Golf Course Maintenance / Brian Green General Manager Report
I am very proud of the job the golf maintenance staff did over the past year. We worked extremely hard to ensure that the course conditions met the expectations that the membership has come to expect. We had a very successful summer with the greens. In fact it was so successful that we were able to delay the fall aerification until October which helped provide outstanding greens throughout the entire summer. Some of the improvements that were made on the golf course include the tee renovations on #1 and #4 and the bulkheading and bunker renovation on #12 and #13. The tee renovations helped address a major problem that we face here and that is limited tee space. In 2005 the USGA suggested expanding teeing space and also removing trees that create shade issues on tees and limit the recovery of the bermudagrass. Renovating and expanding the teeing space is something that we will continue to address in the years to come The bulkheading and bunker renovation at #12 and #13 not only was an aesthetic improvement but it also stabilized the pond bank that was caving in and putting the pump house in jeopardy.
The maintenance of the golf course and the improvements that were made on the golf course were all accomplished while staying within budget. This was important as everyone is facing tough economic times. This upcoming year we plan several improvements to the golf course. Most of the improvements will focus on improving the playability of the golf course. These improvements have started with 400 ft. of cart path replacement. Beginning in January we plan on addressing drainage issues on holes # 1 and #8. We also plan on continuing to renovate and expand our tee space.
There are several concerns that I have regarding the golf course that have become more apparent over the past year. These concerns are a direct result of the increased amount of play that the golf course experienced this year. Increased wear on the greens was apparent with the amount of ball marks on the greens. Also apparent was wear from too much traffic. This was obvious on the putting green and several other greens that are either small, have shade issues (ex. #2), or both. I think it is very important that the board of directors pay close attention to these concerns over the next year.
Clubhouse, Pool and Club Business
The golf operations staff, food and beverage staff, and the office staff also worked very hard over this past year to provide great service and help improve the club. The most apparent changes to the club this year include the painting of the clubhouse and the landscaping that was completed behind the club. Other improvements include replacing the HVAC system that services the ballroom, and painting all of the buildings surrounding the clubhouse. At the pool we were able stain the pool deck, refinish all of the pool furniture, and replace the pump and motor. All of these improvements resulted in increased use of the clubhouse with both member and outside events. It also resulted in the most use of the pool facilities that I have seen during my tenure here at the club.
All of the great service at the club and improvements to the club were all achieved while being fiscally responsible and continuing to reduce the debt. We were able to reduce the debt by $197,296.70 and showed a net income of $7806.62 after depreciation. The financial success that was achieved this past year is a direct result of the talented and intelligent management team that we are lucky to have here at the club. Nick was able to have a record income year in golf operations and also had record participation in our major tournaments. Bennette worked hard to ensure that all of our financial records were in order and also managed our grill and lounge during a time of transition. Speaking of our food and beverage operations, we were lucky enough to add Jennifer Trujillo as our F&B manager and Maria Webb as our chef. They are working well together and are bringing both new member events and outside events to the club. Our future in F&B is bright with both Jenn and Maria on staff.
In closing I would like to say that I am excited about the future of MCCC. I would also like to thank all of the employees, the membership, and the Board of Directors for all of the hard work, dedication, and support that they have given over the past year.
GOLF OPERATIONS YEARLY REPORT (OCTOBER 2008-SEPTEMBER 2009)
By Nick Eatmon & John Trujillo
Overall Key Performance Indicators: During the 2009 fiscal year troubles became evident with the loss of membership early in the year. However, unlike the prior year we made a strong rebound. Gaining 55 members in March and another 30 for the remainder of the year. The gain in membership helped us reach our membership max of 660. In each of the last three years we have reached our membership max of 660. However, this year brought additional rounds of golf with a number of memberships being played by both husband and wife. This years rounds jumped from approximately 32,000 in each of the past two years to over 38,000. Placing Morehead City Country Club in the top 10% of rounds of golf played at 18-hole facilities in North & South Carolina. While cart fees and greens fees remained constant with prior years income there were substantial increases in other areas. Club records were recorded in, merchandise sales, range ball program and handicap participation. Expenses were up $14,141 from 2008, but were down $10,214 from the three years average from 2006-2008. This lead to being approximately $30,000 better than budget and in line with the last three years in golf operations net income. From talking with other golf professionals across the Carolinas Section we had an especially good year as compared to other courses. Strong membership participation lead to being better than budget.
Rounds of Golf:
Total Rounds: 38,065 Walking Rounds: 14,250 Cart Fee Rounds: 13,900 Tournament Rounds: 3,500 Guest Rounds: 3,050 Tracking Rounds: 1,850 Reciprocal Rounds: 1,150
1,150 Employee or Comp Rounds: 365Keeping Costs Down: Costs for tournaments and handicaps both increased due to more participation from the prior year. Costs for tournament increased $2,938 and handicaps services increased $3,016. Payroll increased $2,909. This increase was due to a 3% cost of living pay increase for all employees and an addition of an assistant pro. Total costs of operations were $240,915, up $14,141 from the prior year, but down $10,214 from the three-year average of 2006-2008.
