PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD
Sadly , I open with the news that our terrific General Manager , Cliff Easum , has announced his retirement . We all thank Cliff for his extraordinary efforts on behalf of LGCC and wish him well in this next phase of his life . Troon , our management company , is actively seeking a replacement for Cliff , and we hope our new GM will be on site by March 31 .
Our January 25th Board of Directors meeting included a two hour discussion with Troon Senior VP for Operations Joel Gohlmann and Regional Rep Chip Harris . We had a comprehensive exploration of our operations – marketing , communications , accounting , golf , food and beverage – and how Troon can step up its game in those areas . To their credit , the Troon representatives acknowledged their deficiencies when it comes to supporting our excellent staff and promised to reset . To that end , we expect Regional Director of Sales and Marketing Amanda Schilling on site next week , and National Food and Beverage Director Tom Bannwart also on site in February .
After our thorough discussion of operations , we shifted the discussion to the future of the club . As you know , we have a lot of very good things going on . Our golf course is in terrific shape , we added 15 net new members during 2021 , and we are already sprucing up the pool area for this summer . The December Holiday Party showed just how much we all enjoy the club and each other ’ s fellowship .
As good as our spirit is , however , the club ’ s finances are not in good shape . You have seen the numbers in our monthly newsletters , so I will not dwell on them . Our 2022 budget projects a negative cash flow even with 8 % dues increase , an increase in our monthly minimum and projected increases in the number of new members . As much as we don ’ t like to acknowledge it , when we pay our monthly club bill , deep down we all know that we have been giving ourselves a good deal . That good deal is not sustainable ; the time has come for some hard decisions . There is no rainy day fund and inflation and deferred maintenance are raining on us in the form of increased labor costs ( if we can find employees ), increased food costs and increased golf course maintenance costs ( think gas , diesel , fertilizer and broken water lines ).
What are we going to do ? Our club ’ s members are passionate about LGCC and have many ideas about what we need to be doing now . But , we are not the experts in club management . Troon is .
So , the board has asked Troon to bring us a menu of options for the future – now . Troon will have a draft in my hands next week , and I anticipate not only more attention to the
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