having the patience to learn a sport such as golf may seem almost impossible to many. These barriers, and others, mean that consumers can have a tough time choosing golf as their hobby of choice. Second, we work in a business where we need to know everything from how to grow grass to how to grow a database. Third, and likely the most challenging, is that our business is all about people. How to hire the right ones, eliminate the wrong ones, motivate the lazy ones, and congratulate the best ones! The reason why being a manager in the golf industry is so difficult is because golf is ‘un-definable’! That’s right – we work in a business where we are unable to define what we sell and what makes it great. If we stood on the first tee of any golf club in the world, and asked the first ten golfers why they played the game, we would likely receive ten different answers. The game is great because it provides so many different benefits, from quality time with customers or family, to self-improvement, to a brisk walk in a beautiful setting. It is different for each of us and that is what makes managing the experience so challenging.

MANAGE SUCCESSAs a manager, whether you manage one department with one staff member or a premier club with more than one hundred staff, your success will be determined by how you manage these and the other many challenges facing this exciting industry. So, how can we be more successful? By learning from others and implementing systems for success. Just like great athletes, industry leaders, or innovative companies, we need a system to follow so that we can improve each and every day.

James CronkJames is the Principle of Cronk Group. He is a

speaker and consultant and his work takes him around the globe, helping clubs and organizations

improve their people, their products, and their profits. For more information visit www.cronkgroup.com.

Golf Business Canada 44 Golf Business Canada 45

It is not easy being a successful club manager! Whether you are one year into a management job or one year away from retire-ment, being a manager in the golf or club industry is no easy task. The reasons are many. First, we work in an industry that already includes many barriers, and these barriers can restrict our ability to grow our business. The perception is that golf is only for the elite. The fact is that golf takes time and today’s consumer is facing a ‘time crunch.’ The reality is that golf is challenging, and in today’s age of immediate gratification,

“If we stood on the first tee of

any golf club in the world, and asked the first

ten golfers why they played the

game, we would likely receive ten different

answers.”

Systems Success How systems can improve your bottom line

4

If we wanted to improve our handicap, we would need to follow some type of plan, process and a practice routine. Success does not simply come from hard work, but from hard work that has a purpose. In most of the successful clubs around the world, the music that you hear when you walk in the clubhouse, the type of soap that is used in the locker room, the language used by the staff when communicating with the members and guests… all of these touch points are part of a carefully orchestrated experience. In addition, the service is not excellent simply because Mr. Manager is a great guy, and the members are not satisfied just because Mrs. Manager is great at shaking hands and kissing babies. Great leaders implement systems and tools to create a structured yet positive work environment that allows his or her team to flourish. The more employees know what is expected of them, and the more tools they have to do their jobs, the more consistent the experience will be for the guests. Just like a golf swing, there are many different paths to success. However, when you look at the best clubs in the world, it is more than likely that their management team spends a great deal of time and effort focused on four key systems for success.

1. PLAN FOR SUCCESSFirst, what is our goal? How do we define our success? Is our goal to create member satisfaction, sell real estate, book more hotel room nights, increase land value, or simply to make more money? A different answer should produce a different plan. We all define success in different ways, and it is critical that we have clear and measurable terms of success as managers and as a business. More importantly, we need to identify what separates our club from our competitor across town. What is unique about our club? A well-known course designer? A big clubhouse with a grand ballroom? What is our Unique Selling Proposition and better yet, does every staff member know how to answer that question? If they are in an elevator and someone says, where do you work – do they say at a club that welcomes families? Or at a club that provides the highest level of service in the region? Or at a club that protects the environment? Or do they simply not know what to say… so instead they say “at a club that doesn’t pay me enough.”

“Our business is all about relationships, and in the people business we want to hire for attitude and then train for aptitude. ”

Golf Business Canada 46

Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If we want to get more golfers, happier members, and make more money, then our plan needs to include doing things differently then we have done in the past.

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2. PREPARE FOR SUCCESSOnce we have a plan, and we have defined our success, we then need to ensure that we have the right people in place that will give us the best opportunity for success. So often the best person for hiring new staff is another front-line employee. Just because someone is a great manager of people does not guarantee that they are a great evaluator of people. Our business is all about relationships, and in the people business we want to hire for attitude and then train for aptitude. We want passionate people who care about our goals and our success (and also our members and their guests), and if needed, we can then teach them the skills required to do the job. In addition to having the right people, we also need to make sure we have the right tools. Our processes, our training systems, our communication, our minimum service standards and our policies and procedures must all be clearly defined. No matter how great our plan is, if we have the wrong people using the wrong tools, it is unlikely that we will ever achieve our goals.

3. DELIVER SUCCESSIf we have a good plan and we have hired the right people and given them the right tools, we now have given ourselves a chance to deliver success. As stated, all great clubs have beautiful clubhouses and manicured grass, but it is truly the connection that we make with people that will ensure that our club stands apart from our competition. To deliver service excellence we need each and every one of our employees to be committed to our goals and to understand how they play a key part in the process. Everyone on the team has a role to play, and the better they play their position, the better the team will do. If you are the coach, it is also important to recognize that people today are not simply motivated by money. In years past, a manager would tell an employee to jump and they would say “How high?” With most young people of today, if you ask them to jump they want to know “why they are jumping.” A great manager is someone who allows each employee to be the best at what they are good at. It is not about fixing weaknesses but rather about fostering talents. Ultimately, to deliver success, we need powered on people all going in the same direction.

4. MEASURE SUCCESSThe golf industry is truly a unique one. It attracts all types of people for all types of reasons. Each visit to our club can include dining, special events, exercise, competition, and of course, social interaction. How we measure what we do is a critical tool that is necessary for improvement. We cannot fix something if we do not know that it is broken. There is a great saying “what can’t be measured can’t be managed,” and many clubs do a great job measuring revenues and expenses and other key performance indicators. However, the best clubs measure everything possible, such as member satisfaction, employee satisfaction, total revenue per round of golf, cost of maintenance per acre and many, many other factors. In our business, with so many different facets, there is no shortage of things that we need to measure to best understand where we are and where we want to go. The more we can measure, the better we can manage!

COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCESuccess is never guaranteed, and in our very challenging industry, when this great game of golf can sometimes be ‘un-definable,’ success can be a floating target that is constantly just out of reach. That said, we can improve our chances for success if we implement systems, tools and processes that will create clarity, consistency, and most importantly, a commitment to excellence from all of us.

“Systems for Success” is a five part series to help you improve your people, your products and your profits! To read the remainder of this series online, please visit www.ngcoa.ca.

Golf Business Canada

Golf Business Canada 48

CANADIAN GOL

F SU

PERI

NTEN

DENTS

• ASSOCIATION • CANADIENNE DE S SURINTENDANT DE GOLF •

ADVOCACYProfessional DevelopmentPROMOTION OF THE PROFESSION

CERTIFICATION

Programs and Services

Representation

TGIF ACCESSNational Tournament Program

AD&D and Life and Health Group Insurance

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Lower Event and Service Rates

You’ll find that the benefits derived for you, your superintendent and your facility from membership in CGSA are far greater in value than the annual fee.

www.golfsupers.com/become-member or contact Lori Micucci at 416-626-8873 ext. 226

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