How does your club measure up to the competition? Are you performing above the industry standards or below? Are you achieving the objectives necessary to continue to grow and operate successfully? In order to answer these questions, club managers must have a way to track performance. Evaluating the progress of individuals, projects, and specific departments is important, but you also need to have the ability to take an in depth look at the club as a whole.  Using proper KPI’s allow clubs to...

When you click on the ABOUT US page of Ricky’s website (www.rickyleepotts.com), it ONLY displays Ricky’s results from his Clifton Strengths Finder test. That in itself exemplifies the uniqueness and diversity of THE Ricky Potts.  Not only is Ricky L. Potts, Jr. the Assistant General Manager at Valencia Country Club in Santa Clarita, CA, he is also a lover of golf, craft beer, electronic dance music, and so much more!  In addition, Ricky is the host of The Wednesday Match Play Podcast...

As Chef Chuck Currie says, menu structure drives sales and profits…no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it! Unfortunately, many F&B operators at clubs beat their head against the walls of labour cost and inventory control, simply because they do not know how to structure their menu. That being said, we must understand that when it comes to F&B we are in the sales business first, and then immediately after that we are in the inventory control and people training business.  Remember, a good...

Do you need a more reliable way to forecast, manage, and measure your restaurant labor cost?  Is your team having a difficult time articulating to you what, why, or how the results are what they are?  Do you need to optimize your profit model to recover or grow post COVID-19?  After over 20 years in hospitality management, Jim Taylor realized that there is a gap in the development of management understanding and business optimization strategy and it became clear to him that now more than...

On this episode of the GIG Podcast, tune in to learn from Colin Weston the host of the #4 rated golf podcast worldwide ‘The ModGolf Podcast’ which is all about exploring the future of golf through conversations with the visionaries and influencers that are shaking up the sport. There’s lots to learn which you can apply to your role at the club inside this episode as you hear first-hand about the many of the lessons Colin has learned from the discussions that he’s had with the golf...

On this episode of the GIG Podcast, tune in to hear from fellow Canadian and golf industry icon Jim McLaughlin of Troon as he discusses his time in the golf industry and shares with the audience several valuable lessons that he has learned along the way.  We also talk about Troon, his role there, and how the professional golf club management powerhouse believes that creativity, planning, and flexibility all remain imperative for hospitality management as we move forward. Troon started as...

Profit margins can be boosted drastically in your F&B department with the sale of wine, but only if your servers are confident with selling the wine you’re offering to your members and guests.  That being said, this episode of the GIG Podcast is all about getting your team members comfortable with doing just that. With profit margins low on meals, beverages from the bar are key to boosting those F&B profits at your club. The wine list can be intimidating for some servers, and...

Are your food and beverage operations draining profits?  In the foodservice industry, it’s a truism that you cannot cut your way to profitability but failure to control costs will reduce your bottom line.   Some operators focus much of their effort on boosting the revenue side of the equation, taking the expense side as more or less fixed. But tweaking the expense side can yield higher profitability, and often is easier to adjust than revenue.   On this episode of The GIG Podcast, we welcome...

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the golf business in Asia and all the exciting industry opportunities that exist in that part of the world, then this is a must listen! On this episode of The GIG Podcast, we’re pleased to welcome Canadian Expat, and Global Golf Executive, Patrick Bowers who joins us to talk about his exciting career and meteoric rise in the global golf industry where he has found international success over the past 30 years.  Don’t miss this fun and interesting...

Walk into any McDonald’s, order a Big Mac, and the person on the other side of the counter will surely ask, “Do you want fries with that?” The reality of that exchange is that each affirmative answer adds $1.39 or more to that particular sale. If just a fraction of McDonald’s’ 69 million daily customers said yes to that question, that would result in millions of extra dollars in the Hamburglar’s pocket! The same strategy is important for Golf Clubs. The golf industry is a low margin business,...

For some, there is optimism that life will begin to return to some degree of normalcy in the not-too-distant future.  However, many golf course owners and operators still find themselves in the unique circumstance of trying to strike the right balance between having genuine concern for everyone’s well-being and the need to keep their business alive. On this episode of The GIG Podcast, we welcome Andrew Wood who is known as the world’s leader in golf, resort & destination marketing.  Among...

Do you feel like sometimes it just seems impossible to get it all done?  Do you also feel like you have to choose between either your career and being a great leader or your personal fitness and exercising every day to stay fit? We get it. For many people, time is a resource more precious than gold. Between full-time jobs in this demanding industry, kids’ activities, and chores around the home, time is at a premium. With all these things going on, many Club owners and operators struggle to...

