, when we cannot thrive on the everyday golf crowd.”

The bar only seats seven customers, helping the club adhere to safety regulations. “We were frustrated during the early transition, as we felt we needed to be able to seat more guests around the bar,” says Radabaugh. “But it has worked out for the better so far, limiting the guests who would remain in close contact with others and our staff for extended periods of time.”

Since the bar and grill’s re-opening, the club has seen tremendous growth, helping to fill a void for foodservice in the neighboring community. “It’s been important that we can now market to everyday guests—not just our members and other golfers,” notes Radabaugh.

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DESIGN + RENOVATION

CUMBERLAND TRAIL GOLF CLUB Pataskala, Ohio

“It’s been important that we can now market to everyday guests—not just our members and other golfers. We are quickly becoming known for our upscale bar-style food and drinks and that will hopefully carry the business through the winter, when we cannot thrive on the everyday golf crowd.”

— Luke Radabaugh, Head Golf Professional

ALL DECKED OUT At the Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa in Galena, Ill., golfers can indulge in a post-game cocktail or gather with friends for a bite—something that wasn’t previously possible. “[Our] General golf course has always been recognized as a premier course,” says General Manager Thomas Ruhs. “However, it was missing a premier restaurant and lounge, as well as a clubhouse, to go along with it.” Now under new ownership, the resort opened the doors to the Highlands Restaurant, as well as the Lounge 289 bar and an adjoining clubhouse, this past July 4th weekend, all to wide acclaim.

While there is a seamless flow between the restaurant and lounge, the areas are separated via sliding barn doors, which feature prairie-style grasses embedded in the vision panels.

“The patio room to the left is a window box to the natural vistas outside,” notes Marty Johnson of Straka Johnson Architects, which managed the redesign. Room dividers also help to manage the noise volume and crowd control, particularly between the main dining area and a smaller room that is used for private parties.

At Lounge 289, a limestone bar is accented by an antique floating wood-beam soffit overhead, while copper and cherrywood treatments make up the back bar. The main bar overlooks the vaulted ceiling of the pro shop entryway and dining area. Four glass garage doors provide access to the lounge’s lower level from the deck.

“The exterior deck was designed to take advantage of one of the best views of golf in the surrounding hillsides that you’ll find in the Midwest,” says Johnson. “Oversized limestone columns support the cantilevered deck, which reaches out into the air and creates dynamic silhouettes.”

With the lounge and deck areas being used for outdoor dining, they provide a natural segue from the indoor restaurant.

The deck overlooks the 18th green and 10th fairway—“the perfect way to end your game and watch your friends come in,” says Ruhs—and serves as an outdoor venue for wedding 24

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ceremonies and receptions. Cocktail parties can handle the overflow in the adjoining restaurant and lounge, which are also used for corporate dinners and private dining.

To accommodate proper social distancing, the resort has adjusted its seating requirements from 225 to 100 patrons in the restaurant and lounge. Tables have been distanced and the largest party is capped at ten guests, while seating at the bar is limited to every six feet. Guests are required to wear masks until seated, and all servers are equipped with masks and gloves.

Even with those parameters in place, diners have not been deterred by the pandemic. “The local residents, resort guest first-timers and repeat guests absolutely love the redesign,” says Ruhs. “Typically, there is a 30- to 45-minute wait for our outdoor seating. Our views are second to none in the area.”

GATHERING IN MANY SPOTS To revitalize its club facilities and multiple sporting amenities, Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. has re-envisioned its dining scene for an active membership. “When thinking of the various bar areas specifically, it was our goal to create better gathering spaces that would promote increased usage throughout the year,” explains General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Michael A. Chase, Jr., CCM. With four options, Bellerive’s members now have their pick of watering holes. The Normandy Lounge boasts dark-wood flooring, offset by antique glass panels at the back of the darkwood bar (see photo, pg. 26). Oil-rubbed bronze decorative pendants, fixtures and picture lighting balance out soft ceiling lighting. Seating is a mixture of high-tops, bar stools, soft seats and standard tables. Two sets of double doors lead directly to the Terrace Bar and fireplace area.

“The adjacent bar spaces are designed to create a lively indoor-outdoor atmosphere, with a variety of gathering options for all seasons,” notes Chase. This four-sided, island-style bar is designed with white paneling and a dark gray stone top. Black www.clubandresortbusiness.com

bar stools with black-and-white striped cushions blend in with high-top and soft-seating alternatives. Overhead heaters built into the ceiling provide some added warmth in the offseason, while the lighting matches that of the Normandy Lounge.

Other outdoor drinking options at Bellerive now include the Pool Bar, which has seating on three sides and a partial roof covering. A white panel and dark gray countertop mirrors the Terrace Bar, and the back bar features built-in liquor risers and a slate-colored tile. Shaded by canopies of large oaks, this spot serves as “a refreshing space to relax with surround-sound from the pool area, creating a resort-style environment,” says Chase.

The new Field House bar is now Bellerive’s most progressive spot, Chase says, boasting eight beer taps on the back bar and a glass backdrop that looks into an open-kitchen area. A large single-pane window lifts to the ceiling via hydraulics, so drinks can be served to guests at the outside bar, and a raw bar integrated into the west end keeps oyster shucking in plain sight.

Barstool styles depend on their placement: deep wood and blue leather for the interior seats, and walnut outdoor wicker and black-and-white spotted cushions for the outside.

EAGLE RIDGE RESORT & SPA Galena, Ill.

“The local residents, resort guest first-timers and repeat guests absolutely love the redesign. Our views are second to none in the area, and being on the deck is the perfect way to end your golf game and watch your friends come in. Typically, there is a 30- to 45-minute wait for our outdoor seating.”

—Thomas Ruhs, General Manager

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DESIGN + RENOVATION BELLERIVE COUNTRY CLUB St. Louis, Mo.

“When thinking of the various bar areas specifically, it was our goal to create better gathering spaces that would promote increased usage throughout the year. The adjacent bar spaces are designed to create a lively indoor-outdoor atmosphere, with a variety of gathering options for all seasons.”

— Michael A. Chase, Jr., CCM, General Manager/Chief Operating Officer

To minimize noise levels at Bellerive’s new gathering places, the Normandy Lounge has been outfitted with decorative sound-grabbing panels in its coffered ceilings (see photo above). Similarly, the Field House dormers contain soundgrabbing materials disguised as tongue-and-groove paneling.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the club has remastered its seating plans. All bar stools have been removed and congregating in the bar area is prohibited. “Initially, spaced stools or spacing of grouped stools was tested,” says Chase. “But given the bar setups we ultimately removed the stools, in an effort to provide the safest environment for both members and staff.”

Even with these restrictions in place, Bellerive has seen a surge in member usage of its food-and-beverage offerings..

“Sales have bettered budget each month open thus far,” Chase reports.

A SHORE THING When members and their guests visit The Shore Club in Cape May Court House, N.J., they can enjoy the best of both the indoor and outdoor dining worlds. Following on the heels

of a successful renovation and rebranding over the last three years, the Jersey Shore facility has maximized its seaside setting with expanded outdoor dining, complete with cocktail patio tables, lounge furniture and a firepit.

“For most of our members, we are their second club,” notes Amanda Ruhl, Membership and Marketing Director. “They come here to escape the hustle and bustle of their day-to-day lives. We want them to feel as if they are on vacation when they step through our doors.”

That island vibe is apparent throughout the club’s coastal casual design. Standard laminate tables have been swapped out in favor of custom, dark-wood booths and light-wood tables. Wood chairs at the booths are softened by a light blue custom fabric, and silver-plated sconces take the place of outdated plastic candlestick wall fixtures. A white marble granite bar top works well with a white-washed shiplap bar front that provides an “elegant driftwood likeness,” Ruhl notes.

