Category 16 - Golf Operations

The Country Club of Virginia Richard Cromwell As an annual event, the golf professional and golf course superintendent staffs are paired with the clubs current Board of Directors and Past Presidents. The tournament pairs the contestants together to compete in scramble format. The event allows the players the camaraderie of competition, and also serves as a team building opportunity, and fosters a social relationship between the staff and membership. WINNER!!!!

Tippecanoe Lake Country Club Paul Kornfeind A fun, new, and exciting golf event for any golfer regardless of their age or skill level.

Desert Highlands Association Terra Waldron These two charts depict a relationship between budgeted and actual rounds of golf, and budgeted softgoods and actual softgood sales. This daily analysis allows staff a quick reference and the ability to truly understand the department’s monthly budget, and their effect on the overall department.

Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club John McGee The new driving range amenities and setup have received rave reviews form members. The quality of the driving range experience has greatly been enhanced with the addition of all the amenities.

Mountain Air Country Club Andrew Singleton Gourmet Golf is a full gourmet dining experience that actually takes place right on the golf course. Members begin with the appetizer course in the Oak Room, and then play 3 holes of golf. They are then met at the 4th tee with their wine and salad course, prepared tableside. Another 3 holes of golf, then they break at the 7th tee for their wine and entrée, which is cooked right in front of them. Then they finish their final 3 holes and retreat back to the Oak Room for dessert.

The Kansas City Country Club Gregory Webb When the club is to be host to a wedding reception, the Director of Catering notifies the Head Golf Professional. The golf pro sends a letter to the family reminding them that an afternoon of golf the day before the blessed event is often a great male-bonding outing. He gives suggestions and prices in the letter. This has brought in additional revenue to the club, as well as brings a sense of pride to the host members as they see that we are able to deliver more than just a nice dinner. For out of town members of the wedding party, they particularly enjoy the opportunity to play such a revered club as Kansas City. The golf pro runs it like a professional tournament with a leader board, prizes, ect.

Hermitage Country Club Kristi Spencer Ladies Spa Day was created to provide an event for the significant others of the men participating in the clubs biggest golf tournament of the year. The Ladies Day Spa stepped up the tournament by providing the ladies with a classy event that pampered them, and made them feel special while the men’s tournament took place.

The Country Club of Virginia Richard Cromwell The 3-Hole Tournament was implemented to expand on the Ladies’ 3-Hole group. This tournament allows for new golfers and beginners to become familiar with a small competition. At the same time, it serves as another way for the ladies to socialize at the club. Since it is considered a tournament, it gives the opportunity for upcoming golfers to win prizes, which are retail discounts in the golf shop. It encourages new faces to get familiar with the golf shop and helps to establish new shoppers and create future sales at the club.

Stonebridge Golf and Country Club Joseph G Sumner The concept behind our Golf and Fitness “Boot Camp” Cross-training Challenge was to create a program that would make a difference in the lives of our members. Participants devoted two months of their lives eating, sleeping, and breathing golf and fitness for this mainly self-motivational program with some help and guidance from our Head Golf Professional and Fitness Director. Participants signed a total commitment contract that put them through 2-3 hours a day of grueling fitness workouts and golf game practices, as well as establishing new eating habits. Individual workout programs were provided by staff.

The Country Club of Virginia Richard Cromwell As an added feature to the Fourth of July Tournament, we incorporated several activities pertaining to the upcoming centennial of the Club. Posted on each hole was multiple-choice question about the history of the Club. The members were given a specially made scorecard to record their answers. In addition to the eighteen questions, there was a tie-breaker question at the end to decide the winner of the contest. We also incorporated the use of various golf clubs representing the different eras of golf during the Club’s history. On select holes, players were required to use hickory-shafted clubs (1910s-1920s), early irons (1930s-1940s), persimmon drivers (1950s-1960s), a “blade” iron set (1970s-1980s), and an original metal driver (1990s). This special event created an excited awareness by the membership of the history of the Club and its storied past.

