How Do Private Clubs Develop A Vision ?

[Bradley Anderson]

In my opinion no club can achieve true greatness without a vision and it's own distinctives.

I also think that vision rarely ever comes from many sources, but rather from one visionary who is the kind of gifted leader that people trust.

Some clubs are host to PGA and USGA events. Those clubs are able to derive vision from those events. But what about other clubs?

What do you guys think?

[Bob_Huntley]

Most 'Visions' get amended fairly rapidly in the face of a financial setback.


Bob

[JMEvensky]

Most 'Visions' get amended fairly rapidly in the face of a financial setback.


Bob

Agreed.The "vision" right now is how to get through until the next annual meeting.

More to your question,it certainly seems that a large percentage of "great" clubs are run by a dictator,benevolent or not.Unless that dictator is also the owner,I don't see that happening anywhere other than those clubs already operating under dictatorship.

Nowadays,everybody is an expert and figures that their dues entitles them to opine on everything club related.IMO,not many great organizations are run by plebiscite.So,the "vision" changes with each succeeding Board.

[ed_getka]

It seems to me that there are clubs where someone or a small group had a definite vision, but in general most clubs seem to just evolve along the way due to the dynamics of the membership. I know of specific examples here in the US, but I wonder how the UK or Australia fit in with the vision thing?

Another point is that in many cases the only vision was not liking the club they were at, or it was too crowded or something more mundane than having a vision of greatness.

[Rich Goodale]

Bradley

I am not sure that "vision" is the proper word.  "Ethos" might work better.  However, if you want to develop a vision, you need to get all the owners on the same hymn sheet, and this is greatly facilitated if there is only one "owner;" or "benevolent dictator," as it were.  The reason that this works is that the owner doesn't have to "develop" the vision, he or she already has it, and their main task is communicating it to the  team (members, visitors, staff, architects, etc.).  If your owner does not have a clearly articulatable vision, he or she is very unlikely to be able to develop one--at least one they are comfortable with.  In most cases, the most achievable vision is something anodyne like "Be the best club we can, for the broadest group of members, and (in these days, as Bob has accurately noted) survive."  There are very few people in the golf world like John Sutherland and George Crump and Mike Keiser who can reasonably aspire to greater things.

I think that the best clubs--from the obviously great to the hidden gems--prosper by finding a niche and developing an enduring ethos which sustains their niche position.  A very good source of food for thought in this area would be East Lothian, in Scotland.  Within a 30 mile radius you have successful clubs ranging from Muirfield (one of the Keepers of the Game of Golf), to North Berwick (West) (one of the keepers of golf's soul) to North Berwick (East) (a keeper of the ideal of universal golf), to Luffness (a keeper of the principle of privacy and slightly diminished expectations), to Dunbar (a keeper of concept of village golf), to Kilspindie (a keeper showing the relevance of the guttie course in this "modern" age), to Craigielaw (a paean to the attempt to merge the modern age with ancient vistas), to Gullane (four courses in a crescendo--short to long, charming to demanding, crowded to empty, posh to working class), and there are more......

[Bradley Anderson]

Great thoughts. Mr. Goodale, you continue to amaze me with your great words like "anodyne".

The concensus here is that the vision may change subject to the economy and to the changing of the guard - the guard will most certainly change because the days of benevolent dictators are of the past.

So given all that, may I suggest that the position of "visionary" is more likely to be filled by a long standing staff member of the club than by a member of the club?

And if that were the case, should we change the terminology to say that the "visionary" is more of a "keeper of the flame"?

Lets keep this thread alive. This is important stuff.

[jeffwarne]

On line the other day I saw a club with a written "mission statement", a written "vision", and "goals".
3 separate paragraphs.
 If i were a prospective member I would run away.

[Mike_Cirba]

Bradley,

In 1915, for the 50th Anniversary Club dinner at Merion Cricket Club, former club president Edward Sayres wrote the following;

And with all, fellow members, we have retained amongst us the same old traditions and customs which were in our early environment, and that is, that it is a club of gentlemen who wish to enjoy amateur sport.