Did you know surveys have shown that along with good greens, tees, fairways, and the quality of the hot dog – golfers rank pace of play among the very top features they look for when choosing a course to play?  While that may not be all that surprising (the hot dog part anyways :-)), we’re here to tell you that if slow play is plaguing the golf experience at your club, the good news is that the solution to all your problems might just be one podcast episode away.   Utilizing the solutions...

One of the biggest changes COVID-19 has triggered in the world of golf club management is also one of the easiest to overlook. In very short order, the pandemic has completely reshaped how clubs interact with their members and guests.  Face-to-face board meetings are out; videoconferences are in.  Handshakes are out; contactless interactions are in.  Crowded, bustling golf shops and shotgun starts are out; capacity limits in the restaurant and not raking bunkers are in. But one of the most...

As we talked about in our last episode of the GIG Podcast with Kevin MacDonald, no matter whether you are climbing a mountain, progressing through a career, leading a team, building a relationship or raising a family, we all have the chance to be in a continuous process of elevation.   So, in Part 2 of our chat with Kevin MacDonald we pick up from where we left off last time and continue to talk about how to take your life and your leadership at your club to the next level.   Highlights from...

A common trait among high-performing corporate businesses is that they have sound governance policies and procedures in place, and the same is true for Clubs. As Gregg puts it, in the world of “Clubdom” governance is Job #1 and it’s all about who makes the decisions, who executes the decisions, and who makes sure they are enforced. On this episode of The GIG Podcast, we welcome Club Management extraordinaire, Gregg Patterson, who will talk about the importance of good governance and what...

Retailers in the golf industry define success at the end of a season in many ways. Did we hit our retail sales or gross margin dollar target for the year? Did our members and guests like the products that came with our biggest investment in a specific brand, and ultimately did that brand sell well for us?  One of the most common metrics used is full price sell through which is the percentage of units that sold at full price.   Full price sell through varies from Club to Club, but a good...

On this episode of the GIG Podcast, tune in to learn from private club membership & marketing educator Melissa Hansen as we discuss how to make sure today’s ‘golfing again’ customer becomes tomorrow’s lifelong member.   Yes, there is a resurgence of golf around the world!  The pandemic has been golf’s shot in the arm that no one could have predicted!  But what happens once kids’ baseball games, vacations, and a return to office work all come back in full force?  How do we make sure that...

As the quote goes, “We can only share what we have.”   Before we can display effective service principles towards others, we need to upload our own values and belief systems first. This podcast episode dives into service and cultural strategies and sets the tone for and reveals some of the principles behind creating a sustainable service initiative at any Club.   This high energy podcast episode tackles a positive yet challenging topic as it relates to service philosophies and the...

Customer journey mapping in the club environment is a way to visualize the member or customer experience, and it’s about how your guests interact with your business and enjoy the experiences that you create and deliver for them. Your goal in mapping that journey is to remove the obstacles and make the process efficient, intuitive, and aligned with their expectations, wants, and needs so that their entertainment and enjoyment goals are not only met, but far exceeded!  Simply put, the more...

Are you wondering how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your options for selling liquor? Or what kind of policy you should have when someone lights a joint on your patio?  Do you have a policy that tells your staff if and/or when they can drink after work?  If you have questions about booze or bud, then Bert Hick is the man with the answers!   Bert is the founder and CEO of Rising Tides Consultants, a liquor and cannabis consulting firm located in British Columbia, Canada. Join James as he...

Throughout his entire career, people have called him the Director of Fun and after you listen to this episode of the GIG Podcast, you’ll soon realize why Keith Stewart, PGA has accomplished so much from the Board Room to the Back 9.   With two decades of perspective as an energetic leader in the sports business world, be sure to tune in to our most in-depth episode yet as together James and Keith explore his journey and discuss how Keith has turned his passions and skills as an effective...

As Kevin MacDonald likes to say, no matter whether you are climbing a mountain, progressing through a career, leading a team, building a relationship, or raising a family, we all have the chance to be in a continuous process of elevation. For some it means accomplishing, and for others it may mean staying still to rest and rejuvenate. Although elevation means different things to different people, we know this for sure…magic happens when people shift from dreaming, thinking, and considering,...

Simply put, safety matters!   Unfortunately, all too often safety becomes a priority only after an accident has happened, and at that point it may be a little late to be compliant – sort of like closing the barn door after the horse is gone as they say. Safety also instantly becomes a priority for some club managers only when inspectors arrive at their door to follow up on a call from a disgruntled team member who is not comfortable with the level of safety being provided for them in their...

Clubs and those that are responsible for marketing them are facing a variety of challenges today, many of them unprecedented.  As a result, more than ever marketers need to navigate new and challenging landscapes to promote their club’s products and services. In this context, creativity in marketing and designing programming to influence certain behaviours, and more specifically the behaviours that we want from our members and perspective members, has never been more important. On this...