Club Management - May/June 2008 - (Page 18)

golf course designer Joe Lee recommended CCC, which was in the business of building ofﬁce condos, for the re-design of Horseshoe Bend’s clubhouse outside of Atlanta. “Once we got six or eight buildings up, managers began to talk,” Chapman said. “The network of managers is the way to get it done now.” Which is one reason the trio of major clubs was so important to the ﬁrm, now working on the famed Congressional Country Club in Washington. “Our whole career has been client oriented,” Coyle said. “We can’t afford to do a bad one. If we had fouled up, say, Oakmont, we wouldn’t have been able to do Congressional.” The entrance at Oakmont is a good example of how the ﬁrm goes the extra mile. “The entrance, you could easily drive past it and not notice,” Coyle said. “There are these wonderful stone piers with little tiny light ﬁ xtures on top. We found out there used to be really nice ﬁ xtures on top of these piers so we found a picture of them in a historical book and got someone to duplicate them. “Those are the kinds of things that show your passion. Our charge is to help the owners realize their vision.” In the case of TPC Sawgrass, the owners are the players who make up the PGA Tour. The Tour’s plan was to give The Players a whole new look – new time of the year (May instead of March), new greens and a new clubhouse. And it had to be completed in time for the 2007 Players. The pro shop and grille moved to trailers in the parking lot and the work began. One of the concerns again was to make the bosses happy. “The players really liked the way their part of the clubhouse was laid out,” Coyle said. “We had to make sure they liked the way they moved around in there.” A late decision to re-do the interview building didn’t knock CCC off schedule. Meanwhile in Tulsa, Chapman was trying to ﬁnish up at Southern Hills where the renovation was more extensive than Oakmont and the members were no less particular about the work being done. Among Chapman’s charges – remodel the exterior and add a ballroom, move the ladies’ locker room and build a new ﬁtness Southern Hills Country Club Don’t go it alone…. Struggling to solve your club’s computer problems? We’ve helped more than 300 private clubs select new systems or improve existing ones. Our independent consulting assures that you get the right information to make solid decisions. Evaluation, selection, implementation, improvement – our work over almost two decades has proven the value of our advice. center. The cost was $17 million, and the project was done in phases over four years and completed in time for the club to host the PGA Championship. “Every part of the club was touched,” Chapman said. “Working with Nick Sidorakis, he did a beautiful job. There were things the members did not want to change, and we were sensitive to the history. We wanted to improve and enhance the historic look.” Sometimes, just the waiting is the hardest part. “There are a lot of long hours spent working on designs,” Chapman said. “You work hard and then you sit and wait for the reply. And your deadline doesn’t change. It was just bedlam for us. But it’s really something.” Something special. The ﬁ rm’s architects are working on new projects, but the thrill of 2007, of seeing those tournaments go off without a hitch as thousands of golf fans admired their work, is something that won’t go away for awhile. “To have all three of those going at the same time was pretty amazing,” Coyle said. “To have three major tournaments at those three courses and for a little architectural ﬁrm in Atlanta to have done what we did at those courses, well, it was pretty special.” ❚❘ About the author Pat Dooley, an award-winning columnist for The Gainesville Sun, in Gainesville, Florida, has covered nine Masters and more than a dozen Players Championships as well as other major tournaments around the country during his 30 years as a sportswriter. Don’t go it alone. Use our expertise to get the answers you need. For more information, contact: Bill Boothe, Director Club Consulting Services 561-682-1638 bill.boothe@rsmi.com www.rsmmcgladrey.com/private clubs 18 • CLUB MANAGEMENT http://www.rsmmcgladrey.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Club Management - May/June 2008

Club Management - May/June 2008 Contents President’s Message Accounting & Financial Management Board Governance Wine Society Quenches Thirst for Knowledge, Camaraderie Building & Facilities Management Tennis Pro Education Increases Your Bottom Line Cover Story: BMI Golf Management Golf/Sports & Recreation Management Human & Professional Resources Relationship Building in the Internet Era The Ultimate Cellar Raid Products and Services Marketplace External & Government Influences HFTP Insight: HITEC 2008 Features Latest in Club Technology New Directions Global Outreach Advertiser Index/Advertisers.com Club Wrap

Club Management - May/June 2008

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