Reflections of a Club Manager #6

Moving On Up

After my experiences in my first club management position, I decided that my next job would be at a club with more resources and a higher stature.

I spent the next 3 months researching job opportunities, working on my CV and also managed to attend the CMAA World Conference in Orlando. I also agreed to organise some seminars for the Scottish Region of CMAE to keep me busy and to give me the opportunity to network with other club managers.

Two of the seminars I organised were great successes, one involved the legend that is Gregg Patterson, and the other, the equally legendary Steve Graves, of Creative Golf Marketing. Both seminars were extremely popular and both Gregg and Steve remain great friends to this day.

After a couple of job interviews in the Republic of Ireland, one at a links club and the other at a new build, I interviewed for a position at a club, 40 miles from home. I had a really good interview and a week later was asked back for a 2nd interview. 

Within 3 hours of that 2nd interview, I got a phone call to say that I had been successful and they would like to offer me the position. It's hard to describe that feeling of satisfaction and excitement. I would start almost 7 months to the day after leaving my previous position. I would also start on a salary that was almost 75% higher than my previous position, happy days!! 

Honestly, you couldn't wipe the smile off our faces. Sandra and I went out for dinner that evening to celebrate and the restaurant staff must have thought we had won the lottery, we were so happy!!

I started ay my new club on the 1st of June 2008. The club was in a great position, both financially and in location. Membership numbers were great and given the Clubs reputation, we had a 5 year waiting list to join. 

I had joined the club as its Secretary/Treasurer and true to their word, after 6 months I became the club's first ever General Manager and received a further salary increase to go with the new role. The Club had 29 staff members, a healthy turnover, 1300+ members and a busy golf course.

Life was good!!

This all changed toward the end of 2008 and the start of 2009. What happened? A global financial recession and with it, thousands of job losses in the UK. 

Our subscription invoices went out in late December 2008 and we held our breath to see how the recession would affect membership renewals.

My committee weren't overly worried, after all we had a 5 year waiting list of 125 names, keen to join our Club!! 

Well, I can tell you that we fared better than a lot of clubs and lost around 70 members that year, however it took until the very last name on our waiting list to replace everyone of those members who had left. 

In 3 months, our 5 year waiting list was gone and we had no one knocking on our door to start a new one!!

Talk about managing in a time of crisis. The Club and committee were great though and very supportive of all the staff. Their resolve though was tested when, during an audit of supplier contracts, I discovered that our Clubhouse Manager had signed a contract that she shouldn't have, as she didn't have the authorisation to do so. The contract, with another supplier, tied the Club to a service that was more expensive than the existing contract.

This led to an investigation and a disciplinary meeting and as a result, she was asked to resign. It was a difficult outcome, as she was popular with the members, but she knew she shouldn't have done what she did and as a result, she resigned.

This was not my first disciplinary hearing that had lead to the person leaving, but it was the first one where I felt sorry for the individual involved.

What a first year in the new job!!!

Next week, Achieving My CCM and new responsibilities.

Thanks for reading.

Jim Callaghan CCM