Conference Education Programs

(Certification Competency Area in Parentheses at End of Description)

Friday, February 1, 2008
4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

The Perfect Team
Dick Kopplin (Kopplin Search)

How can you as general manager or as golf course superintendent work with your fellow professional to ensure that your golf club’s objectives are achieved, while creating an enjoyable work environment for you and the employees?

Jack Sullivan, CCM, and Tim Hiers of Old Collier Golf Club have the answers for you. Both Jack and Tim are accomplished professionals who have also conducted numerous educational sessions for their respective associations. They have volunteered to share their experiences with club general managers and golf course superintendents in a ninety-minute program moderated by Dick Kopplin.

Both of these highly regarded professionals will discuss how they have achieved a high level of performance at a club that is nationally recognized as a “model club operation.” While Jack and Tim typically agree on how to achieve most of the goals for the club and golf course, they often express candid and differing opinions which provides for a stimulating educational session. This interactive program will provide you with some specific strategies that you can implement upon returning to your club.

Some of the issues that Jack and Tim will discuss include:

1. How to build and keep “trust” with your fellow professional.
2. Seeing the “big picture” from the other person’s perspective.
3. Building teamwork while respecting different viewpoints.
4. How to establish a process for priorities that is a “win-win.”
5. The best ways to develop effective communication.
6. How to resolve differences and find common ground.
   (Management)

Stuff Happens … Will Your Insurance Cover It?
Suzan F. Charlton (Attorney)

This seminar focuses on key areas of risk, insurance and the law. First, the seminar addresses the importance of knowing what is in your club’s insurance policy, and how to ensure you have the type and amount of insurance coverage you need. Second, the seminar reviews several legal and insurance issues private clubs must know how to address, including negligence/nuisance claims, natural disasters, liability for employment practices, and construction/renovation problems. Finally, you will obtain practical advice for managing accidents and insurance claims, including what to do when accidents or losses happen, and whether and how to involve lawyers, insurers or both. Tips and checklists for managing legal disputes and insurance claims will be provided.

As a result of participating in this program, participants will be able to:

1. Identify situations that call for insurance coverage, legal counsel, or both (or neither).
2. Address accidents, property losses, and business interruption issues quickly, correctly and consistently every time.
3. Know what to do in the event someone sues the club.
4. Make strong claims to insurance companies, increasing the likelihood of swift and full payment.
   (External & Governmental Influences)

Performance Management – Achieving Results Through People
Ronnie Malcolm (RRM UK Ltd.)

Performance Management, Appraisal, Staff Review, Development Plans – whatever you call it, it is necessary for your system of performance management to benefit the club, the manager and the employee. This workshop focuses on the benefits of performance appraisal from the employee perspective. It examines how they can be enabled to make their best contribution to the process, releasing the energy that all too often remains as potential. It will illustrate the value in empowering appraisals that encourage employees to be self-critical, constructive and bold in their approach. This approach is equally applicable for managing both high fliers and duds – and all folk in between!

As a result of participating in this program, participants will be able to:

1. Engage their employees in a new way.
2. Improve the performance of the business.
3. Make best use of their investment in staff training and development.
4. Revitalize their approach to performance management.
   (Management)

Membership Logic – What You Really Need to Know
Rick Coyne (Club Mark Corporation)

This program will explore the basic logic of attracting and retaining members as well as a variety of exercises to more fully understand the core issues that affect your success. Drawing upon 37 years of experience, the facilitator will guide participants through an examination of successful internal and external methods of positioning your club to attract more members and retain the ones that you have. Included in the presentation will be specific suggestions for attracting new members as well as programs to enhance existing member participation and satisfaction.

As a result of participating in this program, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize their market’s potential.
2. Apply logic to membership decision making.
3. Accurately assess core issues that may be affecting their success.
4. Create an atmosphere conducive to attracting and sustaining membership growth.
5. Understand cultural differentiation.
6. Develop and cultivate team involvement in the membership process.
   (Marketing)

Budgeting Food & Beverage Cost Volume and Profit Analysis for the Private Club
Michael Holtzman (Profitable Food Facilities)

This seminar will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of how a club might prepare annual food and beverage budgets and how the budget format can be used as a tool to better control projections. Expressed another way, it is a different way to approach budgeting and the monitoring of the numbers for a department with which most clubs have limited success.

Topics to be discussed include: the concepts of “bottom-up” budgeting versus “top-down” budgeting; how to better determine profit requirements based on cost-of-goods; labor needs and other chart of account lines; how to design a better, more revealing P&L format for senior food & beverage management; the importance of timeliness in generating numbers at the food & beverage level (aside from accounting); and the idea of sharing food & beverage financial information with subordinates food & beverage staff to better reach budget goals.

As a result of participating in this program, participants will be able to:

1. Apply a more revealing set of tools to the P&L and annual budget forecasting.
2. Develop the correct methodologies for managing labor controls and cost-of-goods expenses.
3. Facilitate better communications with food & beverage management by being able to talk (or debate) at their level about food & beverage expenses, revenue projections and profit potential.
   (Food & Beverage Management)