Life-Sized Gingerbread House

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

The life-sized gingerbread house was unveiled at our annual gingerbread house decorating event and remained in our main ballroom throughout the holiday season as an attraction for families to enjoy. It was large enough for several children to fit inside at one time and was complete with working lights. It drew lots of oohs and aahs throughout Decemember. Everyone wanted to see it.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

The idea came from our Executive Chef, Shelby Shober, as a way to ‘Surprise and Delight’ not only our members, but also our General Manager, Gary Behan. This project was great team-building exercise since we had multiple departments, including our Controller, Golf Course Superintendent, kitchen crew, and front-of-house staff involved in either brainstorming or implementation of the project. The frame of the house was built by our Golf Course Superintendent, Brad Pugh. Our shift supervisor painted the inside of the house. The Chef and her crew worked fervently to bake gingerbread bricks anytime Gary was not around, which was tricky since he is almost always at the club. It took over 150 lbs of flour, 300 lbs of powdered sugar, 75 lbs of molasses, and 300 eggs! The total covered frame was 170.75 square feet. Everything on the house was completely edible! The members loved it!