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said . “ While our professionals can ’ t work from home , there is no reason these policies from other businesses can ’ t be used in the golf industry . Once our pros have that and get used to it , it ’ s going to be hard to take that back .”
Relan had an epiphany at his last private club job when his son was diagnosed with terminal cancer . “ I began to realize there were things way more important than golf ,” he said . “ You think you can ’ t do this , can ’ t do that , but you really can . You just have to be smart about it .
“ After my sister died , I recognized I ’ d worked every Memorial Day , member-guest weekend open to close , first thing in the morning , staying late , dinners . Then got up and did it again . I loved it , but at the same time , year after year , it started to get old .”
Mike Casto , then the Carolinas PGA Section President , spoke to him about the virtues of military and public courses . The pay might be less , Casto said , but suggested there were other benefits , including spending more time with a young family .
As a result , Relan moved to Bide-A-Wee . “ Many private clubs look down on public facilities , but when you come down to it , it ’ s all about people ,” he said . “ When I came to Bide-A-Wee , I decided to create a culture to treat everyone who walked through the door as if they were wanted , welcome and a part of something . We ’ ve managed to do that here and it ’ s been great .”
Relan ’ s work-life balance has come full circle . “ There ’ s no reason in this day and time a person can ’ t take off , whether it be two days off one week or a long weekend off every other week ,” he said . “ It is absolutely asinine that a that a club thinks they have to work a kid 70 hours per week , give them no time off and pay them poorly .”
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Values change and we see more of our professionals negotiating those things which tend to be most important to them . Compensation for some , flexible schedules for others , more vacation , family privileges , better health insurance options , deferred compensation , education and dues support and many more .”
— Greg Stenzel , PGA career consultant
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At Spring Creek , the most important thing Haney says he does is “ manage operations and help assistants get better in their careers . We want to create an environment that members can call home . That means talking to them , educating , supporting and hopefully satisfying them . It ’ s a big responsibility . The goal is to pass this lifestyle on and help people have an activity for life .”
Jamie Fagan , PGA General Manager of Dogwood Trace in Petersburg since 2008 , said finding compromises helps with retention .
“ I am a big believer in work life-balance and am progressive in the ways I work my assistants . We only work every other weekend . Everyone is guaranteed two weekends off a month because I want them to be with their families . I don ’ t need three pros on the property every weekend . I need them refreshed and having a great relationship with their kids and spouses so they perform well when here .
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“ My challenge is having frank discussions … and explaining that philosophy to our regular customer base . Players need to understand they are not going to be greeted by my staff all at one time . This system has worked out very well for us . The pay scale has changed tremendously in the last three to four years in the assistant world . We are competing with companies offering hybrid work , extra weeks of vacation , so we ’ ve had to adapt .
“ As golf pros , we have to train our team and explain to stakeholders that customers are still going to have a great experience and not one thing is going to suffer . That way , staff retention is going to be better and employees are going to be happier . It ’ s worked for me . I haven ’ t had the turnover that a lot of other courses have had . And I think my team is much more engaged when they are here ,” he says .
A DIFFERENT TWIST
Fagan ’ s responsibilities are a bit unusual in that he deals with municipal stakeholders who are not experts in golf . “ We are an Enterprise Fund . I have gone to the city and said , ‘ this is what it takes ,’” he said . “ Reasonable people who know businesses understand if it is explained in the right way . My job also requires that I spend more time at City Hall making sure decision makers know how we fit into development . We want to make sure we are not viewed as just a golf course but as an entity serving tourists and attractive to companies bringing in workforces .
“ The last four years have been exciting , getting back to what most of us dreamed about as young pros , which is taking care of people and making sure everyone has a good time ,” Fagan added .
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