Member Communication: Emails have been gained and the website has been expanded. We have over 500 member emails and the website has had over 10,000 more page views than last year. The website contains monthly newsletters along with up to date club functions such as tournament results and club improvements. Recently we added a suggestion box for members on the website and we also recently sent out a member survey.
Merchandising: Sales were up over $20,000. Outwear sales were up 25% and 60% from the prior 5 year average. Glove sales increase 15%. Shoe sales rose from 72 pair being sold last year to 113 this year. There was no significant increase or decrease in club sales or ball sales. Miscellaneous sales also remained similar to last year. Solid year considering the average golf course in the Carolinas Section sales dropped over 15%. Our sales rose approximately 12% from the prior year. Sales can be directly tied to the increase of membership from 2008, however it should be noted the staff has done a great job in listening to the memberships needs.
Tournament Operations: This years Membership Tournaments were a huge success. Member Guest had the largest field to date. The Club Championship had nearly double the field from last year. Member Member had a larger field than last year also. Pro Am and Seafood Tournaments both had maximum fields. For the first year MCCC participated in the Carolinas Interclub winning our division against Taberna. However, tournament revenue was down approximately $8,000. Two reasons contributed to not reaching budget. One was several of our outside charity tournaments did not have the number of players they have had in the past. Two charity tournaments actually had to cancel due to lack of participation. Economy plays a large part in participants paying to play in charity events. Also, we turned down tournaments that wanted to use our course from mid June to late August. With the number of members gained we wanted to keep as many days as possible open for membership play in the prime season.
Golf Instruction: “Leaving No Member Behind” continues to be a success. John Trujillo and myself gave over 250 free lessons; the new members especially took the opportunity to work on their game. The number of lessons given over the year helped place myself in the top 10% of all Head Professionals in number of lessons given. Providing a great sense of satisfaction in seeing the trust the membership has put into their lessons. John helped to alleviate the lone problem we’ve had in the past where there were weeks demand was higher than available time. We are both looking forward to working with the membership over the next year. Especially now both of us have gotten to know the members games better than before.
Junior Golf: The club’s popular junior program remained strong in 2009. We were able to hold two clinics a week during the summer months. Something we were unable to do last year due to lack of staff presence. As an added bonus juniors who participated in the clinics were given lessons to be taken any time during the year. Our hope is to keep juniors going throughout the year. We offered an advanced junior clinic for junior high and high school golfers. However, we did not have the success we were hoping to have this past summer. John and I both earned college golf scholarships and we hope to pass what we have learned along the way to help those who want to play in high school and beyond. With the help of a number of volunteers most notably Amy Nelson over $15,000 was raised in the first annual “Tee It Up” tournament to support men’s and women’s high school golf teams at West Carteret, East Carteret & Croatan.
Bottom Line: Overall profit in golf operations was nearly identical to the prior three years and approximately $40,000 better than financial actuals from 2003-2005. Our membership has become much more active this year. This is evident by a 6,000 increase in rounds played. In this economic downturn it has been an amazing year for the club. From golf operations standpoint this has been a dream year with the course being busy day in and day out. We are at the top of the list when it comes to private clubs in North & South Carolina concerning play. Member tournaments have been filled. Merchandise sales are the highest in club history. However, it is concerning our overall profit with the activity hasn’t increased despite costs remaining constant with prior years. A large number of members are walking. As a staff we are happy to see the activity and no one has an issue with walkers. However, the amount of play is taking a major toll astatically and financially with the course without a financial benefit.
What to Look For in 2010
Tournaments: The club has been chosen to hold the North Carolina Super Senior (Ages 65 and over) on September 28th & 29th. Steve Hinshaw the Carolinas Golf Association President pushed for the club to hold this event after playing the course earlier in the year. To say the least he cam away very impressed and found our course to be a perfect fit to hold the Super Senior event. We will be adding one major tournament to our tournament schedule. In March we will be holding a two-day two-person tournament. Another new event will be a Ryder Cub home and home match with Castle Bay Golf Club located in Hampstead. Our main tournament schedule will remain the same. We are looking into switching formats for the Member/Member and Member/Guest. Our Member Guest format has been used to play five nine hole matches. 27 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday with our dinner on Friday night. Our max field in the past has been 120 players due to cart constraints. This year we were able to borrow carts from North River to have a field of 132. Even with the additional carts we turned teams down who would of liked to play. With the five nine hole match format we have everyone tee off at the same time and come in after nine holes. We then shotgun everybody again and then do the same for the last match. This year Saturdays play took over eight hours to complete. This is a normal amount of time and is the reason the dinner has been on Friday night. In the past groups talk of being to worn out to make it back out to dinner on Saturday. This presents a problem due to the fact there are some guest coming into town who cannot make the Friday dinner. This years Member/Member tournaments field was 88 players. A much better number to handle for the five nine-hole match format. With the Member/Member format we can use tee times from 7:30 to 2:00. At 10-minute intervals this gives us the opportunity to have 156 players. With last years numbers of 132 and having to turn players away this is a much better option to accommodate more players. This also gives us the opportunity to have the dinner party on Saturday night. This year our Pro Am had the largest payout of and pro am held on a single 18-hole golf course. We’re looking to build on the success of not only our Pro Am but our major tournaments by offering a club raffle to raise money for prizes.