Farmington Country Club Wayne Hall As we all know, with age our eye sight can sometimes decrease. The Golf Shop staff was experiencing this consistently with multiple members who did not have their glasses with them when they came into the shop. The small print on the chits was difficult to read for many members and we knew we needed to find a solution. We decided to take the lost and found glasses we had acquired and make them available to the members. As a result, we created the “Can’s See? Borrow Me!” collection of reading glasses for the members to use.

The Country Club of Virginia Richard Cromwell Winter Golf Seminars were originally developed as a supplemental instructional series tailored to the advanced golfer. Positive feedback brought this series back targeting a different audience. Our focus for the 2007 Seminar was to expose the novice not only to golf instruction, but golf etiquette and facility usage. Golf 101 is a six-week curriculum consisting of: facility information, instruction, tournaments/events, the game of golf, equipment, and pre-shot fundamentals.

Farmington Country Club Wayne Hall For the last several years the driving range has been setup the same way. Two ropes were used to mark off the distance from the front of the range to the back of the range, with 2x4’s to mark space between each golfer. The spaces were estimated, not exact. This method of setup was very inconsistent and time consuming. To eradicate this problem we decided to use exact measurements and mark each front to back rope with permanent markings. This method allowed the distance between each golfer to be consistent every day. The use of the permanent markings allowed us to cut the labor time in half, which proved “time is money well spent.”

The Country Club of Virginia Richard Cromwell The way we communicate with members in the golf department is very unique. We use several tools to ensure that all members receive information to make our tournaments, programs, and events successful. The use of the internet in the last five years has been the most important tool in our department (i.e. emails, electronic newsletters, website postings, ect).

The Country Club of Virginia Richard Cromwell This program showcases the golf instructional program and introduces the newest members of the golf professional staff to our membership. The professionals divided into pairs and each reviewed a different game segment, focusing on swing fundamentals, club fitting, and course management basics. The unique event, delivered in a cocktail party format on the driving range, gave the members an opportunity to ask questions and talk with the professional staff in a casual and relaxed manner. The program was so well received; we have added similar events to the 2008 calendar.

The Country Club of Virginia Richard Cromwell Over the past few years, we found the participation in our indoor Rules of Golf Seminar was on the decline. In an effort to increase participation and make the seminar more realistic, we decided to offer an outdoor program. We began the program with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and then move to the teeing ground of the first hole. Our presenter started with rules pertaining to beginning play, and then progressed as the group moved down the fairway, ending with rules for the putting green. The response was incredibly favorable with most participants noting that the hands-on format made them understand the concepts much easier.

The Carnegie Abbey Club Stephen M Downes It has been a Scottish ritual since the early 1800’s to commence the golf season with a ceremonial Driving in the Captains celebration. At the inception of our club we wanted to create a memorable rite into the new season that would enhance the club family experience and golf program. Against our New England costal landscape this Scottish tradition was the perfect fit for us. Our New England Club awakens after the winter season and members are reunited with lasting friends and family, as well as returning staff, when our Captains drive their first ball into the Bay and share a toast of Scotch with their fellow members. This event is always heavily attended by our members who enjoy the poignant ceremony where we introduce our Golf Captains and announce exciting additions to the golf program. Often members gather around tables of friends, family, and guests for a sunset dinner in our Clubhouse overlooking the Narragansett Bay.

The Country Club of Virginia Richard Cromwell In an effort to encourage new players, lessen the golf “intimidation” factor, and provide a timely golf experience, we started the Ladies’ 3-Hole Group. Every Wednesday we offer a clinic and review topics varying from how to make a tee time, to how to drive a golf cart, to how to swing a golf club. We divide into foursomes and send groups out on different holes, while three or four golf professionals visit different groups for on-course instruction. This forum created a safe place for the ladies to ask questions, get comfortable with the surroundings, meet other women at the same level, and learn all the different skills needed to play golf. Many of these women have started playing outside the scheduled time with women they have met through the group, as well as with friends and family. This program has exposed our golf operation to a new group of members, who are using not only our golf facilities, but also retail shops and restaurants.