Recognizing that we work in a detail-intensive business, most club managers understand that comprehensive and systematic training for both subordinate managers and line employees is an imperative. Yet, the sad fact is that training is an afterthought in many operations, left up to department heads or front line supervisors to conceive, design, and implement.
Why is this so often the case? I offer the following as some of the factors that make training so difficult for all of us:
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First, is the standalone nature of most clubs. Busy managers have little time and, in some cases, lack the necessary skill set to design a comprehensive training curriculum for employees. Complicating this is the fact that club operations span many disciplines, including accounting, human resources, marketing, member relations, golf operations, food and beverage, aquatics, golf course maintenance, and other areas. Few, managers have the detailed knowledge of all these disciplines to design the well-integrated systems, policies, and procedures that cover all areas of the operation. - The general manager and management staff have not formally defined the standards of quality and service they wish to provide the membership. Without formal standards, how do they determine their training needs?
- Given the many positions inherent in club operations, there is the need to develop a curriculum for each position to provide employees the appropriate skill set. This is a daunting task, though focusing on critical member-facing positions is the first step.
- In addition to individual skills training, employees must be trained in the club culture and values; laws affecting the workplace; employee work rules and policies; liability abatement training such as safety, sanitation, and public health; human resource issues such as sexual harassment, discrimination, conduct, and performance criteria; accounting policies and procedures relating to their work such as point of sale training, inventory procedures, and timekeeping; and all the club’s various organizational systems that allow it to function efficiently.
- Managers at all levels must be trained in a variety of disciplines including leadership; club culture and values; various laws affecting club operations; club systems; accounting standards, policies, and procedures; human resource standards, policies, and procedures — to name a few.
- Few clubs have a comprehensive training plan that guides subordinate managers in training standards, responsibilities, budgets, resources, and necessary curricula.
- There is no easy way for the general manager to monitor training execution due to the lack, in most clubs, of training administration software and training benchmarks. Short of attending each training session, how does the GM know who is training and meeting the ongoing requirements of a multi-faceted curriculum.
- In times of tight budgets (and when is it ever not such a time?), the cost of every hour of training is multiplied by the number of employees being trained and their hourly wage — and this can have a significant impact on the bottom line.
- The management staff does not have the will to make it happen given all the other management requirements, demands on their time, and competing priorities.
- The club’s board, while demanding high service levels, does not understand the direct link between formal training and quality service or, even more importantly, the challenging task of designing and implementing an effective club-wide training program. In many cases, the general manager has not developed the training goals, assessments, plan, proposed budget, and “sold” the board on its necessity.
The bottom line on all these issues is that unless focused on and attended to religiously, they fall through the cracks. While the training requirements of a well-run operation seem overwhelming, they can be effectively implemented by a variety of strategies which we’ll talk about next week.
Thanks and have a great day!
Ed Rehkopf
This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers - those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.
Club Resources International - Management Resources for Clubs!
As I began to dig deeper and deeper into the challenges of the club, Randy took to stopping by my office each morning. While I was anxious to learn as much as I could from him, each morning became a litany of complaints, usually that he did not have the necessary tools, staff, or time to take care of all the things for which his department was responsible. Frequently, he disparaged his employees and their lack of necessary skills. Further, I had the distinct sense that Randy was looking to me for solutions to his problems, both real and imagined.
Like Randy, John also stopped by my office each day for a few minutes. But he never complained; he only kept me informed of what he was working on. Sometimes he sought my permission to pursue a particular course of action or sought confirmation of his plans. With each passing day I grew less and less concerned about maintenance. Confidence in John and the job he was doing allowed me to turn my attention to other pressing matters.
As anyone who has ever read my writings knows, I am a firm believer in written standards, policies, and procedures as the basis for a well-organized hospitality operation. Here are some of the reasons why:
Having faced these issues in job after job in both hotels and clubs, I have over the years prepared an immense amount of written 
While the instructor provided ample handouts to explain and illustrate the Ritz-Carlton way, I took over fifteen pages of notes. I shall try to summarize the main elements of how they consistently provide such high level service.
First, Ritz-Carlton has a well-defined corporate 
Here’s an example: an international guest at the Ritz-Carlton, Washington DC, checked out and flew to NYC to catch an international flight. Upon arrival at JFK airport, he realized he had left his overseas flight tickets at the hotel. He called the Ritz-Carlton in a panic. The desk clerk with the OK of her supervisor and the hotel GM, took a flight to NY and personally delivered the guest’s tickets in time to catch his plane.
1. 
7. Training. There is much for employees to know in serving your members. You cannot expect that your employees will inherently know what to do unless they are systematically and consistently trained. Training gives your employees the knowledge and confidence they need. Confident employees are more apt to engage your members and provide higher levels of service.
Given the importance of empowering your employees, it’s helpful to understand the many ways to destroy such empowerment and that none of them are caused by employees. If your employees do not feel empowered, look no further than your 
You’ve given them guidelines, but then micromanage them. Maybe you’ve done a good job of defining limits, but then micromanage them. When you do this they will quickly understand that they are not “empowered” and that you will continue to make all the decisions, no matter how trivial.
Why, then, is poor service so often the rule rather than the exception? I have met many competent, hard-working, and professional general managers who voiced a clear and unequivocal service vision for their operations. They understood the need for well-defined standards, thorough training of employees, and constant reinforcement of 
While some front line supervisors demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, many did not. Often my biggest problems were created by supervisors who did not treat their employees properly, who did not communicate expectations, and who did not seem to understand or follow the most basic requirements of leading or managing people. These profound failings were crippling to the organization and required many hours of counseling, training, and, in some cases, terminations to remedy.
The major benefit of establishing an organizational culture is that once adopted by the majority of people in an organization the culture takes on a life of its own and permeates the workplace. As normal turnover takes place, new hires quickly learn that to be accepted in their new surroundings, they must embrace the culture and make it their own. In the absence of a culture developed and disseminated by the organization’s leadership, a culture will arise on its own, usually fostered by a vocal few and often cynical and at odds with the purpose of the organization.