Merchandising: We will continue to offer the finest in selection for our members giving them the best prices they can find anywhere. We will continue to work with vendors to find the best discounts possible. Club fittings and demo days will be scheduled throughout the year. We will be offering new products such as tervis tumblers.
Golf Instruction: We will be beginning our third year of “leaving no member behind” with a slight change. We will be giving one 45 minute lesson for all members at a $15 cost. However, if that member decides to purchase three lessons or more they will have $15 dollars reduced from the package rate. For our juniors we will be working with the Eastern North Carolina Junior Golf League. Giving our juniors the opportunity to compete with other junior at local golf courses. John and I will continue to offer biweekly junior clinics in the summer and we will also be offering member clinics through the spring and summer. Some of these clinics will be at no charge!
This year one of your fellow members Phil Buzzelli is coaching both the men’s and women’s golf teams for West Carteret. John and I look forward to doing anything we can to help Phil have a successful start to his West Carteret coaching experience.
Member Communication: Over the past year there has been an overhaul to the website. We will continue to up date the site. Emails will be sent to the membership in a weekly manner. Monthly newsletter will be readily available online. Surveys to encourage member feedback will be available. Additional advertisements will be posted around the club including but not limited to monthly calendar of events and monthly pro shop sales. We will be offering overall club financials to members in newsletters.
John and I will be making the rounds to play with each of our member groups in the hopes of getting to know you and your games better.
Biggest Issues: Our biggest issues are lack of available tee times, pace of play and member retention. Starting late in the 09 prime season we moved our weekly tee times up from 8:00 to 7:30. We deemed this to be a success and will start times at 7:30 throughout our prime season during the week. We also moved our time up to 7 days to be able to set tee times with the hopes of making it easier for golfers to set regular weekly times. There have been questions on group times for members being blocked on the weekly basis. As a staff and Board of Directors it was decided to have these groups remain. These groups allow and member to join. Plus they are able to fit more players into a smaller amount of tee times due to the fact all players are on the tee at once. In reality we have many more members than our listed amount with every membership being a family membership. Our actual number of members playing is most likely over 8 hundred. With a full compliment of tee times we can handle just over 200 rounds per day. We will continue to work with area courses to provide reciprocals. Our hope is if we can’t get a tee time for you at MCCC we want to make sure we can find a course in the area you can play at a reduced rate.
Pace of play is monitored as closely as any aspect in golf operations. We will continue to use our pace of play guides. As a staff we are going to make a more consistent effort in rangering the course. For the majority of the year pace of play was acceptable. It should be noted with each tee time being booked if a group in the morning plays in a pace of four hours each golfer from there on is going to play at that pace or slower. Without a doubt there are a number of groups who can play in a much faster than four hours. With the amount of play we are having groups need to expect to play no faster than three hours and fifty minutes. This includes twosomes. All we ask is for each group to follow the pace of play guide whether you are a twosome or a fivesome. There has been a lot of talk on fivesomes. Bottom line it has been a decision by staff and the Board of Directors to allow fivesomes. We all understand the argument of not having fivesomes. But we are not a club who turns people away. If there are no fivesomes groups will either have to turn a player down from playing or play in a twosome and threesome. This adds a tee time and causes more waiting for those in the twosome and threesome.
Member retention has been a major issue for most clubs over the past couple of years. We are no different. Over the past year we have lost approximately 100 members. We were much more fortunate than a number of clubs in the fact we gained nearly as many members as we lost in 2009. Our success has been due in large part for past decisions made for the club. Renovations, constant improvements to the course and a great maintenance crew have placed the course above all others in the area. Our practice facilities are like no other in the area. Our new food & beverage manager and chef are offering great food and more social functions than ever before. Our golf operations staff is as friendly and knowledgeable as any you’ll find. Our tournament schedule and participation is second to none. Our two main member organizations in the LGA and MGA are very active and accommodating to all members. We offer pool and tennis along with reciprocals to a number of courses. We have as much to offer as any club you can find and we are truly the best deal in town. However, we are walking a fine line with budget. Our current budget is based on 620 members and we are budgeted to make less than $10,000. Bottom line is we cannot afford to lose members with our current income and our current cost of operation.
Thank you all for your continued support and we promise to do everything we can as a staff to meet your every golfing need. HAPPY GOLFING!!!
MOREHEAD CITY COUNTRY CLUB
Year End Report Brian Green, Nick Eatmon & John Trujillo
