Virginia Golfer May / Jun 2020 | Page 14

at c ( ) Member Clubs Golf Management Companies: The Right Fit for Your Club? by WILL MACILWAINE For many years, golf courses and country clubs were entities that were largely managed in-house, with the day-to-day operations handled by an owner, or a general manager whose actions were controlled by a select few, such as a board of directors. However, in recent years, many golf courses and country clubs have abandoned this traditional management structure for a more modern approach: the use of golf management companies. Golf management companies are third-party entities that provide various services for golf courses and country clubs. Some of the most well-known of these entities include Troon Golf, KemperSports, ClubCorp, Billy Casper Golf and others. These entities offer management services for nearly every aspect of a golf course or country club, including management services related to the golf course, food and beverage, swimming, tennis, fitness and more. Instead of an owner—or a general manager controlled by members—making decisions related to the day-to-day operations of the course or club, these decisions are instead principally made by the golf management company. The management company typically reports to the club’s board of directors, but practically, once retained, the third party manager rapidly accumulates the “institutional” knowledge necessary to make such decisions with less input from the board. + PROS There are certainly many advantages associated with the use of golf management companies. One view is that these companies can ease the stress associated with making ordinary, but often difficult, business decisions that golf courses and country clubs face each day. The idea is that these companies have ample experience managing an extensive array of diverse golf courses and clubs, and thus are in a better position to make these difficult and often vastly important decisions. Furthermore, these management entities can assist in increasing a course or BIGSTOCK 12 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M AY/J UNE 2020 vsga.org