This Club was founded by gentlemen and its members have always been, and is composed to-day of gentlemen.  Of course I speak in no snobbish sense.  And let me beg of you younger men not only in years, but in membership, keep it so in the years to come.  That has been in my opinion, the reason of its success.  The men who worked in it in the past years kept the amateur spirit to the front.  We never won a game of cricket or a game of tennis, or a game of golf, or any other game, except by fair and square and honorable playing, --let no professional element ever creep into our sports, let it be a club in the future as it has been in the past, where our mothers, our wives, our daughters, our sisters and our sweethearts, can always come and enjoy themselves, and let no true Merion man ever do anything at the Club, or for the Club, but what a gentleman would do in his own home. 

Keep this always before you—a few years more only and there will be no founders left, but you young men are just as capable, just as loyal as we were in our time, and I doubt not that when some of you are celebrating the centennial anniversary, the same spirit of sport, the same kindliness—which we have always wished to show our competitors, will be shown then as it was in the old days, and as it is now, and so God bless you all.

I think that still works pretty well today.

[Bradley Anderson]

Mike,

Thanks for that excellent and inspiring quote from Merion. What you have contributed to this discussion is very key. You are showing us that the club "vision" or the "ethos" can come from a person who is no longer living.

Probably most clubs can find these kinds of inspiring statements in their history if they search hard enough.

[Mark_Amundson]

Bradley:

I would suggest that the "vision" for a club should never change.  You might change goals, objectives, etc but the overriding vision needs to be held in high esteem by everyone involved in the club and needs to be the rallying point for the club.  Every club is structured differently, some with dictators, some with boards, etc but no matter the structure, the vision should hold steady. 

Mark

[Joel_Stewart]

It's a good topic.  Sadly, any type of vision is dependent on the balance sheet in today's world by 98% of the clubs.  Board meetings are entirely taken up about budgets and income and no one discusses their vision statements.

[Chris Cupit]

To start you must devlop and communicate the vision and then spend every lasting moment pounding that vision home.

That vision drives where your money, time and energy goes.

That vision tells your employees/department heads where their budgets, time and energy should be focused.

Very importantly, the vision must be communicated not only to existing members but to prospective members.  They must know what kind of club they are joining.  There is nothing worse than joining a place that is constantly changing the vision. 

Imagine joining a club that says, "We are an affordable, private club option that caters to golfing families" and then find that a new "faction" wants to divert resources to adding more tennis courts or a pool or athletic club!  Or, if you join a full service country club it would not be fair to take away those amenities to concentrate soley on golf.

From the top down--owner/board Pres., whatever the vision is it must be communicated DAILY.  I've seen a club where there motto which is in sync with their vision is on the letterhead of all their literature and at the top of their website. 

Communicate through mind numbing repetition what it is your want your club to be and "be it".  For boards that turn over, develop a process whereby additions to the board are pulled up through other committees and where at each step up the laddder they are bombarded with the club vision.  This helps keep a new board from trying to put their imprint on the club through their vision. 

Obviously once a club has developed some traditions it is a little easier to let the board know their job is to PRESERVE the vision and traditions of the club.  In tough times I think the vision is even more important--people looking for clubs and golfers in general are by nature "conservative" (not politically necessarily) and like being part of something that has tradition and history.  They want that security.

[Bradley Anderson]

These are all very thoughtful and well articulated thoughts.

Keep them coming.

[Kyle Harris]

A steady hand at the helm and a patient ombudsman.

[Bradley Anderson]

On line the other day I saw a club with a written "mission statement", a written "vision", and "goals".
3 separate paragraphs.
 If i were a prospective member I would run away.

Jeff,

Could you please elaborate on why that was a turn off. I think your thoughts will add something really important to this discussion.

[Peter Wagner]

The concensus here is that the vision may change subject to the economy and to the changing of the guard - the guard will most certainly change because the days of benevolent dictators are of the past.

Bradley,

If there is a silver lining in the current downturn in the golf market it might be with the prospect of these conditions causing a return of the benevolent dictator to golf clubs.  As some private clubs implode the course will most likely remain but with a different management/ownership structure.  I am hopeful that many of these will become benevolent dictator styled governments. 

