Newport Beach Country Club Reflects Its Location and The Community

The Newport Beach Country Club (NBCC) is a BoardRoom Distinguished Club with a wonderful location and a deep philanthropic history.

The club opened in 1954 when two gentlemen playing golf in Santa Ana wished for a cooler place to play golf – one with ocean breezes and views. The club, located in Newport Beach, CA, opened as the Irvine Coast Country Club and was renamed Newport Beach Country Club in 1985 to better reflect its location and the growing community.

The Hoag Classic raises money for the Hoag Hospital and is the annual apex of service and quality for the management team. This incredible event remains the longest continual host site on the PGA Tour Champions.

It started in 1975 when Bing Crosby, a World Golf Hall of Fame member, sought a place to hold a satellite event for golf professionals who missed the cut at the famous Pebble Beach Pro-Am Tournament. So, it became a Southern California Pro-am event.

The Hoag Classic remains extremely important to the NBCC as it raises $1 million for Hoag Hospital and results in tremendous exposure for the hospital and the community.

The California Coastal Craftsman clubhouse design astounds, especially the main kitchen with the space, the equipment and the layout. It's set up to host first-class events all the time, every day.

One of general manager Robin Shelton, MBA, CCM, CCE, PGA Master Professional 's favorite quotes about his club and the area reads: "Newport Beach and the vibe that comes from our city is a quiet, relaxed place where you're more likely to see the harbor patrol than the highway patrol. You may hear more birds than automobiles anywhere in Newport Beach you go. So whether it's Fashion Island, Balboa Bay, or the Pier, you'll feel the vibe."??

People make a Club Distinguished, both members and staff. The NBCC has an incredible roster of local celebrities who care deeply about their club, each other and their city. In addition, the professional staff members are some of the most hospitality-driven, genuine people and the combination makes the club very special.

The amount of effort and coordination required to put on a PGA Tour Champions event is Herculean. Team members manifest the best can do attitude. They want to put on the best possible show for the players, spectators, and community. And they do.

The agronomy team might just be the best in the business. Superintendent Scot Dey is knowledgeable, passionate, and the 'point' person for all things on the golf course. He works closely with the Champions TOUR agronomy staff to ensure that playing conditions meet the standards of the TOUR and the club.?He has a tremendous amount of ownership and pride in what he does.

Mike Novak, assistant superintendent, has been with the club for 30 years and his institutional knowledge, dedication and humble leadership can't be matched. Fernando Sencion, second assistant superintendent, is worth his weight in gold and Mark Ragole, head mechanic, is a miracle worker.

The golf team excels when it comes to hosting the Hoag Classic. While prepping for the tournament, they are taking care of members right up to the start of the tournament, which means the golf course is open to member play on the Saturday before the tournament!

The team of John McCook, director of golf and Robbie Maurer, head golf professional, seem to live at the club! They're dedicated to a professional and first-class experience.

The food and beverage team did an incredible job at this year's Hoag Classic. Graeme Blair, executive chef and Sarah Sanchez, food and beverage director, worked well together and created a great experience feeding 500-plus diners daily in many different food outlets.

With positive recognition as a cornerstone of morale for NBCC, these leaders distribute praise and recognition for how hard every one of their team members worked.

GM Shelton sums up the club with some thoughts about the owners.

"We are very fortunate one family owns our club, and all the family wants is for their club to be a great place to belong, a great place to work, and be a great addition to the community. They are extremely kind and generous, which allows us to pursue our vision of being,'" added Shelton.

The club focuses on culture and staff members that fit that culture. For example, the club leadership believes skills can be taught, but attitude, work ethic, drive, desire to be the best, motivation, and spirit cannot. So the goal is to find people who possess these characteristics that align with the vision and culture...to find individuals that genuinely want to be the best versions of themselves and who care more about the happiness of others than themselves.

For example, a new training manager position was created this year. The club promoted long-term team member Melanie Stacklie to this position. She is outstanding in her new role, is open to new ideas, concepts and doing things that make sense for the team member experience.

When asked for some advice for other club managers, Shelton replied, "Know your vision and pursue it relentlessly. Refer to it frequently, find ways to bring it up, and remind staff about its importance."

Ronald Banaszak, CCM, CCE, BoardRoom Distinguished Clubs, Executive Vice President of International Business Development and may be reached at (415) 420-5183 or via email:?[email protected] .