To establish a seamless flow between its indoor and outdoor facilities, the club installed two garage doors for easy access. “We removed the restaurant doors for an open concept and added pocket doors and barn doors to the fine-

Bellerive CC’s new Field House boasts eight beer taps on its back bar and a glass backdrop that looks into an open-kitchen area. A large single-pane window lifts to the ceiling via hydraulics, so drinks can be served to guests at the outside bar.

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dining area, to make spaces warm and intimate when needed,” says General Manager Kelley Nigra. Acoustic tiles in the ceiling, fabric drapery and upholstered chairs and booths all help to absorb the noise level, especially during the club’s schedule of live weekend entertainment.

With guests eager to get outdoors and enjoyable the balmy breezes, The Shore Club has reconfigured its outdoor patio to allow greater social distancing.

Eighteen tables can be spaced safely on the 110’ x 25’ patio footprint, along with pub tables and lounge seating. And even with the onset of the pandemic, the club has seen a 25-percent increase in member dining, due in large part to a new chef and expanded menu.

“Members have yet to enjoy some of the indoor improvements we completed in the offseason,” notes Ruhl. But until the restaurant can resume safe operations, The Shore Club’s outdoor amenities will remain the place to be. C+RB

MA STER PLANNING

ARCHITECTURE

THE SHORE CLUB

Cape May Court House, N.J.

“We removed the restaurant doors for an open concept, and added pocket doors and barn doors to the fine-dining area, to make spaces warm and intimate when needed.”

—Kelley Nigra, General Manager

INTERIOR DESIGN

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Wee Burn Country Club, Darien, CT

STUDIO JBD & JEFFERSON GROUP ARCHITECTURE Peter Cafaro / 401.721.0977 / PCafaro@JBDandJGA .com www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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CLUB ARCHITECT Photo Courtesy Chambers

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Popular settings for both casual and upscale dining have led to new levels of success and attest to the value of long-term planning strategies and a focus on member-driven improvements at the Governors Club.

By Pamela Brill, Contributing Editor

AT THE GOVERNORS CLUB in Chapel Hill, N.C., grabbing a post-game drink with a golf buddy is just as important as celebrating a special occasion over a gourmet meal. Providing equally appealing aesthetics for both types of settings and purposes lets members and guests feel right at home, whether their outing is an impromptu gathering or a planned affair.

Serving both needs emerged in 2018 as the latest improvement goal for the club, which had already embarked upon a multimillion capital improvement project over a decade in the making [“The Strong State of the Governors Club,” C+RB, July 2014]. Tapping members for their input on how to best meet their evolving needs was instrumental in driving the latest changes.

“In our survey, 80 percent of our membership, which includes families, supported renovating our clubhouse dining spaces to reflect current trends toward increased casual, yet upscale dining,” explains current Chief Operating Officer Douglas Shifflett, CCM. “The membership wanted a larger bar area with casual seating and décor that would create an energetic atmosphere, along with a separate formal-dining option.”

The project became the latest stage of a multi-phase plan that kicked off in 2008 with the club’s “A Better Way” campaign. According to club member and former Planning Committee chair Dick Kahler, that campaign first laid the groundwork for improving member dining. “2008 was an important stepping stone toward the 2018 project—members were asking for dining-room improvements and a move toward a more casual environment,” Kahler says.

After engaging the Baltimore, Md.-based design firm Chambers, Kahler, Board President Maribeth Robb and the rest of the design team developed a clubhouse layout through the initial stages of “A Better Way” that ultimately exceeded members’ expectations. “It was a big hit,” says Kahler. “In fact, what happened was that its success soon surpassed its capacity. And that started the movement toward the 2018 renovation, to make casual, relaxed dining the primary focus while retaining a very nice, warm and special smaller room for more formal dining.”

That positive member response also served an unforeseen purpose, Kahler believes, by helping to provide consistency and maintain the club’s vision at a time when its leadership was undergoing changes (Shifflett, who was not present for the “Better Way” campaign, joined the club in May 2012). “The success of [the first stages of the] project helped Governors Club members understand that similar projects would be beneficial from time to time, and support for the process has been broad,” Kahler says. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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DESIGN + RENOVATION

A horseshoe-shaped bar, upholstered booths, curved banquettes and leather-style vinyl bar stools all soften accent bar tables and help Governors Club members find a variety of ways to socialize without feeling confined.

Photo Courtesy Chambers

STRIKING A BALANCE To achieve a layout that encompasses both casual and fine-dining options, the design team for the 2018 project, which again included Chambers, needed to assess the shift in club dining culture and reflect that in the floor plan. “In years past, members made reservations at the club and planned long events in formal-dining areas for special occasions,” explains Chambers architect Colin Smith.

“While these types of formal experiences

have not disappeared altogether, they are not in as high demand as casual-dining spaces. This leads to many clubs reallocating square footage, to create larger casual venues and smaller formal areas.”

As a result, the casual dining and bar areas at the Governors Club now amass 2,150 sq. ft. (including a 120-sq. ft. addition), while the formal dining room is now 939 sq. ft. This layout includes 450 sq. ft. of corridor space that has been repurposed for additional dining space.

Transforming the club’s mostly traditional dining room into a more transitional style required a careful balance of color and accent pieces. Neutral carpeting and seating in the dining area now blend well with dark-walnut dining tables, a walnut-stained wine display and furniture accents. Upholstered settee backs and pillows in earth tones contrast nicely against eye-catching décor elements, including a bronze-tinted mirror on the columns and cut-glass pendant fixtures.

Project Summary

Location: Chapel Hill, N.C. Founded: 1988 Members: 1,200+ Total Project Cost: $3 million (kitchen, dining rooms, bar) Construction Dates: • Phase One (“A Better Way” campaign: renovated clubhouse, fitness, tennis and pool), 2007-08 • Phase Two (clubhouse, locker rooms, ballroom, foyer), 2013-14 A “Wall of Wine” provides a • Phase Three (expanded dining rooms, renovated lobby and entryway), 2017-18 visual representation of the Governors Club wine list and Architect/Designer: Chambers highlights its wide variety.

Project Highlights: • Phase One introduced the club’s “A Better Way” capital plan to fund a series of improvements to the clubhouse.

• Phase Two renovated the clubhouse locker rooms, ballroom, foyer and much of the upstairs.

• Phase Three created updated dining spaces, including a larger bar area and separate formal dining room, along with lobby and entryway enhancements.

Highlights of Project Results: • Food-and-beverage revenue increased 10 percent in 2019.

• Member dining saw 50,000 covers in 2019, besting the previous high of 40,000.

• Increased dining room utilization has heightened member interest in wine offerings.

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Photo Courtesy Chambers

GOVERNORS CLUB

Photos Courtesy Governors Club

The coronavirus outbreak has forced the Governors Club to reduce the capacity of its renovated indoor dining area, which spurred an increase in overall F&B sales by 10 percent after being unveiled in 2019. But the club has been able to overcome the reduction by tripling its outdoor seating, while still promoting social distancing.

Interior designer Marishka Bachman points out other special elements that also help to modernize the dining space, including custom geometric print carpeting, an etched copper community dining table, and a see-through, multi-functional wine cabinet that helps to “create a shield from the back-of-house traffic and provide a beautiful display of the club’s wine offerings,” Bachman notes.

In the bar area, upholstered booths, curved banquettes and leather-style vinyl bar stools soften accent bar tables, with a horseshoe-shaped bar encouraging patrons to socialize without feeling confined.

The design team went to great lengths to manage acoustics in a typically noisy area.

“Fabric-wrapped acoustical panels were installed on the gypsum ceilings on the member side of the bar, and sound-batt insulation was installed in the walls to reduce transmission between spaces,” Smith says.

