Creating A Blueprint for

Your Clubs Future

All Square
Planning Consultants
Jeff Graves
o Principal, All Square Consulting
o Architect


Doug Martin
o Principal, All Square Consulting
o Former Director of Business Strategy,
Microsoft Corporation
Why Focus on Long
Range Planning?
The club market is changing rapidly

Your members decision making is
much more mercenary than in the
past

Your membership picture may look
strong today.

But what is bubbling right beneath
the surface?

Good time to invest in a plan instead
of a capital improvement
Agenda
Building a useful financial blueprint

Taking a fresh look at your
membership

Creating a practical strategic
blueprint

Master planning

Moving from blueprint to action
Building Blocks of a
Club Blueprint
Financial Blueprint
Data Collection
Strategic Blueprint
Facilities Master Planning
The Foundation:
A Financial Blueprint
Ten year view of all club revenues, expenses,
and capital projects

Complete Asset Study showing all forecasted
asset replacement costs

Financial representation of the Strategic
Blueprint

Critical planning tool for Board and
committees
The Asset Study
Asset count
Yearly summaries
Organized by groups and
categories
Photographs
Asset replacement/repair
o Useful life
o Preventative maintenance
o Replacement costs
o Projected replacement date
Financial Blueprint
Building Blocks of a
Club Blueprint
Financial Blueprint
Data Collection
How Much Do You Really Know
About Your Members?
Where do they spend discretionary dollars?
What are their dining habits?
What other organizations do they belong to?
What after-school programs are their children involved in?
How much time do they have in an average week to spend
at the club? How can you get more of their time?
Private Club Trends
Membership
Time
constraints
Gen X and Y
More active
women
Active
Boomers
Services
Fitness
Spa services
Family
orientation
Business
services
Youth
programs
Operations
Healthy fare
Quick meals
Family dining
for younger
members
Recognize Your Competition
Its more than the nearby golf clubs
Your REAL competitors:
o Health clubs
o Area restaurants
o After-school attractions
o Video games
o Tennis Clubs
o Day Spas
o The Internet and
social media
Get to Know Your
Customers
Current Members
Surveys and Focus Groups
Past Members
Exit Interviews
Future Members
Demographic Data
Current member referrals
Strategic Planning Survey Basics
Keep operations surveys
separate

Focus on your customer, not
on your club

Get to know what they do, not
just who they are

Web-centric with paper-based
backup

Use an objective third party if
possible
Building Blocks of a
Club Blueprint
Financial Blueprint
Data Collection
Strategic Blueprint
"If you don't know
where you are going,
you are certain to end up
somewhere else."
- Yogi Berra
Typical Strategic Planning
(Brace yourselves, this is groundbreaking stuff!.)
Mission Statement
To provide our members with a superior golf and
country club experience, embracing the traditions of
the game, providing a superior test to golfers of all
abilities, and to promote an atmosphere of friendship
and camaraderie for members and their guests.

Strategic Objectives
o Maintain an outstanding golf course
o Conduct quality events
o Respect for club traditions
o Responsive and effective club governance
o Financial viability
o An atmosphere of respect for members,
management and staff
Why Strategic Plans Fail
Too much focus on mission
Reacting to squeaky wheels
Ready. Shoot. Aim.
NPD
Letting timelines and budget
limit your strategic blueprint
Letting architects or drawings
drive your planning agenda

Practical Strategic Planning
Fly at the correct altitude
Ideas are your top commodity
Let your collected data be your
guide
Involve non-traditional players
Define where you want to go, how
you will get there, and how you
know when youve arrived


Strategic Planning Process
Data
Collection
Membership web survey
Board and GM interviews
Local area demographics
Competitive analysis
National trend data
Strategic Planning Process
Data
Collection
Data
Validation &
Review
Focus groups
Explore survey trends
Explore trade offs and priorities
Assess opinion intensity
Strategic Planning Process
Data
Collection
Data
Validation &
Review
Analyze
Strengths &
Weaknesses
Series of LRP committee meetings
High level board review
Stay at high altitude
Commitment to rely on objective data
Strategic Planning Process
Data
Collection
Data
Validation &
Review
Analyze
Strengths &
Weaknesses
Develop a
Blueprint
Define series of achievable goals
Every goal or initiative is measurable
Initial blueprint not bound by time or $$
Prioritize projects based on greatest needs
Strategic Planning Process
Data
Collection
Data
Validation &
Review
Analyze
Strengths &
Weaknesses
Develop a
Blueprint
Build
Membership
Support
Plan is only as good as support
Strive for board unanimity
Trust your objective data
Vote if bylaws require, or
create feedback process
Turning A Strategic
Blueprint into Action
Every goal/project is measurable
and has an owner
Goals are tied to employee reviews
and bonuses
Priorities are driven by economic
realities
Keep focused on high-level goals
o Let committees define project details
Building Blocks of a
Club Blueprint
Financial Blueprint
Data Collection
Strategic Blueprint
Facilities Master Planning
Master Plan Philosophy:
It Aint Just Fancy Drawings!
Start high, then reduce altitude

Measure ideas against the
Strategic Blueprint

Discuss alternatives for realizing
the strategic blueprint through
facilities improvements
Rules for Effective
Master Planning
Usually developed by LRP committee
Work within the vision, goals and
objectives of the strategic blueprint
Understand scope and scale of each
project
Drawings only after project is clearly
defined
Golf Course master plan developed
simultaneously
Developing a
Detailed Program
Square footage
Heating and cooling
Acoustical requirements
Lighting
Capacity and flow
Adjacencies
Ambience
Building Blocks of a
Club Blueprint
Financial Blueprint
Data Collection
Strategic Blueprint
Facilities Master Planning
The Completed Financial
Blueprint
Club Planning Timeline
The Financial Blueprint starts with the Asset Study and is populated by strategic
initiatives as they are developed

Strategic Blueprint includes data collection, focus groups, board interviews, and
a series of LRP committee meetings

Master Planning includes detailed program development and several iterations of
conceptual drawings

Financial
Blueprint
Finance Committee
Strategic
Blueprint
LRP Committee

Master
Planning
LRP Committee
Membership meeting/presentation
Board reviews
Completing
Capital Projects
Form an ad hoc Building
Committee for each project
Develop implementation timeline
and budget
o Update Financial Blueprint

Select project manager
Select and LEAD architect,
contractor, designers
Manage timeline and budget
A Complete Club
Blueprint
Complete financial picture for
ten years, updated annually
Clear picture of your current and
future customer
Concrete vision for how your
club stays vibrant and relevant
Visual representation of your
complete club blueprint
Financial Blueprint
Data Collection
Strategic Blueprint
Facilities Master Planning
Questions