From Busboy to COO, Part 6

September of 1999 was a pinnacle point in time for me. I had already let my GM know of my intentions to find my own operation. Now, I was focused on two things: performing my job at hand and surfing the MOL listings at night. During this period, I also spent two weeks with the Controller and one week with the Golf Course Superintendent. These were two roles I had not managed before and would soon acquire. I would highly recommend this to any young manager that is moving to their first club operation. The time spent in accounting turned out to be particularly valuable. I have those notes in my briefcase today, over twenty years later. I looked at club job listings with more of a focus on club metrics than location. In the process I applied at approximately eight clubs. I had interviews at two clubs, one in Houston, and the other in West Virginia. The Houston Club was not a feel-good environment for me from first impression, in short, it gave me the creeps.  Even though they offered me the job, I declined. My wife and I traveled to WV sometime in December. The city of Huntington is best known for Marshall University’s Thundering Herd. Of course, it was wintertime and from the moment we landed until we settled into our hotel, the scenery reminded us both of a Courier & Ives print. The housing and school potential was just what we wanted, and the city of 70,000 seemed quaint and picturesque. Interestingly, and this is where associations matter, an old ex-CMAA President named George Burton, (1978) was the club’s interim manager. George had picked my name up through another manager by the name of Bill Hilberth, longtime GM of Dallas Country Club. This, because my wife had worked in the banquet office there, and I had spoken to Bill in passing on many occasions. The interview went very well, and combined with the metrics, surrounding area, housing, cost of living, proximity to the east coast and New England et al, I accepted their offer. My salary, $95,000. The club by the numbers in 2000:  Membership, 650, Gross volume, $6 million, dues line, $3.2 million, F&B revenues $2 million, Golf and Tennis revenues, $800,000. A third club I sent my resume to in Washington State called me after this for an interview which I graciously declined.

After the biggest relocation effort of our lives we set up home near the University in what was referred to as the “brick streets” in a remodeled 80-year-old brownstone. By now, I had a five-year-old son, and a two-year-old daughter. I started at Guyan Golf & Country Club somewhere about February 15th. You will remember that I told you Bob Jones asserted that I should find a club that needed me? I couldn’t have picked it any better. If only I had room to post all the substandard practices and poor presentation running the gamut from a condemned tennis shop to bar soap in the locker room showers, yes you heard it right! It was the perfect proving ground for sure. One humorous notable among the many challenges was the golf course tractor. The first time I saw it on the course I noticed a severe wabble. The right rear wheel was bent enough to cause the whole tractor to dip on rotation. I asked the Superintendent about it later, he said “yeah, it’s a 1958 model that has fully depreciated.” Masseys of this vintage had a large “MF” on the cowl. They referred to it as, well you guess! It was extraordinarily hard fought, but we got a brand-new Deere within my first year. I hope they enjoy that Deere for another 50 years!  Another monumental challenge was reengaging tennis, rebuilding the condemned shop, and creating a tennis program from scratch. They had long held that tennis lost too much money and should not be offered. Sound familiar to anyone with a golf centric board? I’ve heard talk, but I’ve never seen someone actually do it.  We had four of the only clay courts between Kentucky and Charleston. I hired a husband-wife team who held our programs on campus in spring and summer, and off campus during the winter at a popular indoor facility. I made some enemies in this process, out of people who had been instrumental in holding dues static for seven years (did you hear me?) but I got it done, and we had a great program. And then – there was the 1947 vintage Vilter 150-ton A/C unit that we ran on bootleg R-30 that always decided to go limp during weddings. And so it went from there.

Well, I wanted to be in charge, and I was. No one to blame, criticize or laugh at, and no one to go down the hall and seek help from. I was alone in the board room with seven board members, I was running finance committee meetings, membership meetings, attending grounds meetings, and overseeing an operation where everything needed attention all at once. I was writing the club budget on my laptop in tandem with the controller, trying to square off with seven years of revenue denied the operation leaving me to be the first to try to do something about it. I lived and died by the monthly statement of activities and balance sheets, and I had to walk the tight rope of “improving everything without spending money”. I was known as “That guy from Dallas”. That was either good or very bad depending on who was using it. It was all at once invigorating, challenging, terrifying, and satisfying. I fully understood for the first time, what Bob, Stacey, Joe, and Patrick had gone through, and why they did it. I was now the GM/COO of a country club just 25 years after working as a busboy at El Chico during my sophomore year in high school. I would go on to run this club for four years. At the end of 2004, I moved back to Texas and ran another club for just under fifteen years. In 2019, I moved to the Tampa Bay area to run my third operation. My compensation continued to grow over the years, and I also enjoyed bonuses, company cars, and allowances.

Closing Observations for those actively looking to run their own club.

Most clubs now use search firms to find their principal employees. It is an arduous task for volunteers. There are still clubs that don’t use firms. This could be an indication that the board believes themselves better decision makers, or that the club simply doesn’t want to spend 20% of the negotiated salary for a firm. This is not particularly good nor bad. I have never worked for a club that used a firm to place me, although I have interfaced with firms many times, securing three interviews. Because firms gather resumes and sift them down to those viewed by the hiring body, you will have to impress the firm enough to get you in the interview room. I know how I feel about this personally, you decide what avenue to take works best for you.

Don’t expect your first club to be perfect but do expect it to have basic baseline standards in practice across the operation. Red flags are worth a pause.  You must be comfortable with what you are about to sign up for. This is the biggest move you will likely ever make, and failure out of the gate is out of the question. Tread carefully.

Negotiate your package. If you are given an offer, the ball is yours. Show strength and negotiating skills right out of the chute.

I could write another 3,000-word piece on what to ask for, and what to ask about during final interviews and offer negotiations. Suffice to say there are monumentally important questions to ask, and data to review. As a final candidate, I have been handed comprehensive packages of this information without asking which is the best practice for a club. You MUST NOT overlook the importance of key practices of the club you are about to join. The good, the bad, and the ugly become yours on day one.

Seek to have a contract or letter of agreement with the club. It will protect you.

Be prepared for the challenge of your lifetime. Running a club in my opinion, requires the most comprehensive skill set there is.  When you transition from CHM or AGM to your first operation, it will be the single largest promotion you will ever make. Like having children for the first time, you may never be completely ready, but it will come to you when you need it.

Keep a “cabinet” of mentors and friends in the business you can reach out to for help when you need it. Never, never be afraid to ask for help. Know what you (don’t) know.

Being a GM has little or nothing to do with having power or being in control. If this is your motivation – stop now. Club GMs are leaders, innovators, facilitators, negotiators, conductors, teachers, partners, providers of fair, calm, resolution, and solution. Your board is in charge. Get this backwards and you will be humbled.

Earn respect, don’t demand it. Employees know what they are looking at. Show empathy, appreciation, understanding, and compassion. Recognize, reward, and compensate the best your club will allow you to. The better they are, the better (you) will be. Remember the Marcus Lemonis philosophy; People come first. All things fall into place behind them.

I would wish you the best of luck in your club career. It is a rewarding and satisfying profession which pays well, offers near perfect working environment, great relationships and friendships, and the sky is the limit as to the kind of club you run and where you live. Whether it is a Yacht Club, Country Club, Golf Club, City Club, Dining Club, or Tennis Club, in the US or abroad, you are joining an esteemed college that will provide you a lifetime of achievement and accomplishment. If you need support don’t hesitate to call or PM me. I’m glad to help someone like me navigate the challenges ahead. The club model, and hospitality itself have changed markedly over the last twenty years, particularly the last two. You are not alone.