Other noteworthy additions include televisions deliberately positioned above the bar counter, so they can only be viewed in that area, and a double-sided, see-through fireplace that is shared with the formal dining space. (Additional fireplaces using water-vapor flame technology are installed on tiled focal walls, both in the bar and casual-dining areas.)

While the club’s lobby and entryway were not part of the original renovation plans, they also benefited from a series of

aesthetic updates. The main lobby has been outfitted with tweed fabric lounge chairs, a wrought-iron frame coffee table and an area rug with classic Greek key border.

The corridor leading to the dining areas has also been enhanced by dark gray porcelain tile that carries over into the bar area, along with a custom reception desk and tall sconces. To further personalize this space, the club commissioned a contemporary artist to create a ceramic wall sculpture behind the reception desk.

TOASTING MEMBER LOYALTY With this dynamic transformation to the club’s dining scene, the residual effect has been consistent member satisfaction. “Our enhanced dining spaces have increased our total covers, but more importantly have created a loyalty to dining within the club, which includes our wine programming,” says Clubhouse Manager Josh Baskey.

Baskey also credits members’ increased interest in wine selections to the new room’s “Wall of Wine.” “It serves as a visual representation of our wine list and highlights our wide variety,” he says.

In addition to cultivating a robust beverage program, the club is reaping the benefits of strong overall F&B revenues. Last year, overall sales increased by 10 percent, with covers surpassing nearly 50,000 to unseat the previous high of 40,000.

“Our member utilization of the newly

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renovated dining space has exceeded all expectations,” enthuses Shifflett.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has turned the club dining business upside down, the Governors Club is still finding new ways to satisfy its hungry membership.

In addition to implementing standard safety practices—temperature check points, masks and hand-sanitizer stations—the club has shifted its attention to outdoor dining without hurting its bottom line.

“Reimagining our outdoor spaces, along with tent coverage for inclement weather, has allowed us to triple our outdoor seating capacity while still promoting social distancing,” says Baskey. “While we’ve reduced the capacity of our indoor dining areas, we haven’t lost a significant amount of total potential covers, which allows us to maintain our same level of award-winning service and culinary offerings.”

With the future of dining options remaining uncertain, the Governors Club plans to stay the course by keeping communication lines open and assuring members that having a cocktail or dinner on the premises can, in fact, still be an enjoyable experience.

“We’re committed to remaining transparent with our members about our processes that are designed to keep them safe and healthy,” notes Baskey. “We believe this is key to building trust and continuing promotion of our dining rooms, inside and out.” C+RB September 2020

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CHEF TO CHEF

WELL-ROUNDED

APPROACH

By Tom Birmingham, CEC, Director, Club + Resort Chef Association

KENWOOD COUNTRY CLUB IN CINCINNATI, Ohio has a long heritage of tradition and distinction. The club was founded in 1929, when a group of members from the downtown Cincinnati Club set out to create a country club with golf, and engaged Donald Ross to help it find a suitable site for a course. Over 340 acres of farmland was acquired northeast of the city, with additional land then secured to create a 482-acre property on which William Diddel designed the original two 18-hole courses.

Today, Kenwood stands as one of fewer than 40 clubs in the U.S. that are over 90 years old and have 36 holes of golf—and as one of only 20 in that group that has hosted a major national tournament. And its golf heritage is now augmented by a full complement of amenities, including clay- and hard-court tennis, platform tennis, fitness, swimming and diving, and award-winning dining headed by Executive Chef Sean Sennet, CEC. Chef Sennet came to Kenwood in 2018, bringing experience from several other leading club and resort properties, including Ballantyne CC, River Hills CC, Mountain Air CC, The Broadmoor and Chevy Chase Club (while at River Hills, he presented at the 2012 Chef to Chef Conference in New Orleans). After arriving at Kenwood, he has quickly instituted a number of enhancements, including utilizing mobile pizza and smoker equipment, and starting a new sushi program, to further enhance member satisfaction and Kenwood’s already-strong food-and-beverage reputation.

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We thank Chef Sennet for taking the time to provide some insights into how these and other programs have been planned and implemented, and also for filling us in on some of the keys to his career success.

C+RB Chef, can you talk about your newly purchased pizza oven and the exciting plans you have for using it and other new equipment?

SENNET We have an outdoor bar and restaurant, The Pavilion, which is a well-used, 100-seat outlet during our summer season. It was also built without a dedicated kitchen to provide foodservice and during my first two seasons, we managed to cook all food for The Pavilion—as well as for pool concessions, the golf turn for our two 18-hole golf courses, and our graband-go—all out of a footprint the size of a large food truck.

Before my arrival, the staff tried to provide foodservice for the Pavilion out of our main kitchen, but the distance to service it was too far away. Going into my third season, we decided that a Marra Forni mobile pizza oven would help to relieve some of the pressure off our summer-house outlet and allow us to be directly next to The Pavilion without building another structure. And it could also be used during other member events, and/or for carryout during our slower months. We also have a Meadowcreek mobile smoker on a trailer that we can move around with a golf cart to help, if we want to provide a Pizza & Wing night or other “dueling” events. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

Recipe LEMONGRASS AND CILANTRO POUSSIN POULET ROUGE HERITAGE CHICKEN with Tamarind Chili Glaze (serves four) FINAL PROCEDURE:

INGREDIENTS: 4 ea. semi-boneless (spatchcock) Poussin Poulet Rouge chickens or Cornish game hens 2 qts. Tamarind chili marinade (see recipe below; reserve 1/3 for sauce) 12 ozs. coconut basmati rice 12 ozs. red curry vegetables (red curry paste, vegetable stock, baby carrots, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, red onions)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TAMARIND CHILI GLAZE:

2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, bottom 8 Inches chopped 3 large shallots, chopped 3 tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil 1 serrano chili, stemmed and chopped 1 tbsp. tomato paste 1 tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger 2-1/2 cups water 2 ozs. tamarind pulp 5 tbsp. packed light brown sugar 5 tbsp. sweet chili sauce 1/4 cup fish sauce 1 tbsp. soy sauce 1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped 3 tbsp. lime juice (1 to 2 limes) ground black pepper

PROCEDURE:

1 In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the lemongrass, shallot, oil and chili. Cook, stirring, until just beginning to brown (3 to 5 minutes).

2 Add the tomato paste and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

3 Add the water, tamarind, sugar and sweet chili sauce; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the tamarind has softened (about 15 minutes). Off heat, stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce and cilantro.

4 Let the mixture cool slightly, then transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth (about 1 minute).

5 Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids; discard the solids.

6 Stir in the lime juice, then taste and season with pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to two weeks.

1 Marinate chickens for 1 to 2 hours, turning every hour. Remove from marinade and pat off excess.

2 Cook chickens on medium-high grill or charbroiler on both sides until cooked through.

Remove and baste with some reserved marinade; let rest.

3 While chickens are cooking, slightly warm the reserved tamarind chili marinade and coconut basmati rice. Keep warm.

4 In a sauté pan or wok heated on high, sauté assorted vegetables until a nice color (blister) or wok “kiss” is achieved. Remove from heat and add red curry paste, vegetable stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Add back to heat and reduce slightly until vegetables are glazed.

5 Plate basmati, then top with vegetables. Cut chickens in half and place on top of plate. Drizzle remaining reserved marinade on top of chicken and vegetables.