- Peter

[Chris Cupit]

On line the other day I saw a club with a written "mission statement", a written "vision", and "goals".
3 separate paragraphs.
 If i were a prospective member I would run away.

Jeff,

Could you please elaborate on why that was a turn off. I think you're thoughts will add something really important to this discussion.

jeff,

I agree that the whole mission, vision, credo & motto thing can be over the top or seem too corporate.  The talent lies in running a club as a business while maintaining the clubby feel.  I think some corporate management companies do a lot of things well but miss by presenting the feel of a chain hotel.

you can't cookie cutter a private club feel but I think you need a very professional approach and commitment to realize/recognize your niche combined with a real plan for getting there.  The example you mentioned may have tried to communicate that vision in a very ham handed way but I would be less afraid of that than I would be of a club that had no concrete goal and plan.

[Damon Groves]

"Ballyneal is a National Club composed of golf purists who understand the spirit and camaraderie of the game. Ballyneal is about walking the course with good friends and then enjoying a great meal and a few stories. It is about firm and fast playing conditions and appreciating the game in its natural form in a spectacular setting. If you are interested in such a club, please contact us to inquire about membership."

This is in the Ballyneal website and shows very much what this club is about and shows it does not need to be a complicated or lengthy outline for the clubs vision. It certainly that Ballyneal is owned by two brothers so not a lot of minds pulling in different directions and that Rupert, one of the brothers, is just a great day who had a great idea. 

[Mark Bourgeois]

Bradley

I think that the best clubs--from the obviously great to the hidden gems--prosper by finding a niche and developing an enduring ethos which sustains their niche position.  A very good source of food for thought in this area would be East Lothian, in Scotland.  Within a 30 mile radius you have successful clubs ranging from Muirfield (one of the Keepers of the Game of Golf), to North Berwick (West) (one of the keepers of golf's soul) to North Berwick (East) (a keeper of the ideal of universal golf), to Luffness (a keeper of the principle of privacy and slightly diminished expectations), to Dunbar (a keeper of concept of village golf), to Kilspindie (a keeper showing the relevance of the guttie course in this "modern" age), to Craigielaw (a paean to the attempt to merge the modern age with ancient vistas), to Gullane (four courses in a crescendo--short to long, charming to demanding, crowded to empty, posh to working class), and there are more......

Great stuff, Rich. Are you familiar with the principle of biological exclusion?

[Rich Goodale]

Mark

Is that the same as the Marxism of "I wouldn't want to join any club that would have me as a member."?


Rich

BTW, I am firmly in the anti-Marxist camp and would not want to join any club that would not have me as a member.

j-p p

[Mark Chaplin]

Ballyneal has the right idea but then you have two owners, I understand the best run American clubs tend to have a benevolent dictator(s). It is almost impossible to have 800 members all wanting their club to go in the same direction. Some will strive for improvements others do not want an extra penny spending no matter how bad things get.

You cannot please all the people all the time, please some of the people some of the time and your doing OK!

[Peter Pallotta]

Rich - fine post, indeed.

Yes, an enduring ethos, and a sustaining one.

Peter

[jeffwarne]

On line the other day I saw a club with a written "mission statement", a written "vision", and "goals".
3 separate paragraphs.
 If i were a prospective member I would run away.

Jeff,

Could you please elaborate on why that was a turn off. I think you're thoughts will add something really important to this discussion.

jeff,

I agree that the whole mission, vision, credo & motto thing can be over the top or seem too corporate.  The talent lies in running a club as a business while maintaining the clubby feel.  I think some corporate management companies do a lot of things well but miss by presenting the feel of a chain hotel.

you can't cookie cutter a private club feel but I think you need a very professional approach and commitment to realize/recognize your niche combined with a real plan for getting there.  The example you mentioned may have tried to communicate that vision in a very ham handed way but I would be less afraid of that than I would be of a club that had no concrete goal and plan.

