On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Rob Thomas speaks with Keith Scioli, Founder of GOLF LIVE. After the loss of a family member, Scioli developed a deep connection to the game of golf that led to the creation of an innovative solution for instructors and students alike. In 2019, Scioli was getting ready to go play in a tournament and developed a case of “the shanks.” Naturally, on a Friday night, at a public driving range, there was not an instructor to be found. Then it hit him; “Why...

On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Club + Resort Business Editor-in-Chief Rob Thomas and Senior Phil Keren discuss a recently completed project, one that is nearly finished and two more that are just beginning. The 18-month revitalization project at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. encompassed 189 of the resort’s guest rooms, the complete rebuild and elevated design enhancements of the famed Beach House, and the restoration of its four beachside pools. Improvements were...

On this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Editor-in-Chief Rob Thomas speaks with Jarrett Chirico, Director of Racquets at Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas, Texas and Founder/President of The Directors Club. In addition to the importance of certifications (he has many (DCA, CRSE, PTR, PPR, PCR, PPTR, SCR, USPTA, PPTA)), Chirico discusses the vision behind The Directors Club and the booming racquets industry as it enjoys its Golden Age. He also looks into his crystal ball and shares...

On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Senior Editor Phil Keren speaks with Evan Summa, General Manager of Hyperion Field Club in Johnston, Iowa, about the club’s completion of a refurbished clubhouse and an adult-only dining area, the start of a luxury home project, and a comprehensive digital marketing campaign. The finished projects were initiated in response to answers given by club members in a survey conducted in fall of 2022. Summa, who has worked at Hyperion for 12 years and became...

On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Senior Editor Phil Keren speaks with Eric Brey, one of the Directors at GGA Partners, about his firm’s Club Members Perspective Report. GGA surveyed more than 3,500 club members throughout North America to find out what members value at their clubs. The report offers a lot of great information to help general managers understand what members like about their club and what aspects they feel could be improved. Phil and Club + Resort Business...

Editor-in-Chief Rob Thomas speaks with Jason Becker, PGA, CEO and Co-Founder of Golf Life Navigators, about a new trend — millennials flocking to golf communities. Among other topics, Becker addresses how the perception of private golf communities has shifted among millennials in recent years, as well as some common misconceptions or stereotypes about millennials in private golf communities, and how these communities are addressing or challenging them. Rob and Senior Editor Phil Keren also...

On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Club + Resort Business Senior Editor Phil Keren visited with PGA Golf Professional Jimmy Hanlin, who hosts or co-hosts four golf programs on television — “Blaster’s 18 Holes,” “Swing Clinic,” “Pin Shot,” and “Links to the Game.” He also hosts a radio show called “Tee It Up with Jimmy Hanlin and Tony Grossi” on ESPN Cleveland Radio. In the country club world, Hanlin is the Owner and Director of Golf at both Little Mountain Country Club in Painesville,...

On this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Editor-in-Chief Rob Thomas chats with Danny Klein, Editorial Director of QSR and FSR Magazines, about the confluence of golf, dining and entertainment (think Topgolf). Rob and Senior Editor Phil Keren also discussed a clubhouse renovation project that happened at Atlanta National Golf Club. The upgrade included an overhaul of the design and menu at Pete’s Restaurant, as well as the construction of both a golf performance center and a...

The upcoming solar eclipse, another night golf course in Arizona, and a potential new labor rule that would affect country clubs were some of the topics discussed by Club + Resort Business Editor-in-Chief Rob Thomas and Senior Editor Phil Keren during the latest episode of Club + Resort Talks. There are multiple clubs and resorts in the solar eclipse’s path of totality that are hosting parties and watch parties with food, beverages, music and other activities. Arrowhead Golf Club in Minster,...

In this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Senior Editor Phil Keren speaks with Jason Pearsall, Managing Partner with Revive Golf Management, about Pearsall’s decision to open the Warren Valley Golf Course in Dearborn Heights, Mich. earlier than usual. Revive Golf Management is operating the golf course in a lease agreement with the city of Dearborn Heights. Due to the mild weather conditions and a high level of interest from some regular players, Pearsall determined that it was a...

In this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Editor-in-Chief Rob Thomas chats with Scott Lambert, Atlanta Country Club Superintendent, and David Birdwell, a member and former Club President, to talk about a major renovation project. The multi-faceted renovation included significant infrastructure updates and design alterations to the golf course as well as new and improved practice facilities and additional off-course amenities to enhance the experience for current members and future...

On this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Rob Thomas speaks with Jonathan Fralick, VP, Racquet Sports for Invited Clubs. Fralick discusses a number of programs across the Invited portfolio, including two grow-the-game initiatives — First Serve and Right Start. First Serve is a comprehensive junior pathway to ensure organization, player development and member enjoyment with clear goals and proven developmental success. The Right Start program is designed for entry-level adults...

On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Rob Thomas speaks with Elsbeth Hurry, Co-Founder and CEO of ZIGIT. ZIGIT’s new proprietary technology allows golf course owners and operators to sell canned and bottled alcohol through attractive, stand-alone ZIGIT-enabled machines (boxes) at locations along golfers’ journeys. Purchase eligibility is validated through ID verification / authentication and facial recognition, and drinks are dispensed typically within 30 seconds. Poised to transform...