SUBMITTED BY SEAN SENNET, CEC, EXECUTIVE CHEF, KENWOOD CC, CINCINNATI, OHIO

CHEF PROFILE

SEAN SENNET, CEC CURRENT POSITION: Executive Chef, Kenwood Country Club, Cincinnati, Ohio (2018-Present) PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: • Executive Chef, Ballantyne Country Club, Charlotte, N.C. (2017-2018) • Director of Catering, Red Star Catering/Mac’s Speed Shop (2014-2017) • Executive Chef, River Hills Country Club, Lake Wylie, S.C. (2009-2014) • Executive Sous Chef, Mountain Air Country Club, Burnsville, N.C. (2007-2009) • Sous Chef, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (2005-2007) • Sous Chef, Chevy Chase (Md.) Club (2002-2005) EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: • Delaware Technical and Community College—Owens Campus, Georgetown, Del., Culinary Arts Program, 1999-2002 • Certified Executive Chef, American Culinary Federation, 2016 • Chef to Chef Conference (2012, presenter/2019 & 2020 attendee) • Semi-finalist, Culinary Olympic Tryouts, 2013 • Apprentice, Culinary Olympic National Team, 2004

Recipe The initial price tag for the pizza oven is high, between $20,000$35,000. But as the membership has seen the flexibility and efficiency that it will produce, they’ve been excited about the investment. For others who are considering getting one, if the oven has an option of being pre-cured before transport, I suggest having that done. Not that it is a difficult task, but having it ready to cook upon arrival, after the six- to eight-week build time, helps to get things rolling. Members want pizza the day it comes off the trailer!

C+RB You’ve started a sushi program as well. How did you go

TOMATILLO AND LIME-CHARRED PORK CHOPS with Salsa Verde Marinade (serves four) INGREDIENTS:

4 ea. 10-oz. Duroc or Heritage pork chops, frenched 2 ea. juice of limes 2 qts. salsa verde marinade (see separate recipe, below) 12 ozs. edamame and corn relish 12 ozs. jicama and carrot slaw 8 fluid ozs. roasted tomato coulis

FOR THE SALSA VERDE MARINADE:

2 ea. Roma tomatoes, diced 1 white onion, diced 2 ea. jalapeno, seeded and diced 4 ea. garlic cloves, smashed as needed canola oil • Toss all ingredients and roast on a sheet pan for 15 minutes, shaking pan every 5 minutes for an even roast.

• After roasting, add ingredients into a sauce pot, then add below ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS:

1 #10 can tomatillos 1 bunch cilantro, whole to taste salt and pepper • Puree all ingredients with an immersion blender until a salsa consistency and cool.

• Stir in 1/4-lb. chopped scallions with a whisk.

• Label and date.

• Place a frozen ice wand in salsa to chill.

about looking for a sushi chef, and what would you advise for someone who is considering doing something similar?

SENNET In our area, most steak houses offer sushi, and it was the one thing Kenwood did not offer. We were losing a whole crowd of members when one of these local restaurants would offer halfpriced sushi, so our idea was to create our own program.

I first looked around to see if and how other clubs were offering sushi. I soon found that most were only offering it as a specialty night or contracting a company to cook three to four nights. We wanted to have it as part of the a la carte menu and offer it five nights per week. That way, to start, we would be able to hopefully use one person, one shift per day, and on the busy days use one of our rounds cooks to help during the rush.

We placed a job posting for a sushi chef (sous chef), and luckily for us there were local sushi restaurants which were cutting some hours due to COVID-19—so there was some local talent looking for work.

Cooking interviews followed, and eventually we found a very talented chef who had been in the industry for quite some time.

To start, we offered three sushi specials only during dinner hours, and only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This helped us gauge the membership’s preferences and work out the back-of-thehouse logistics. We were also fortunate to have a demonstration kitchenette that shared space with the dining room and was only being used for smaller events, and not often due to COVID-19. So this dedicated space has helped with storage and logistics.

The other fun addition has been the use of Bluegrass Soy Sauce.

Being in Cincinnati, it has helped to tell another story, promote a local product, and sell sushi in the Midwest. It has been very wellreceived by the membership and is also another element we can teach to our current and future culinarians.

FINAL PROCEDURE:

1M arinate pork chops for 4 to 6 hours, turning every hour. Remove from marinade and pat off excess.

2 Sear pork chops on a plancha or in a hot sauté pan. Place in a moderate oven until medium temperature is achieved, baste with lime juice, and keep warm.

3 While pork is cooking, slightly warm the edamame and corn relish and separately the tomato coulis. Keep warm.

4 Place the coulis in the middle of the plate and top with the corn relish. Center the pork chop and top with the jicama slaw.

SUBMITTED BY SEAN SENNET, CEC, EXECUTIVE CHEF, KENWOOD CC, CINCINNATI, OHIO

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After recognizing that it was losing members’ dining business when local restaurants offered half-price sushi, Kenwood launched its own successful program, which features a local soy sauce. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

C+RB Are you sourcing from local farms for your current menu?

SENNET The demand for using sustainable products from our

membership is there, and our first thing was to ensure sustainability while satisfying the need. So our search was a little broader than the local farm down the street. When I was working in Appalachia, I had experienced startup farms where the farmer who had great produce also took a siesta from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and/or had no contact phone number, or simply went away for a week without warning. This led us to search a little more broadly at Kenwood for more established farming operations.

We have found some great success with some local and interesting farmers in the area. Two that have been sustainable and have grown tremendously over the past couple years are 80 Acres Farms, which is an indoor farm, has a great story to tell, is very innovative, and produces amazing-tasting produce. When you go to their facility, you feel like you are getting ready to grow food in space, minus the space helmet! Really a great concept, bringing farming to the city! We had an opportunity to use them when they were first starting, and it has been fun to be with them from almost the start.

The other is Black Hawk Farms. They raise Wagyu Cattle in Kentucky on an innovative combustible compost. The beef tastes great and the farmers are always available and stop by frequently.

We use their ground beef for burgers at our Pavilion and Summer

House, and have been told by numerous members that we are not allowed to change the meat we use. Their other cuts I use for wine dinners, butcher’s specials, and member events.

Currently, we are working with our horticulturalist to start a bee program and member garden. The demand for local farms from our membership is certainly there.

C+RB What best prepared you for your position at Kenwood?

SENNET When I first started my career, I was told to move around

every two to three years, pick people or places to work in or around who you think will better your career, and pay attention. So I took that advice and traveled, working in all kinds of foodservice, from stadiums and resorts to restaurants and clubs—even barbecue and catering for a couple years.

All of these places and experiences helped to prepare me and “round me out” for what was needed from the Executive Chef at Kenwood Country Club. Like most clubs, you have a diverse membership that has many different tastes and expectations. It is the wonderful thing about working at clubs: You as a cook or chef get to create any environment, cook almost any food, and have immediate feedback. See your creation from start to finish, sometimes a little faster than liked—but joking aside, it is that excitement and creative release that keeps me at clubs.

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Infrared Dynamics / C&RB March 2019 7” x 5” 2/1/19

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CHEF TO CHEF

C+RB How has networking with other club chefs helped you in your day-to-day position?

SENNET The great aspect of the club chef network is we usually face some of the same challenges. Budgets and other facets might be different, but that creates creativity and diversity.

Sometimes, I just call to vent or talk about a fun event our club hosted, and at the end of the conversation, I have a great idea and new process for how to set up my pool snack bar better. Or we want to start a pizza program, and I can talk to a chef who just recently went through the process and can give me insight into potential unforeseen issues, successes, and failures. Thank you Chef Richard Jallet, from Baltimore (Md.) Country Club, for all your help and insight!

My General Manager, Dylan Petrick, pushes me, and my staff, to network and get involved in local and national conversations; it is a bullet point in our annual reviews. Even as a young culinarian, I was able to talk to other sous chefs and chefs at other clubs and find out what/how they were doing with certain items in their a la carte operations, which led to inspiration and solutions.

C+RB What’s your philosophy about chef mentoring?