Chris,
You answered Bradley's question nicely for me.
I would agree with most of your thoughts:however, my beef is with clever marketing on websites that write all this flowery nonsense, yet are going to take the money from whoever can write the check anyway.
I am fortunate to be a member of two clubs that I was well acquainted with key members and/or staff, and had played enough golf as a guest and in events to have a feel of the culture and expectations at the club.

Vision and mission statements to me are like pornography-I know it when I see it. All the flowery language in the world isn't going to get me to join a club until I've experienced the culture firsthand to see if it's for me-and me for them. This process may take a bit longer than many would like, but it is a proven formula at least at these two clubs,

In establishing the membership at the ultra high end club I am associated with , we have NO printed material or website. Prospective members are invited to play with me , my staff, the owner.and eventually other members.
 We have a unique culture that I'm sure wouldn't translate into writing anyway, and it certainly needs to be experienced to decide whether it's for the prospective member or not.
But, it does work and we have successfully melded players of uncommon backgrounds into a cohesive membership with a culture and camaraderie I am quite proud of.
So corporate is not for me, but more power to those who can condense it to a written formula.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I have been pondering this question for some time now.  I belong to a club that had a vision when it began (1923).  When the club moved to a new location in the 80s it tried to stay the same.  Originally it was a club of male golfers whose spouses and children played occasionally.  that was the true even for the first few years at the new location.  The vision was to provide a place for male golfers to play in an uncrowded and collegial atmosphere, maintain the course in a manner befitting its heritage (Donald Ross), and provide space for the male members to gamble.  At the new location there was much unrest because newer and younger families joined.  At first the club authorities reacted to threats of lawsuits over the men's grill and restricted tee times on Sat and Sun morning rather than changing the direction the club would go.

There were about ten years of unrest.  The board, especially the president, who was a dictator, but not so benevolent, changed the direction the club was going.  They took a gamble and completely renovated and enlarged the clubhouse.  They then sent out a questionnaire asking us to choose between regrassing the course, changing the 18th hole, or doing extensive work on the practice area.  They said there was money only for one.  Low and behold they did all three and sent us a sizable assessment.  As you can imagine there was much rending of garments and gnashing of teeth.  Many members quit.  Others took a leave of absence to ponder their future at the club.  The golf course at each location was always respected and used for US Open and Senior Open qualifying.  Now there was worry about the future existence of the club.  In what seemed counter intuitive the club raised the initiation fee and dues.  I think unbeknown to the members was a vision to attract a professional tournament.  We settled for a Nationwide event.  It consistently attracts one of the best fields of the year.

Additionally the club is located in an with a large African/American population.  It may be the most integrated club in the state.  Two years ago we filled our quota of members (425).  We lost members last year because of the economy and were assessed a mere $500 to cover operating losses.  There was no grumbling.

In short the vision/direction of the club changed from being an enclave for men to an integrated family club with first a rate clubhouse, practice facility and course. The changes were difficult to implement and there were a lot of hurt feelings.

The "dictator" however, is no longer a member. He plays at my other club and still carries some wounds.

We were lucky, the changes could have backfired.  Change in vision/direction is always difficult.  Change does not come easily. 

[Forrest Richardson]

The "how" part of this has many answers. When we work on new or existing course projects it has been our approach to begin with a vision statement. When working with Disney many years ago I learned how the begin projects — it is with a script. Regardless of the project — big or small — Disney sets out and prepares a script, written by a team of writers and designers, that captures the essence of the architecture, attraction, landscape, etc.

Gold course architects — most, but not all — and well equipped to create a vision for clubs. Not only by way of our experiences, but also because we have a unique perspective to offer.

---

Mark A.:  "I would suggest that the "vision" for a club should never change..."

I disagree, although I hold Mark's opinions in good regard. While it might be noble to stick to a vision, there is nothing wrong with making a well-crafted change in vision if it, overall, helps a club. The vision of Augusta National is not what Jones promoted in his original pamphlet, but elements remain. I am not sure that has been at all bad for America's most famous golf club. Certainly Pebble Beach is a wholly different club than Jack Neville and some locals devised — but Pebble endures and it is now a destination, public venue that "prints money" faster than nearly any other golf property.