In this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Phil Keren speaks with R.J. Hottovy, Head of Analytical Research at Placer.ai, about the company’s recent examination of location intelligence metrics at country clubs. Placer.ai is a location analytics company that examines mobile data to create foot traffic estimates for any physical location in the U.S. Placer.ai recently conducted an examination of visit rates at 50 country clubs around the country. The company also looked at some demographic...

On this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Rob Thomas spoke with Jake Gordon, CEO & Co-Founder of Noteefy, about how golf courses can drive more revenue with less effort. KemperSports, Landscapes Golf Management, Streamsong, and Sand Valley, to name a few, have already partnered with Noteefy. A few of the highlights: - Drive incremental revenue: Noteefy gives every golfer their own personal assistant to help find tee times at your course. This enables golfers to play more, with...

Here is the intro: In this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Phil Keren speaks with Pete Wilson, Co-Founder of Grass Clippings, about his company opening a lighted golf course at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz. The course began operations on Dec. 1 and has been well-received in the Tempe community. Phil first spoke with Wilson in September about the plans and now seemed like a great time to catch up on how the night golf operation is going in the southwest. Phil and Rob Thomas also...

In this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Rob Thomas speaks with Santiago Gomez, Founder and CEO of Padel Haus. Santiago shares the origins of padel, a sport invented in Mexico in 1969, combining elements of tennis, racquetball, platform tennis, and squash. Padel involves playing with walls, adding a unique dimension to the game. Santiago discusses the rapid global growth of padel, noting that the demand for their locations has significantly increased. Santiago’s journey into Padel started in...

On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Rob Thomas speaks with Alicia Nissel, General Manager of The Downtown Clubs in Houston, Texas. Nissel discusses what the club does to attract and retain members, as well as looking into her crystal ball to see what the industry can expect five or 10 years down the road. Rob and Senior Editor Phil Keren also discussed two golf industry conferences that are happening in January: The 2024 PGA Show is Jan. 23-26 at the Orange County Convention Center in...

On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Club + Resort Business Senior Editor Phil Keren speaks with Kevin Clarke and Nick Markel from The Country Club of Buffalo about their club hosting its second annual Sporting Clays Invitational on Nov. 3 and 4. Clarke, who chaired the event and served as captain of The Country Club of Buffalo’s sporting clays team, talks about the details of the competition, while Markel, the club’s General Manager, discusses the work that his staff performed behind the...

In this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Club + Resort Business Senior Phil Keren speaks with the leaders at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach, Fla., about the club garnering the No. 1 ranking in the 2023 Club + Resort Business Top Ranked Clubhouses program. Ryan Walls, CEO and General Manager at BallenIsles Country Club, Laura Young Cray, Clubhouse Director, and Becky Collison, Director of Marketing and Communications, discuss the $35 million renovation of the grand clubhouse in 2018....

In this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Editor Rob Thomas speaks with Tom Everett, President of Landscapes Golf Management. Landscapes Golf Management has been in a news a lot lately, with new projects in both Traphill, N.C. (Contentment Golf Club) and Sioux Falls, N.D. (Mapleton Golf Club). Everett also penned a popular column for Club + Resort Business—How Do You Cultivate Culture That Produces High Performers?—in September 2023. Senior Editor Phil Keren joined the conversation to...

Club + Resort Business Senior Editor Phil Keren spoke with Danita Osborn, Director of Membership and Marketing at Shadow Wood Country Club in Estero, Fla., about the club earning the No. 1 spot on the 2023 C+RB Top Ranked Patios listing. This listing can be viewed at clubandresortbusiness.com and appears in the August issue of C+RB. Osborn discussed what the honor meant for the club, as well as the two patio projects that occurred in 2022, and the organization’s efforts to create a strong...

On this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Joe Conforti, Director of Golf at the Club at Olde Cypress sits down with Club + Resort Business Editor Rob Thomas to talk about taking members on golf trips. Conforti and Thomas recently participated in the Annie’s Revenge Jamaica Pro-Am—a first for Rob, but Joe’s fifth trip to the Caribbean for the event. Presented by the Jamaica Tourist Board and The Golf Connection, Annie’s Revenge was sponsored by COBRA PUMA Golf, IBEROSTAR Hotels...

Club + Resort Business Senior Editor Phil Keren spoke with two leaders from The Landings Golf & Athletic Club in Savannah, Ga., about the club earning the No. 1 spot in the 2023 Club + Resort Business Top Ranked Pro Shops Program. Haley Pickering, the club’s Golf Shop Retail Manager, and Steve Justman, Director of Golf at the club, talked about what meant to earn the top ranking, as well as the unique offerings of each of the club’s four soft goods shops and the services provided by its...

In this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, editor Club + Resort Business Editor Rob Thomas chats with chats with Rob Goodhue, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef at Hunters Run Country Club in Boynton Beach, Fla. Chef Rob has started a podcast of his own, named "Rare Talk." In his first episode, available on Spotify and iTunes, he talks about Restaurant Picks When Traveling: Vacation Dos and Don'ts of Dining. Example ... Don't expect a great steak at a place that...