SENNET I have found the best and most successful way, at least

for me, has been to create a fun and rewarding environment, rooted in teaching the fundamentals of our craft. Show how to take a task, which is and will be monotonous, and how it ties into the broader scope of things and/or how to accomplish it quicker, cleaner, and easier.

Also, laugh and smile a lot! Create excitement in everyday products, and how to use them, market them to the membership, and maintain them. Show that it is a craft first, and then it becomes a vessel for research, entertainment, sustenance, and creativity.

I like to also show humbleness, by introducing staff to experts in fields I am not necessarily experienced or best in, to teach best practices or techniques, and to introduce them to my peers. And involve the staff in industry events such as the Chef to Chef Conference or educational workshops. It was what inspired me when I was younger, and I feel it is the best way to keep the excitement and drive. C+RB

Tom Birmingham, CEC, is the Director of the Club + Resort Chef Association and has more than 20 years of experience as an Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Manager for several Chicago-area clubs. If you know someone you’d like to have Tom interview for a future “Chef to Chef” conversation, send your suggestions to editor@clubandresortbusiness.com

Our new Truly Good line features some of our most popular snack mixes in resealable bags for grab-and-go snacking. With six flavors available in 4-5oz and six in 6.5-7.5oz, there is an ideal size and flavor for every buyer. Colorful and eye-catching, the line also includes our newest snack mix Protein Punch.

Learn more about our snacks at trulygoodfoods.com/clubresort

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Is Your Club

A Top

Innovator?

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

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

• Board of Directors Relations

• Youth Programs

• Clubhouse Design

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

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

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

• Fitness Operations and Programs

• Pro Shop Retailing

• Golf Operations and Programs

• Social Media

• Kitchen Design and Operations

• Special Events

• Locker Room Operations

• Staff Motivation and Training

• Maintenance Facilities

• Technology

• Member Marketing and Communications

• Tennis Operations and Programs • Websites

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

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

COURSE + GROUNDS

MAKING THE MOST OF

MAINTENANCE F Regardless of the size or age of their maintenance buildings, golf course superintendents find that cleanliness, ample space, and accessibility help them maximize the work spaces where they start and end their days.

By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor

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GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE BUILDINGS ARE often the last facilities to be considered for improvements in a club or resort property’s master plan. As a result, superintendents can sometimes be saddled with limited space, poor locations, aging infrastructure, insufficient shelter for equipment or bulk commodities, challenging work and office conditions, and inadequate personal facilities for their crews.

But whether they operate out of a 19th-century barn or a state-of-the-art 21stcentury complex with all the bells and whistles, superintendents can make the most of the real estate they have, to conduct their maintenance duties productively and efficiently.

PUTTING PRIORITIES IN ORDER Jared Weight, Grounds Superintendent at the 18-hole Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis, has found that, in general, some properties will accept “what’s good enough” for their maintenance facilities for “how long they can get by with it.”

“It’s overlooked a lot. It’s not really thought about, but it affects a lot every day,” Weight says. “It’s not a glamorous thing that clubs want to spend money on. But if you do it, you do it right.”

Weight, who has been in the golf course maintenance business for 16 years, since he started working on a golf course in a summer job at age 16, has been at Meridian Hills for about 18 months. This is his first full-time superintendent’s job, and his first order of business was to acquire a new fleet of equipment. His next priority is to upgrade the aging maintenance department buildings that include a structure that is over 40 years old.

“Meridian Hills is a needs-based facility that is committed to investing money into reinvigorating the property,” says Weight, “and a new maintenance facility www.clubandresortbusiness.com

E FACILITIES is being discussed and planned as we speak.” A portion of the project could get underway this winter, or the entire project could begin in 2021.

The current buildings include three cinderblock structures and a wooden pole barn that was built four or five years ago. The free-standing pole barn includes a concrete floor, aluminum siding, and an aluminum roof, and it is used to store dry fertilizer and grass seed stacked on pallets, along with specialized machinery and tractor implements.

Of the other three structures, one is heated. This building also includes a 12-foot-by-15-foot office that Weight shares with his three assistants, as well as a mechanic’s shop, sprayer storage room, breakroom, restroom, and cable TV and Internet access.

The other maintenance facilities include a cold-storage area and a modular, trailer-type system where the staff stores chemicals in a ventilated, self-contained unit. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

The golf course maintenance department at the 97-year-old Manchester CC (shown in larger photo) currently works out of seven different buildings, some of which date to the 1940s. Plans are in the works for a new facility (see rendering above) that would replace existing buildings “and put everything under one roof and make the site a lot cleaner, so we can utilize space better,” says Director of Agronomy Dan Weitzel.

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COURSE + GROUNDS KEEPING MAINTENANCE FACILITIES SAFE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC has infiltrated every aspect of our daily lives, including our work habits, and golf course maintenance operations are no exception. Jason Bauder, Class A Superintendent at Mill Creek Golf Club in Mebane, N.C., says the threat of COVID-19 has brought sanitation issues to light for every part of his department.

“We constantly sanitize the steering wheels, controllers, and seats on all of the equipment,” says Bauder.

“We sanitize the handles on the tools every time Sanitation issues now permeate every we use them.” In addition, all staff members ride by themselves in golf carts or pieces of equipment. part of Mill Creek Golf course crew members at Meridian Hills CounGC’s course maintry Club in Indianapolis and at Manchester Country tenance operation, Club in Bedford, N.H., disinfect tools and equipment says Superintendent after each use as well.

Jason Bauder.

However, tools and equipment are not the only aspects of maintenance operations to consider when it comes to creating sanitary conditions.

COVID-19 could even influence the materials used to build a new maintenance facility at Meridian Hills, where discussions are underway about building a new structure for the grounds crew. Nonporous cinderblock and concrete materials lend themselves to hygiene and cleanliness, notes Golf Course Superintendent Jared Weight, solidifying his feelings that these would be the best materials to use in the construction of a new facility.

WORTH THE WAIT At Manchester Country Club in Bedford, N.H., the golf course maintenance department operates out of seven buildings, which were built in different ways at various times between the 1940s and the 1990s. More recently, plans have been in the works to build a new maintenance facility to replace the existing buildings.

Currently, the project has been placed on hold, as priority has shifted to projects that will enhance the member experience.

Due to state restrictions, the property closed temporarily in March, before reopening for golf activities and outdoor dining in mid-May. Since reopening, with new guidelines and safety measures in place, golf course use is at an all-time high.

Currently, the average number of golf rounds has increased from 150–165 daily to 190–200 each day.

Manchester CC still hopes to start construction of the maintenance facility in the first or second quarter of 2021. Originally a plan was approved in 2019, and construction was slated to begin in the spring of that year. However, the bids exceeded the budget for the project and the Manchester team decided to rework the vision.

The new plans, which have been approved by the Bedford Planning Board, call for a 5,000-sq. ft. building that will include administrative offices, a new mechanic’s area, chemical storage, employee locker rooms, and a break room. “It’s still going to

“

Nobody is trying to have an office like

Nick Saban’s. We need adequate, concrete-floor space in a climate-controlled building where

”

everything is protected.

— Jared Weight, Grounds Superintendent, Meridian Hills CC

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have the space that we need,” reports Director of Agronomy Dan Weitzel. “We want to put everything under one roof and make the site a lot cleaner, so we can utilize the space better.

“We try to store as much equipment as possible inside,” Weitzel adds. “The winter here can take a toll on equipment when it’s stored outside. There’s a big swing in temperatures during the course of the year—they can range from 38 below to 106.”

KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES At the 18-hole Mill Creek Golf Club in Mebane, N.C., the golf course maintenance building, which is located between the first and second holes, is 25 years old. However, the property, which owns all of its equipment, has made improvements to the maintenance facilities through the years. Mill Creek built a new pump house and added new controllers two years ago, and the property replaced leaky skylights in the maintenance building a couple of years ago. Four or five years ago, the maintenance department also built a two-sided pole barn with a roof to store its two tractors and its topdresser.

“We didn’t want the elements to affect any of the equipment, especially when it rains or when the weather gets cold,” says Class A Superintendent Jason Bauder.

The 60-ft.-by-120-ft. maintenance facility includes two offices, an irrigation computer and a regular PC in the office space, a breakroom, two bathrooms, lockers, an equipment storage room, and an area for the equipment technician. Chemical storage is separate from the main building, and crew members fill up sprayers with hoses by the side of the building.

INPUT AND EDUCATION Because maintenance buildings can be an afterthought at some properties, superintendents sometimes have to make their case for facility upgrades. Weight has discussed a new building with Meridian Hills personnel at all levels, including the General Manager, Greens Committee members, and the Board of Directors. He’s also had conversations with his colleagues and peers.

“A lot of us have the same ideas and perspectives,” Weight says. “Nobody is trying to have an office like Nick Saban’s. We need adequate, concrete-floor space in a climatewww.clubandresortbusiness.com

While actively discussing the need for a new maintenance facility at Meridian Hills CC, Grounds Superintendent Jared Wright tries to reconfigure existing equipment storage space by determining the best places to park machines, based on their proximity to the breakroom and accessories.

controlled building where everything is protected. So far, they’re listening to my recommendations.”

For the new facility, Weight would like an additional common area and improved locker room, office and breakroom space. Now, all 18 maintenance staff members can fit in the breakroom, but there is not enough room for everyone to sit. Weight would like to have a room that could hold 25 people.

In addition, he says of the current facility, “The ceiling is way too low in the mechanic’s bay. The crew can’t put equipment on a lift properly. The flow of the floor space isn’t properly laid out, and large equipment with roller protection bars can’t fit through [the entryway].”

The ability to more fully comply with EPA, DNR, state, and local codes is the biggest driving force behind the construction of a new building, Weight says. He would also like to add environmentally friendly components to the new structure, including a filtration system with a particulate separator for the wash pad to clean the water, and a state-of-the-art, self-contained, fully EPA-approved chemical mix and storage facility.

LEADING THE CAUSE At Manchester CC, Weitzel has been responsible for educating the membership on the plans and overall vision for the new maintenance building.

He’s also had an active role in its design, and as part of that process has solicited input from his mechanic, superintendent, and assistant superintendent.

In addition, he’s appeared before the local Planning Board to present plans and educate townspeople on the scope of the project. A community of about 2,000 homes borders the south side of the club, and Weitzel has met with neighbors to explain course maintenance operations to them.

Of course, properties don’t have to wait until they have blueprints for a new building to make improvements to their maintenance facilities. The building at Mill Creek GC is not heated, so last year Bauder experimented with portable propane heaters in Director of Agronomy, Dan the tech room and equipment storage room.

Weitzel has educated the membership, local Planning This year he plans to get a larger portable Board and citizens about heater that will heat half the shop, rather than Manchester CC’s new facility. just a small area.

A heated facility is especially important in the winter, when crew members are working on indoor projects. Mill Creek maintenance personnel use native cedar trees on the property to hand-make wooden stakes for the golf course. “That’s the reason we bought the heaters,” Bauder says.

THE RIGHT MESSAGE AND IMPRESSION Maintenance facilities, which have a lifespan of 30 to 50 years depending on how a building is constructed, the materials used, and how space is established, can affect employee morale as well. And attitudes, in turn, can influence golf course conditions.

“If the facility is not quite right, then crew members can take that mentality and look at the rest of the golf course in the same manner,” says Weight. “If there is a clean building with good hygiene where people take care of things and do things the right way, they apply the same principles to the golf course.”

When he hires new crew members, Weight is also aware of the impression that the maintenance facility has on them. “It sets the tone for the way they perceive the place of employment,” he says.

The maintenance facility also needs to be presentable when sales representatives come to the building, Bauder adds. C+RB MORE ONLINE For insights into making the most of maintenance-facility space and keeping it clean and orderly, see the online version of this article at www.clubandresortbusiness.com

www.clubandresortbusiness.com

September 2020

l Club + Resort Business l 41

GOLF OPERATIONS Photo Courtesy St Davids GC

READY, SET, HOST The industry has seen an influx of golfers on the fairways, but socialdistancing requirements and limited occupancy in facilities has forced clubs to get creative when it comes to hosting tournaments and outings.

By Rob Thomas, Senior Editor

WHILE GOLF ROUNDS PLAYED HAVE seen a COVID-related boost across the country, tournaments and events haven’t been as fortunate.

Because of its socially distanced nature, golf was one of the first sports or activities to receive the OK to resume once the country began to re-open. But a restriction on how many people could gather on a property, and limited occupancy inside clubhouses, presented a separate conundrum when it came to hosting muchneeded, revenue-generating tournaments and outings.

Chris McGinnis, PGA, Director of Golf at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, W. Va., has hosted a pair of outings, 42

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as well as two in-house club events—the MemberMember and Club Championships—so far in 2020. In a typical year, he says, the club would have hosted five or six more outside events as well as its biggest in-house club event, the Member-Guest, which has now been postponed until October with the hope it can still be held. But all other outings were lost for the year.

“Our General Manager, Donna Mitchell, pretty much spoke with every group and got them to reschedule for 2021,” McGinnis says. “As of this point in time, every outing that we were supposed to host in 2020 has picked a date in 2021 to hold their event.”

A

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Dean Kandle, PGA, Head Golf Professional of St. Davids Golf Club in Wayne, Pa., has hosted three corporate/charity outings, two Member-Guest events and weekly league play for members in 2020.

As with all golf activity at clubs throughout the U.S, numbers for rounds are up and demand is high at St. Davids, Kandle says. But the club lost five large outings and has postponed a majority of member events.

St. Davids moved its annual two-day Men’s Invitational from June to August, but then had to cancel it. It also moved two charity outings to this fall, still hoping it will be able to host them.

Though the club didn’t gain any events because of COVID cancellations elsewhere, it still didn’t lack for activity. “With the excessively high demand from our membership, we were focused on providing course access for them, first and foremost,” Kandle says.

BALANCING THE NEEDS St. Davids formed a COVID-19 Committee in April, which included the Club President, several Board members, the General Manager and the Golf Professional, to evaluate all virus-related decisions, which included safely restarting events.

“Our guiding principles were to keep the staff safe first, and then evaluate if we could provide a safe atmosphere for our players,” Kandle says. “Next, we focused on the experience that we would be able to provide.

At Primland, every person coming onto the property undergoes a temperature check and visitors must complete a “Guest Arrival Form.”

Head Golf Professional Jeff Yost reports.

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Every outing that Pete Dye GC was supposed to host in 2020 but was lost becase of COVID-19 has been rescheduled for 2021, reports Chris McGinnis, PGA, Director of Golf.

“If the circumstances compromised the experience to the point we didn’t think we could satisfy the expectations of our participants, that weighed heavily on our decisions,” he adds. “We wanted to protect course access and not limit availability for a large group of players, just to provide an event experience for a smaller group.”

At Pete Dye GC, everyone has been involved in the decision-making process, McGinnis says—from the owners, the General Manager, and Food & Beverage Manager to every other staff member at the club.

“As the Director of Golf, I asked everyone in my department to let me know if they thought we should do something a different way,” he says. “I know all of the other managers have done the same with their staffs. We are all in this together on a day-to-day basis, and the only way to make everyone feel safe has been to let them have a say in how we do things.”

RENEWED INTIMACY Jeff Yost, Head Golf Professional of Primland in Meadows of Dan, Va., says the club hosts two full-course events each year, both of which cancelled in 2020. However, Primland’s strength is in hosting “intimate events,” traditionally events with fewer than 20 people. The club has seen more of these recently—going from one every couple of weeks when it reopened on May 21, to one per week at this time.

While Primland has a dedicated event coordinator, Yost says it has been a team effort in keeping the tee sheet full.

“Primland’s Golf Operations staff prides itself on the personal relationships with our intimate event companies and their coordinators,” he says. “Our intimate events are ‘salvaged’ or rescheduled

by Golf Operations. With a relatively small staff, we are all responsible for fostering these relationships, and no specifically dedicated individual was assigned the task.

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“What we have seen is these events are being rescheduled for later in the year, with the hope that corporate and governmental restrictions will ease,” Yost continues. “Many times this year, events have been cancelled and rescheduled multiple times, hoping that the next month will be the month the event can occur.”

OPERATIONAL CHANGES The first line of defense at Primland is temperature checks at the security gates.

“Every person coming on property, guest or employee, has their temperatures checked and recorded,” Yost says. “Also, before entering, all guests visiting Primland must complete a ‘Guest Arrival Form,’ outlining their history of COVID-19 exposure, if any, as well as a symptom verification and the area from which they have traveled.”

Washable gloves and a Primland face mask are provided to each staff member. Disposable masks and hand-sanitizing stations are made available in multiple areas—both on and off the course—for guests and staff. A temperature station is also available for both staff and guests, in case someone feels feverish.

Pete Dye GC has gone to all-online registration and scoring for its events, McGinnis says, which has reduced the amount of contact members and guests have had with the staff.

“Our staff members are still wearing PPE equipment on a daily basis. We have also tried to restrict as much contact as possible while still providing a service,” he says.

“We don’t shake hands when greeting our members and guests,” he adds. “Nor do we valet their cars like we used to. However, we will still put on gloves and load or unload their clubs if they wish us to do so.” www.clubandresortbusiness.com

SUMMING IT UP

“

>

We wanted to protect course access and not limit availability for a large group of players, just so we could provide an event experience for a smaller group.

”

— Dean Kandle, PGA, Head Golf Professional, St. Davids GC

THE GREAT UNKNOWN Nobody knows how the industry will look in a post-COVID world, but St Davids’ Kandle says having the extended time between groups on the first tee has had a positive effect.

“When we [re]opened, we were using 15-minute intervals to spread out play,” he says. “We’ve moved to 12 minutes vs. our pre-COVID intervals of 10. This has alleviated many of our pace-ofplay issues, while still allowing us to meet player demand, and it will continue.

“In addition, as we put together our calendar for next year, we will focus on how the volume of events affects the membership and if our calendar was detracting from the availability of the golf course,” Kandle adds. “Certainly, everything we did previously will be up for evaluation and discussion.”

For McGinnis, the golfer remains his focus at Pete Dye GC. “Right now, it is hard for me to believe that we will ever go fully back to the way things were before COVID,” he says. “I’m OK with that, as long as we don’t lose our ability to provide people with an escape from their stresses in life, and keep them around this game that we love so much.” C+RB

When COVID-19 shut down much of the country, clubs that lost outings and tournaments in the spring looked to reschedule for later in the year, or at least get them on the calendar for 2021. > Deciding when and how to safely host golf events is a club-wide process—from the General Manager and Head Golf Professional to the Chef and Board of Directors. > Temperature checks and PPE gear are just part of the “new normal” when it comes to hosting events at the club.

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

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l Club + Resort Business l 45

TODAY’S MANAGER

FAMILY TRADITION Michael Smith’s Excellence in Club Management recognition for his achievements at The Country Club of Rochester also serves as well-timed affirmation for the legacy he shares with his mother, Mary Smith, as she completes an equally distinguished career at the Rochester Yacht Club.

By Joe Barks, Editor

At the age of 14, Michael Smith, CCM, CCE, got his introduction to the club business when he worked as a busboy for a women’s fashion show luncheon at the Rochester (N.Y.) Yacht Club (RYC). He had to wear a white shirt and red bow tie, and work with his mother, Mary Smith, who was a waitress in RYC’s dining room at the time and had pressed him into service because the staff was shorthanded that day.

Despite all of those factors, any of which would traumatize most teenage boys, Smith thoroughly enjoyed the action involved with serving the luncheon—and it proved to be the first step towards a steady succession of fulfilling career experiences that led to his recognition, because of his achievements as General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of The Country Club of Rochester (CCR), as the 2019 recipient of The Mead Grady Award through the Excellence in Club Management (ECM) Awards (see box, pg. 48).

Receiving the ECM Award also proved to be timely affimation for the family’s club-management legacy that Mike Smith shares with his mother, who herself rose through the ranks at RYC to serve for the last 15 years as its Club Manager, before retiring this summer after a total of 27 years in the business.

“I learned great lessons about the club business from my mother, even from that first day,” Mike Smith says.

“Not only how hard she worked to always make sure everything was done right, but the compassion and empathy she had for the staff, and the connections she made to be able to relate to members so well.

“Perhaps most importantly,” he adds, “I saw how she always kept the same calm, measured approach to solving problems, no matter how quickly they arose or how much they piled up.”

In addition to wanting to be able to spend more time with her grandchildren, Mary Smith does acknowledge that a pileup of unforeseen problems over the past few years did prompt her to move up her retirement timetable by a year or so. “We had [severe flooding of the RYC

The Country Club of Rochester, one of the 50 original country clubs in the U.S., was set to mark its 125th anniversary in 2020—but more pressing issues that arose this year will now have the club plan for a “125 plus 1” celebration in 2021. www.clubandresortbusiness.com

The Rochester Yacht Club provided Michael Smith with his first service experience, as well as lifelong lessons in club management through seeing how his mother, Mary Smith, served as its Club Manager for 15 years.

property from a rising Lake Ontario in 2017], then a good year, then another flood, and now COVID,” she laughs.

But even as Mary Smith was counting down her last days on the job in August, she still energetically led a tour of improvements being made to rebuild the RYC docks and discussed the details of how the club was adjusting to increased member usage while operating under the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

“I’ve always loved what I’ve done,” Mary Smith said while sitting on RYC’s lakeside patio and reflecting on her career. “How can you not like coming to a place like this?

It’s not work when you focus on how you can contribute to having people enjoy being with friends and family.”

HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING Mike Smith has added to the lessons learned from his mother with his own ideas and philosophies, to fashion a successful career that included an internship while in college at The Union League Club of Chicago, and then roles with the Hilton Restaurant Group, the Country Club of Ithaca (N.Y.) and Penfield (N.Y.) Country Club, before becoming CCR’s GM/COO in 2015 (he had previously been Clubhouse Manager at CCR before becoming Penfield’s GM).

Smith took the top spot at CCR while the club was in the midst of a $6.2 million dining, fitness and pool project, and steered it smoothly to successful completion.

Additional advancements followed in rapid succession in subsequent years, including Smith’s development of the “Thistle Promise” initiative (drawing inspiration from CCR’s unique logo) that served, along with extensive new training programs, to “reboot” the club’s service culture and contribute to sustained growth in membership (a net growth of 30 in three years), member utilization (steady gains in all food-and-beverage categories) and member satisfaction (service-score gains of nearly two points, on a scale of 1 to 10, in an 18-month period).

As 2020 began, plenty more was in the works to continue the momentum, including a transition of the pro September 2020

l Club + Resort Business l 47

TODAY’S MANAGER

Smith’s development of the “Thistle Promise” initiative (drawing inspiration from CCR’s unique logo), along with extensive new training programs, helped to reboot the club’s service culture and contribute to sustained growth in membership, member utilization and member satisfaction.

shop to club ownership, plans for a new golf course maintenance facility, and expansion of CCR’s racquets program. It was also to be the year when the club would celebrate its 125th anniversary.

But all of that changed for Smith, he says, “as soon as I got off the plane” when returning from the Club Management Association of America Conference in Texas in February. And while he says the pandemic has posed the greatest challenge he’s encountered in his career both emotionally and physically, with “literally no downtime” since the need to plan and execute a response strategy arose, he’s drawn on the lessons he’s learned from observing his mother’s career, and pursuing his own, to calmly lead CCR through the crisis, even racking up some new successes along the way.

“There was certainly no playbook for this, so we just set out to learn everything we could as quickly as we could,” Smith says. “The key term we focused on was ‘pivoting’—not reacting, but trying to anticipate whatever could happen, and then being prepared for how we would need to respond if it did.”

Smith quickly assembled a Safety Committee team made up

of not only his department heads but also a doctor, attorney and cleaning-supply business owner from among the membership.

“We would review and revise our plans every time we would meet, always trying to stay two steps ahead, and having backup plans if needed,” he says.

It’s all worked out well enough for CCR to experience another active year, with golf rounds up 20%, dining “above normal,” and the now club-owned pro shop contributing some valuable newfound revenue. And next year, the club still hopes to be able to pick up on projects that had to be deferred, while also preparing for a delayed, but no less exciting, “125 plus 1” anniversary celebration.

Not surprisingly, given his family’s fondness for the club industry, Mike Smith has even found a silver lining from the trauma this year has brought. “It’s been gratifying to be able to be there for members and it’s really made me see what kind of impact we can have on their lives,” he says. “It’s given me new appreciation for what we have in a club setting, and how something like this can bring everyone together, members and staff, in a positive way.” C+RB

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

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

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

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

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

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Eyes on IZON

Product: Cart-Mounted GPS Tablets Features: ▶ “Cut the Cord” solution allows golf courses to easily self-install IZON GPS tablets ▶ No need for any connection to the cart battery ▶ No wires or drill holes—mount two U-bolts, pop in, press play, and the full IZON system is up and running ▶ Up to 15 hours of full combined battery life ▶ Recharge at night through a standard power plug or a convenient, pop-out backup battery into an IZON recharging station ▶ Course management with real-time pace of play, flood control, pin placement and more ▶ Unique advertising and sponsorship management with IZON’s digital ad server, IZON REACH ▶ Now offering the IZON Battery System GPS Tablets

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Repair and Inspect

Product: Applenti—Repair and Inspect Mobile Apps Features: ▶ Configured, and can be customized, to comply with CV-19 Government and OSHA recommendations ▶ Easy-to-use apps also allow clubs to report, monitor and analyze all maintenance issues and projects ▶ Manage facility/course Inspections ▶ Improve productivity ▶ Improve interaction between departments ▶ Reduce operating costs ▶ Help clubs and resorts to “go green” ▶ Request a demo at www.applenti.com

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Lifted Load

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Cushman

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

K������ E�������� Ice Ice Baby

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Keeping It Cool

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Cres Cor

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Outstanding Oven

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RATIONAL

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September 2020 l Club + Resort Business l 53

IDEAEXCHANGE WALK OF LIFE

The size of the field and the amount of money raised for charity has grown each year in the five-year history of Wanakah CC’s 100-hole, walking golf marathon. This year’s participants included a 13-year-old.

By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor

MOST AVID GOLFERS would love nothing more than to spend a day playing the game from sunup to sundown. Chip in a good cause—or two good causes, in the case of Wanakah Country Club in Hamburg, N.Y., just south of Buffalo—and the day gets even better.

Wanakah held a golf marathon, “The Walk for Luca & Carly,” on July 16 to raise money for Live Like Luca/The Luca S. Calanni Foundation, and the Courage of Carly Fund at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo. In the annual, all-day event, which Wanakah member Simon Bennett started in 2016 to support cancer research, golfers play 100 holes of golf on foot and collect pledges for the charities.

Bennett started the benefit as one of three Wanakah members who decided to walk 100 holes of golf in one day to raise money for Roswell Park. They brought in $7,500. “I was looking for an excuse to play golf all day and at raise money for a good cause in the local area,” he says. “And I thought, ‘If I’m doing this, I’m walking.’”

The Wanakah fundraiser, which has raised almost $200,000 in five years, has

grown with each outing. “Our membership really gets behind it,” says Mike Karnath, CCM, Wanakah’s General Manager and Chief Operating Officer.

The proof is in the numbers. In 2017, four men raised more than $15,000, and in 2018 six men brought in $30,000. In 2019, the first year the fundraiser benefited Carly’s fund, 10 men raised $47,500.

This year, 16 people played in “The Walk for Luca & Carly.” Donors could give a single amount or pledge $1 for each birdie and $5 for every eagle. At least $92,000 was raised, and the proceeds will be split evenly between the two charities.

The mission of Live Like Luca is to create athletic and educational opportunities for children throughout western New York.

The foundation was created in memory of Luca Calanni, the son of Wanakah members Ashley and Roger “Bodge” Calanni. Luca, who died unexpectedly in January 2020 at age 11 from complications of the flu, played basketball, soccer, lacrosse and golf.

“Luca was a great kid that everybody loved,” says Bennett. “He was full of life and full of energy.”

The Courage of Carly Fund at Roswell Park, named for the late Carly Collard Cottone of East Amherst, N.Y., provides memories, family events and financial support to children and teenagers diagnosed with cancer or blood disorders and their families. Carly, who lost both of her parents to cancer by the time she was 7 years old, was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 8 and died three years later. She founded Carly’s Club on her ninth birthday in 2000, and raised more than $185,000 for pediatric cancer research in her short lifetime. Her family was not affiliated with Wanakah CC. The Live Like Luca foundation, formed in memory of the son of club members who died at age 11 at the start of 2020, was added as a cause benefited by the Wanakah golf marathon this year.

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At this year’s fundraiser, which was reduced to 69 holes because of inclement weather, the golfers carded 163 birdies and three eagles. After teeing off at 5:15 a.m., the players withstood interruptions from tornado warnings, torrential downpours, and flooding. They retreated from the golf course about 4 p.m., after lightning flashed across the sky.

In addition to Bennett, the field included Luca’s father, who had committed to play last fall; Luca’s 13-year-old friend, Jack Tebeau; and local sports-radio personality Jeremy White, who helped to publicize the event and serves on the Live Like Luca Board of Directors.

“It has grown. People have shown interest,” Karnath says of the event. “It’s a lot to walk and be able to physically endure this.”

The fundraiser has no strict rules, but Bennett has expanded it slowly. “Initially, we didn’t know how successful it would be,” he says. “We didn’t want to take up the entire golf course. It has grown naturally as people have asked me if they can play.”

The golfers played in foursomes, and collectively had 40 to 50 caddies on their bags throughout the day. Between the weather and COVID-19, however, Wanakah, which will hold another fundraiser for Live Like Luca in September, had to make a few changes to this year’s outing. “The event normally takes place on the summer solstice in June, but we had to delay it this year because of the pandemic,” says Karnath.

In past years more than 150 people have come to the fundraiser, but the club couldn’t have a gathering of more than 50 this year. Courtesy of COVID-19, only one bag per cart was allowed, and the weather disrupted plans for all 16 golfers to play a par-3 together on the 100th hole.

“For me, it’s my favorite golf day of the year,” says Bennett. “We’re raising money for great causes, and everybody wants everyone else to play as well as they can. It’s a relaxing day with a lot of camaraderie.” www.clubandresortbusiness.com

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